shitbookreviews's reviews
169 reviews

Liked but didn’t love. This is a post-apocalyptic story about the residents of a bunker slowly losing their minds with too many loose ends for my liking

THE JUICE

Post-apocalyptic but put it underground in a bunker with what can only be described as a dictatory prick running the show. Here are the fancy bullet points:

✨ The chosen few flung into a nuclear fallout bunker
✨ A pharmacist (Sarah Wolfe) just trying to live her best life in an underground tin can
✨ Some insane power plays
✨ A moral compass that is being flung all over the place

Wolfe is lucky to be in the bunker. Or so she’s told over and over.

Being one of the few pharmacists in the bunker, she’s the resident’s pill giver-outer, dispensing everything from period products to diazepam in a vain attempt to tackle the crushing depression from living an insanely controlled life.

Whilst things have never exactly been peachy, the leader of the bunker, Natha Douglas or ND, starts to go all dictatory on their asses. With his behaviour becoming more erratic, he starts asking Wolfe for little favours in exchange for treats (such as solid food) which she can’t possibly refuse. The only question is, what is she willing to sacrifice for these little tastes of home?

THE TAKE

Given the way things are going right now, this book felt a little more like a glimpse into the future rather than a work of fiction. A terrifying thought but I’ve also played A LOT of the Fallout games so this genre is absolutely my jam.

HOWEVER.

I just couldn’t fall in love with this book. And it drove me up the wall because it sounded perfect. The only things I can think of were:

Wolfe’s character was portrayed exactly as I imagined she would be except I neither loved nor despised her. She was just there doing uninteresting stuff.
There’s no punctuation to show when someone’s talking which hurt my dyslexic brain and left me spending too much time figuring out which was dialogue and what was world-building.
Loose ends. If you don’t like books that don’t tie things up nicely, this isn’t the book for you. I’ll put a wee spoilers bit on shitbookreviews.com to show you my VERY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS that I wish I could wrap up.

The plot points in this book are absolutely banging as is the world-building inside the bunker. I just wish there was a little more closure for my simple brain.

This is going to be a Marmite book – it will either be your jam or just not for you.

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

Sundial by Catriona Ward

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

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adventurous inspiring mysterious sad 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

4.75

This Charming Man by Caimh McDonnell, C.K. McDonnell

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

[copy via netgalley + publishers]

TL;DR
Big fan. The old gang is back (with some new faces) and ready to tackle the vampire problem that absolutely doesn’t exist.

READ THE STRANGER TIMES FIRST, YOU DOUGHNUTS.

THE JUICE
Before we get started, this book is nothing to do with The Smiths. If for some weird reason you’ve landed here thinking it has anything to do with their sad, melancholy tunes, then you’re in the wrong place. Also whilst I’ve got you, this absolutely can be read without reading The Stranger Times, it will 100% help you with the context otherwise there might be a few WTF moments.

I’m done promise.

Right, so vampires don’t exist. It’s a well-known fact that everyone is very accepting of. However, it’s a tad annoying when people develop pointy teeth, an aversion to sunlight and an unquenchable thirst for human life liquid start showing up in Manchester and cause havoc.

The Founders aren’t massively chuffed with this finding. The Folk want nout to do with it and continue their if-I-can’t-see-it-they-doesn’t-exist vibes. The only people who are keen to tickle the mystery are the fine humans from The Stranger Times – a paper dedicated to reporting the paranormal.

The gang of merry misfits is back (plus some new faces) with Banecroft still yelling into the void and Hannah trying to make the paper run smoothly whilst tackling dodgy builders, a man who can’t tell any lies and a kidnap plot against one of their own.

Oh, and they’re trying to figure out this whole vampire thing at the same time.

The old magic is coming back.

THE TAKE
Vampire books have had a bit of a rough ride recently (I fully blame those sparkly bastards), so I’m always a bit standoffish when one appears. This Charming Man is different. If What We Do In The Shadows started up a paper, I imagine this would be very close in style.

This book is a proper delight to read. Humour sprinkled over it at the right points and a plot that will have you chuckling when you least expect it.

I was a huge fan of The Stranger Times. And that 100% set my expectations of book 2 through the roof. So whilst I really, really rate this book, it didn’t win me over as quickly as the first.

If your jam involves urban fantasy that doesn’t take itself remotely seriously whilst having a nonsensical but genius plotline, this is for you.

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shitbookreviews's reviews 169 reviews

shitbookreviews's reviews
169 reviews