pocketfell's reviews
364 reviews

The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women: An Inside Look at Women & Sex in Medieval Times (Human Sexuality, True Stories, Women in History) by Rosalie Gilbert

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funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

Genuinely interesting stuff with some fun information and good jokes, but at times this felt sort of weirdly organised, and the ending just sort of... Happened, without a lot of preamble. Still, fun, and I'm going to get a copy for my partner who wrote an essay on sex manuals.

The Imperial Stars by E.E. "Doc" Smith

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

This book is solidly mid-tier, leaning heavily as a lot of pulp sci-fi does on telling rather than showing, but it's hard to find too much wrong with it.
This was a genuinely fun little adventure that reminded me of early Batman comics in tone-- and I'm not mad about it.
I will absolutely be keeping an eye out for more books about the super-spy acrobats who have super powers from being born on a 3x gravity planet.

The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses by L.V. Russell

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mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

(Free Netgalley Copy)
This was an absolute Goldilocks book for me, and the first book of its nature to actually hit the notes I was looking for. With elements that called to mind both The Turn of The Screw and Jane Eyre, this mildly spooky tale really threaded the needle and felt like a proper Gothic novel.

I found Theodora to be an interesting protagonist, with her determination, kindness, and caring nature. She was nurturing without being irritating to read about, as can be the case in Governess stories, and I found her growing relationship with Cassias to be believable and sweet.

I genuinely enjoyed watching the two of them get to know each other, and it seemed like they were very well-suited to one another. I'm pleased Ottoline got the kind of family she deserved.

The prose was adequate, very well-suited to the kind of story being told. It could have been more elaborate, but truly the book didn't suffer for it, I thought it was just fine as it was. Furthermore, the twist was very well foreshadowed. I think I guessed what was happening about 60% of the way through, and I still found the reveal to be satisfying.

Wholeheartedly recommend anyone looking for a quick Gothic-y read to give this a try, it's perfect to fill any rainy afternoon.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.

This is one of those so far up its own ass literary fiction books that makes me question why people read at all. Like. What the hell?
I only got through 100 pages of this nonsense before I had to set it down for my own mental health. Did the author roll on a series of random DND tables to decide what would happen next? Because that's how it reads. Farcical, from start to (presumably) finish. I'm not doing this to myself.

Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker by Syrie James

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hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

When I saw a book who's summary boiled down to "Mina Harker's secret affair with Dracula" my interest was, predictably, piqued. That sounds almost as up my alley as A Dowry Of Blood, a book which affected me so profoundly that I for some reason purchased a copy in Italian.
Unfortunately Dracula, My Love is not nearly the book it could have been. Dracula was charming enough, I suppose, and true enough to the way he acts in Stoker's original, but he lacked a requisite smoothness, and his various attempts to deceive (and occasionally Gaslight) Characters in the book fell a tad flat. His convenient excuses for every little thing rang too hollow, leading to Mina looking a little silly for believing him. Mina herself was a perfectly serviceable main character, although her flip-flopping on who she loved did grow tiresome quite quickly. It felt like neither she nor the story ever lived up to the promise of an innocent woman, seduced by Dracula's wiles.
I wasn't looking for Spice, that's not what floats my literary boat, but I did want a book that really committed to the bit harder than this one did, hence the rating.

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced