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randi_jo's reviews
399 reviews
Romantically Disturbed: Love Poems to Rip Your Heart Out by Adam F. Watkins, Ben H. Winters
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
These are cute poems, mostly iambic pentameter with AC rhyming. I'd peg these more as YA or even middle grade appeal. Mostly though, the art is great and kinda overshadows the poems.
Metal from Heaven by August Clarke
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Ok. I'm here. I finally crossed the finish line crawling on my hands and knees. I slept on it and honestly I am still having difficulties parsing my thoughts on this.
I was extremely excited for this and I think I made too many assumptions based on the blurbs and taglines and all that fun stuff to the point where it really hurt my reading experience A LOT, which is what contributed heavily towards my rating. This is why:
1) I would peg the setting as a fantasy steelpunk sort of setting, but make it fantasy steel instead, which was GREAT. I loved that aspect so much!! Not so much 'punk-rock' because it felt too western for that?
2) It's advertised as a political call-out, however I was expecting more political commentary - or at least more than: "capitalism kills and is evil but socialism is worth dying for". I was not expecting it to lean more into the constructs of religion and nepotism and really it got super muddled at that point as to what the author's intention was with this.
3) I could see where the comparison to Gideon the Ninth came from in the sense of the frenetic prose that almost seems to riff on the English language. Do I feel like it's on the same tier as Muir? Not really, but it's unique enough to keep interest.
4) The comparison to The Princess Bride is absurd. This book isn't even a romance, unless you consider an obsession with a dead girl romance. Either way it doesn't have the easy humor, Inigo Montoya character, or really anything that made TPB unforgettable. And you can't label anything that's vaguely second chance romance as being similar to TPB, that's just silly.
Anyway to try and sort my thoughts I'll just make my list:
Pros:
⛏️ The beginning of this book! Wow! What a bang of a start! I was hooked almost immediately! You've got labor strikes, death, escapes, banditry, train robbing!!! Almost a wild-west vibe filled with comradery and lesbians! It was great!
⛏️ The varying degree of identities of the characters. Not just gender, which comes up a couple times, but within the scope of lesbianism and thoughts of dysmorphia/dysphoria.
⛏️ The last 10% of the book. Look, with all the religious allegories going on, I was expecting a Jesus Has Risen moment. Glory and all that! I was not ready forthe hatching of sentient, hive-mind metal kaiju . Plus, the very last sentence was perfect. It made the second person story-telling angle turn the entire book into a repeating cycle, which would tell the creation of the world, industrialization, and the end of the world over and over. It was a nice touch.
Cons:
⛏️ World building in general. There's a lot of it, but it feels like it's all in the wrong places? Or too little or too much all at once? There is no real balance. Example: At like 80-ish% I found out there are TWO MOONS in this setting. This feels more important than an offhand after the book is almost over?? But I do recall, after a lot of thinking, that a character mentioned a moon phase of "waning gibbous" towards the beginning, which would indicate one moon, right?? There are a lot of religions, I think maybe... 4 or more distinct ones? Only 2 of them do I have any general idea about what they are about and even then that's being generous. I think the author has a very good idea about their separate distinctions and founding myths and beliefs etc, but it doesn't really come across the story with any real clarity.
⛏️ Confusing cast of characters. As in their names and who is who. Everyone has at least 2 names, with the exception of only a few characters in a cast comprised of ugh idk somewhere in the 20s? Example: "Perdita Perfection" being called Perdita, Dita, Perfection, and sometimes even Princess Whatever Her Last Name Was - interchangeably, sometimes within the same sentence. Some characters change their names from childhood to adulthood and MC doesn't bother making the switch and uses both names whenever bc why not.
⛏️ Mid-book slump. I feel like something was lost just at the halfway point. There is the very important plot point that is supposed to rocket Marney into the second-half of the book to accomplish her page 1 goal, but it suddenly goes flat? Marney just sort've stops doing things and there is a massive focus on graphic sex scenes (that's cool but where did the plot go??). The prose loses the edge that the first half of the book had, like the author found it difficult to keep it up? I almost DNFed several times between 55% and 91%.
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for a copy of this book.
I was extremely excited for this and I think I made too many assumptions based on the blurbs and taglines and all that fun stuff to the point where it really hurt my reading experience A LOT, which is what contributed heavily towards my rating. This is why:
1) I would peg the setting as a fantasy steelpunk sort of setting, but make it fantasy steel instead, which was GREAT. I loved that aspect so much!! Not so much 'punk-rock' because it felt too western for that?
2) It's advertised as a political call-out, however I was expecting more political commentary - or at least more than: "capitalism kills and is evil but socialism is worth dying for". I was not expecting it to lean more into the constructs of religion and nepotism and really it got super muddled at that point as to what the author's intention was with this.
3) I could see where the comparison to Gideon the Ninth came from in the sense of the frenetic prose that almost seems to riff on the English language. Do I feel like it's on the same tier as Muir? Not really, but it's unique enough to keep interest.
4) The comparison to The Princess Bride is absurd. This book isn't even a romance, unless you consider an obsession with a dead girl romance. Either way it doesn't have the easy humor, Inigo Montoya character, or really anything that made TPB unforgettable. And you can't label anything that's vaguely second chance romance as being similar to TPB, that's just silly.
Anyway to try and sort my thoughts I'll just make my list:
Pros:
⛏️ The beginning of this book! Wow! What a bang of a start! I was hooked almost immediately! You've got labor strikes, death, escapes, banditry, train robbing!!! Almost a wild-west vibe filled with comradery and lesbians! It was great!
⛏️ The varying degree of identities of the characters. Not just gender, which comes up a couple times, but within the scope of lesbianism and thoughts of dysmorphia/dysphoria.
⛏️ The last 10% of the book. Look, with all the religious allegories going on, I was expecting a Jesus Has Risen moment. Glory and all that! I was not ready for
Cons:
⛏️ World building in general. There's a lot of it, but it feels like it's all in the wrong places? Or too little or too much all at once? There is no real balance. Example: At like 80-ish% I found out there are TWO MOONS in this setting. This feels more important than an offhand after the book is almost over?? But I do recall, after a lot of thinking, that a character mentioned a moon phase of "waning gibbous" towards the beginning, which would indicate one moon, right?? There are a lot of religions, I think maybe... 4 or more distinct ones? Only 2 of them do I have any general idea about what they are about and even then that's being generous. I think the author has a very good idea about their separate distinctions and founding myths and beliefs etc, but it doesn't really come across the story with any real clarity.
⛏️ Confusing cast of characters. As in their names and who is who. Everyone has at least 2 names, with the exception of only a few characters in a cast comprised of ugh idk somewhere in the 20s? Example: "Perdita Perfection" being called Perdita, Dita, Perfection, and sometimes even Princess Whatever Her Last Name Was - interchangeably, sometimes within the same sentence. Some characters change their names from childhood to adulthood and MC doesn't bother making the switch and uses both names whenever bc why not.
⛏️ Mid-book slump. I feel like something was lost just at the halfway point. There is the very important plot point that is supposed to rocket Marney into the second-half of the book to accomplish her page 1 goal, but it suddenly goes flat? Marney just sort've stops doing things and there is a massive focus on graphic sex scenes (that's cool but where did the plot go??). The prose loses the edge that the first half of the book had, like the author found it difficult to keep it up? I almost DNFed several times between 55% and 91%.
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for a copy of this book.
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I enjoyed this a LOT. While the story itself is boiled down to a pretty basic foible, it's the art - the action dynamics in the poses, the colors, the juxtaposition of highly detailed and blurred lines - and the narrative angles (one chapter is told from the POV of a cigarette?!) that make it so arresting. Definitely worth the hype.
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was such a good read. And while it does have some very anxiety inducing scenes, in typical Chuck Tingle form, there are some very poignant themes and thoughts sprinkled throughout the narrative, like: life's balance between knowledge and faith, identity and how mutable it is, real evil is done with intention (sometimes even best intentions), sometimes your family won't choose you but you can always choose your found family, and as always: love and acceptance.
Pros:
🪰 Some of that horror really did make me squeamish, but not because it was "in-your-face" offensive. Just tense and sometimes gross.
🪰 MC is gay and autistic - she displays hyperfocus tendencies and has her own soothing rituals, which honestly sometimes made ME feel better, too lol. Anyway, she is portrayed really well as she struggles with faith, the loss of faith, and coming to terms with her identity.
🪰 A very thoughtful approach to the insidiousness of hatred in institutions (the church in this case). That there is no black and white message that "all religion is evil or good" makes it more compelling to examine your own thoughts and values.
Cons:
🪰 Minor pacing issues, but most of them I think occur in places that don't affect tension buildup for the thriller/spooky stuff.
🪰 Marina was forgotten maybe a bit too soon.
🪰 Had alcohol instead of chocolate milk.this is a joke and not a real con unless you are very rigid on your tingleverse canon, which would be understandable
Pros:
🪰 Some of that horror really did make me squeamish, but not because it was "in-your-face" offensive. Just tense and sometimes gross.
🪰 MC is gay and autistic - she displays hyperfocus tendencies and has her own soothing rituals, which honestly sometimes made ME feel better, too lol. Anyway, she is portrayed really well as she struggles with faith, the loss of faith, and coming to terms with her identity.
🪰 A very thoughtful approach to the insidiousness of hatred in institutions (the church in this case). That there is no black and white message that "all religion is evil or good" makes it more compelling to examine your own thoughts and values.
Cons:
🪰 Minor pacing issues, but most of them I think occur in places that don't affect tension buildup for the thriller/spooky stuff.
🪰 Marina was forgotten maybe a bit too soon.
🪰 Had alcohol instead of chocolate milk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Vomit
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
Goblin Mode: How to Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection, and Thrive in the Muck by McKayla Coyle
informative
slow-paced
1.75
So, basically the author's goblincore aesthetic/lifestyle is just mindfulness and anti-capitalism but sprinkle in frogs and mushrooms. 👌 This book was just. . . strange and somehow didn't actually manage to showcase goblincore? Idk it felt more like a self-help book that just suggested to shower less, dress comfy, and find somewhere to source free edible plants. Also it tried so hard to be inclusivity-sensitive that it really felt like I was a child being talked down to.
Anyway, it had a dandelion oil recipe. 👍
Anyway, it had a dandelion oil recipe. 👍
Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1 (The Novel) by Suji Kim
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC of this novel.
I've been a fan of the webcomic of this series on Manta for a while now, so I was super excited to read this. And I am glad to see the translation feels more fluid than some of the translations online, making it an enjoyable experience (not that it wasn't before, it just feels more refined). In all I really like this story: rising from uncertain circumstances, just enough miscommunication to be realistic but not to the point of frustration, emotional MMC - it's nice. The novel ends during the start of a more relationship contentious plotline, which is meh, but I'll live. I haven't finished this story online and will hold off I think because I'm not sure I like where the story is headed, but I'm sure I'll get over it once I decide to binge the finished comic or the rest of this novel series publishes lol.
Pros:
🌳Super cute romance with uh, an undeniably sexual chemistry haha
🌳MC has a speech impairment and quite a bit of trauma, but the storyline never goes into "get her fixed" montage. She goes on with life working on herself in bits and tiny pieces as she slowly learns to trust the world.
🌳Great fantasy world that's not too complex. Old faithfull Swords & Sorcery concepts.
Cons:
🌳The use of euphemistic language in the sex scenes. I know this can't really be helped considering the author/audience/translation. But it still made me chuckle a couple times.
🌳 When will they ~communicate~!!
I've been a fan of the webcomic of this series on Manta for a while now, so I was super excited to read this. And I am glad to see the translation feels more fluid than some of the translations online, making it an enjoyable experience (not that it wasn't before, it just feels more refined). In all I really like this story: rising from uncertain circumstances, just enough miscommunication to be realistic but not to the point of frustration, emotional MMC - it's nice. The novel ends during the start of a more relationship contentious plotline, which is meh, but I'll live. I haven't finished this story online and will hold off I think because I'm not sure I like where the story is headed, but I'm sure I'll get over it once I decide to binge the finished comic or the rest of this novel series publishes lol.
Pros:
🌳Super cute romance with uh, an undeniably sexual chemistry haha
🌳MC has a speech impairment and quite a bit of trauma, but the storyline never goes into "get her fixed" montage. She goes on with life working on herself in bits and tiny pieces as she slowly learns to trust the world.
🌳Great fantasy world that's not too complex. Old faithfull Swords & Sorcery concepts.
Cons:
🌳The use of euphemistic language in the sex scenes. I know this can't really be helped considering the author/audience/translation. But it still made me chuckle a couple times.
🌳 When will they ~communicate~!!
The Municipalists by Seth Fried
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What a fun noir-type jaunt. The MCs are fun with dynamic personalities that play well off each other. I also liked that the villain was a city planner/civil engineer, which lent an interesting view on ideas of cultural progress and stagnation. Sadly MC did not kiss his so very obviously hologram boyfriend. Haha. My only real complaint is that I wasn't actually sure what era this book was in and was assuming 40's 50's only to be stunned when towards the end it mentioned 2011 had been recent. Oops.
Pros:
🕴️ Great character dynamics. An opposites become best friends.
🕴️ Believable villain motivations and schemes.
🕴️ Good humor and comedic timing. Got some really good chuckles out of me.
Cons:
🕴️ Not the best world building, but more due to a lack of some finer details.
🕴️ Missed out on a fun character reunion scene that would've clinched the ending. But it's ok without it.
Pros:
🕴️ Great character dynamics. An opposites become best friends.
🕴️ Believable villain motivations and schemes.
🕴️ Good humor and comedic timing. Got some really good chuckles out of me.
Cons:
🕴️ Not the best world building, but more due to a lack of some finer details.
🕴️ Missed out on a fun character reunion scene that would've clinched the ending. But it's ok without it.
The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
It's okay. I set it down and am finding it extremely impossible to pick back up.
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I feel like this is a book that's just "if you know, you know" type of material. From traumatic childhoods, anxiety-ridden motherhood (and not the normal kind), to faking it until you make it lifestyles, if something of it touches onto your life it's so easy to get lost into the characters and their struggles because, well, they're yours too. And it's done so well, so true to the world, ugh. I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry for Clove or strangle her. There were a couple times I had to put my book down because the "death-goggles" episodes she'd go into were so precise, so freakishly like my own inner voice, that I would shake and need to take a step back or remember I hadn't medicated myself yet haha.
Plot-wise I did guess some things half-correctly and to be honest I didn't even mind. I needed it to happen because I wasn't really there for the suspense, I was there for the conclusion - needed it absolve Clove (and myself). So, in a way, the suspense was real for me, but not in the typical thriller-type ways lol.
Plus, I cried. So points.
Pros:
🌞 Extremely relatable MC - and if not, a glimpse into the mind that lives in daily terror.
🌞 Real conversation about domestic violence, the trauma it causes and sustains in a person throughout their entire lives.
🌞 Gorgeous prose and massive emotional payoff.
Cons:
🌞 Not the typical thriller formula that is usually expected with the genre.
🌞 Somewhat predictable plot if you're one to theorize early in a story.
Plot-wise I did guess some things half-correctly and to be honest I didn't even mind. I needed it to happen because I wasn't really there for the suspense, I was there for the conclusion - needed it absolve Clove (and myself). So, in a way, the suspense was real for me, but not in the typical thriller-type ways lol.
Plus, I cried. So points.
Pros:
🌞 Extremely relatable MC - and if not, a glimpse into the mind that lives in daily terror.
🌞 Real conversation about domestic violence, the trauma it causes and sustains in a person throughout their entire lives.
🌞 Gorgeous prose and massive emotional payoff.
Cons:
🌞 Not the typical thriller formula that is usually expected with the genre.
🌞 Somewhat predictable plot if you're one to theorize early in a story.
Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Love that this was a blend of traditional and modern flavors/fillings/techniques as well as shining some spotlight on some very longstanding and famous Chinatown bakeries with their specialties. The inclusion of breakfast foods and drinks was fun - I really appreciated the variety. I feel like maybe my digital copy was missing some photo step-by-steps, but it isn't imperative to have them.
Definitely saved a couple recipes to try out later.
Definitely saved a couple recipes to try out later.