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prettyflyforascienceguy's reviews
188 reviews
Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden
4.75
I saw some reviews say they found this book repetitive or pretentious, but I didn’t. I found that every repetition had purpose and beauty. I loved the writing style. To be fair, I did listen to the audiobook (read by the author, highly recommend), so maybe that helped cut down on the “edgy pretentiousness” that some people got from reading it.
Overall, I found this book to be a gorgeous study of grief and mental health. It was so thought provoking for me. I completely got lost in the world. This has been my favorite book of 2024 so far. I think I would appreciate some of the nuance more if I had experienced heavy grief in my life, but I am lucky and happy that some of the depth of the subject was lost on me.
Overall, I found this book to be a gorgeous study of grief and mental health. It was so thought provoking for me. I completely got lost in the world. This has been my favorite book of 2024 so far. I think I would appreciate some of the nuance more if I had experienced heavy grief in my life, but I am lucky and happy that some of the depth of the subject was lost on me.
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
4.25
I can’t believe how much detail and world building was squeezed into less than 200 pages. The pacing was perfect, never too slow or too rushed. You care about the protagonists and the antagonists are truly awful (but complex). The writing is descriptive and beautiful without being over verbose. This is one of the most efficiently written books I’ve ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
3.0
If you’re looking for a book that’s going to change your life, this is not it. If you’re looking for an easily digestible and pleasant romance, this will probably fit the bill. Sometimes funny, sometimes cringey, not remarkable or memorable in anyway.
Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen
3.0
I’m really conflicted with this book. I normally don’t mine a slow plot if the quality of the prose makes up for it. The writing in this book was sometimes beautiful and sometimes nonsensical, so I don’t know if it made up for the lack of strong plot.
Also, the audiobook narrator was whacky. I read that she is known for her European accents, which would make sense if she used them?? But for some absurd reason she was using valley girl and Appalachian accents in a book set in 1600s Germany. Make it make sense.
I think I would recommend this book, but I would not recommend the audiobook.
Also, the audiobook narrator was whacky. I read that she is known for her European accents, which would make sense if she used them?? But for some absurd reason she was using valley girl and Appalachian accents in a book set in 1600s Germany. Make it make sense.
I think I would recommend this book, but I would not recommend the audiobook.
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
4.75
I mean…yeah. Nearly flawless. Such rich and immersive world building. Every single POV was gold. I didn’t find myself skipping or skimming at all. Completely engaging. I just wish we would have had more from the female perspective. This is especially obvious in the audiobook, with how much more we hear the male voice to the female.
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul
1.75
The writing in this book was really awful. The pacing was completely off, there are weird details mentioned here and there that have literally no plot relevance (we get told twice on one page that Kitty is a Virgo…..and….for what?). The dialogue is written in such a confusing way. I didn’t believe any of the romances.
The only saving grace is that the premise of the story is somewhat interesting, but God was it executed poorly. Save your time, read something else like The Vanishing Half instead.
The only saving grace is that the premise of the story is somewhat interesting, but God was it executed poorly. Save your time, read something else like The Vanishing Half instead.
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
3.0
There was a lot of good in this book. The magic system in this book is unique. I loved the queernormative world. The F/F relationship in this book is filled with tension and is really well done, and I appreciated the small hints of “spice” we were given. The premise of the story is so intriguing. I loved Pila as a character, and all of the obeah as magical creatures. I really loved when El-Arifi described the setting, I craved more description of the world.
However, there were too many things in this book that stopped me from fully enjoying it, and it mostly came down to writing style. El-Arifi does a lot of “telling” rather than “showing”. There were several instances in the book where she explicitly states word for word the “twist,” as if we couldn’t figure it out for ourselves (spoiler: we could). The dialogue felt modern and anachronistic. The clunky pacing took me out of the story more than once. One of my biggest issues with the book is how blatantly the ending sets us up for a sequel. In the last 20 pages there are literally 3 twists (that we are told, and not shown). It feels way different than the rest of the book and not authentic at all. I do not think I will read the sequel.
However, there were too many things in this book that stopped me from fully enjoying it, and it mostly came down to writing style. El-Arifi does a lot of “telling” rather than “showing”. There were several instances in the book where she explicitly states word for word the “twist,” as if we couldn’t figure it out for ourselves (spoiler: we could). The dialogue felt modern and anachronistic. The clunky pacing took me out of the story more than once. One of my biggest issues with the book is how blatantly the ending sets us up for a sequel. In the last 20 pages there are literally 3 twists (that we are told, and not shown). It feels way different than the rest of the book and not authentic at all. I do not think I will read the sequel.
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa
3.75
Most of this book had me completely hooked. I loved both the FMC and MMC. The tension and spice was very well written. The extra “plot” felt rushed and definitely secondary, but if that doesn’t bug you it’s not a big deal.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
3.5
This book took me a while to “click” with, but I really ended up enjoying it. I love El, especially as a “low charisma” FMC. I really enjoyed the supporting characters as well. Some of the battle scenes dragged on a little bit for me, and I felt like there were some issues with pacing. However, overall I had a lot of fun. Excited to read the next one!