ristretto's reviews
365 reviews

Black Butler, Vol. 3 by Yana Toboso

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

So here’s the set up. Ophelia’s life mission has been the study and prevention of ERs a type of space PTSD that can be deadly to space explorers. She’s also running from her past and the crimes of her father. So she joins a crew as they survey an abandoned isolated planet but right from the start things are off. It looks like the previous team left in a hurry and the station is in disarray. The rest of the crew plays it off as if it’s a prank by the previous residents to spook them, but little things start to add up and they are about to discover much worse.

Space Horror, I’m here for it! The isolation and feeling of claustrophobia with nowhere to run and no one to help you along with creepy abandoned spaces, being snowed in, and body horror creates such a delightfully tense read. This has it all and I kind of loved it. It kept me turning the pages late into the night. The story and atmosphere build up at just the right pace and Ophelia’s past adds another dark layer to it.

This is great for fans of Alien and The Thing or readers who enjoyed the author’s previous novel, Dead Silence. It’s tense and suspenseful and will keep you reading late into the night!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk

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dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The writing in this is really atmospheric and beautiful. The story is told in two parts, first through that of a vampire who journeys to Buenos Aires to escape those pursuing her and must learn to survive in a new land as it undergoes change and upheaval. I especially enjoyed the first half as “Maria” is a really intriguing character and the background of the changes happening around her and the atmosphere of an illness consuming the city is dark and moody.

In the present day we meet Alma who is helpless to watch as her mother is consumed by illness and at the same time dealing with divorce and motherhood. As she comes into the possession of a mysterious key to a crypt two worlds of these women come together. Themes of grief, death, fear, the power of our choices, and what it means to be human are explored through their experiences.

This is a story for those who looking for the feeling of exploring a cemetery on an overcast day and who are looking for a haunting and poignant vampire read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Throne and a Crown by Adelaide Blaike

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced