ronpayne's reviews
1139 reviews

Witchmark by C.L. Polk

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The release of a police shooting video reveals the existence of the supernatural to the world, and the world's reaction is complex. This is an urban fantasy that makes a credible attempt at having a very realistic tone and has has a lot to say about intersectionality and allyship, using monsters as an allegory alongside real world marginalized people. Really looking forward to the second book.

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Set in an alternate present in which people who commit heinous crimes have animal familiars attached to them which grant a magical ability, but which must protected, or the owner will be immediately dragged to hell. I struggled with suspending disbelief on magical conceit when it was contrasted against the gritty, realistic Johannesburg underworld it was set it, and though it was essential to the plot, I felt it distracted from an otherwise solid noir mystery.

Erasure by Percival Everett

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

The novel the film American Fiction is based on. An obscure black literary fiction author, disgusted by the popularity of a novel claiming to portray the black experience, which he finds insulting, writes a parody under a pseudonym, which ends up being taken seriously, sells for a ton of money, and attains popularity and critical acclaim. What a corker this book is! A smart skewering of publishing, with metatextual commentary on race, art, and life in general.

These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A novella set in a post-apocalypse Kansas City in which a private security agent returns to the community she left due to the death of a former lover and discovers that they were murdered. I really liked the discussion of the practicalities of a functioning anarchist commune. The author is trans and the book does a lot with trans identity, including with a scene that I think works, but that A LOT of people are going to hate.

What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds by Jennifer Ackerman

hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Did you know that in some owls, hearing is connected to the visual centers of their brains, so they may be able to "see sounds"? I didn't until I read this, and I had considered myself fairly knowledgeable about owls. The subtitle, "The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds," points to why, because owl research is ongoing and there are constantly new things being learned. The downside is there may have been too many things for me to take in. 

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

Horror about a young woman living with her conservative Christian family in a town centered around a 100% effective gay conversion therapy camp. I enjoyed the sharp criticism of anti-LGBT+ church doctrine, and the portrayal of the main character’s autism and how that played into the way some of the twists were revealed. I also liked the book’s compassion and hopefulness which I guess one should expect from an author who is trying to prove love is real. 

The Free People's Village by Sim Kern

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A story set in an alternate US in which Al Gore won the 2000 election and declared war on climate change. That this turns out not to be the social panacea some might believe it may have been is largely the point of the book. A core group of queer characters defending their warehouse/venue/home from a greenwashing highway project act as a smart foil for examining the value of voting, protest, and staying hopeful in a system violently resistant to change.

Corey Fah Does Social Mobility by Isabel Waidner

emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

A very weird little fever dream of a novel about an author trying to capitalize on winning a literary prize and getting thwarted by a multiverse jumping trophy, an arachnid Bambi, and an eccentric community television production, all of which cause trouble in their relationship. There are lots of extended metaphors going on in here making it feel purposeful, all while being really funny. Recommended for fans of Nino Cipri's Finna.

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A really good, genre bending, high fantasy, action/adventure book with rapidly escalating stakes. The real highlight of the story for me was the character dynamic between gentlewoman explorer Vintage de Grazon, and her Eboran (vampire/elf) bodyguard Tormalin as they searched ancient sites for clues about recurring catastrophes. Coincidences drive a lot of the plot in here which is sometimes a big negative for me, but I was having so much fun that I didn't care.