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spacetravels's reviews
12 reviews
The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Davidson
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I don’t even know where to begin. I think that I’m able to stomach writing a review at all is just a way for me to make some sense of this, to put words to what I’m feeling, to regain control over my emotions and reactions to this novel. I want to hate this book with fury. I want to hate Ketchum and condemn him for writing this. I can’t do that, really. But I simply must share my thoughts.
To say GIRL is bleak is frankly an understatement. It was depraved. Horrifying in unspeakable ways. It made me angry. It broke my heart over and over again. I was nauseous. I was ill. There were several points I put down the book and told myself that it was alright to stop. That I had power over my own actions, that I could quit and not read further. But I think there’s a point to be made there— I didn’t stop. I was a bystander and a witness to what happened to Meg in much the same ways David was, and I know that was the point. The degrees of helplessness I felt aren’t exaggerated—this will make you feel hurt and angry and broken, over and over again. You’re a witness to evil, and that helpless feeling of being a bystander carries to the end. There is no kindness, not a moment of hope or reprieve. No salve for any wound here.
I think Ketchum is a brilliant writer. His words are gripping. The story he told was difficult, horrible, something I wished I looked away from. There are scenes in this book that are going to haunt me for the rest of my life. It feels so strange to praise his craft while vehemently condemning the story, frankly, but credit where it’s due.
I thought a lot about if David’s POV was appropriate, if he was a narrator I could have faith in—he’s not unlikeable. But he does unlikeable things and believes unlikeable things. But I’m a young woman in the modern day, and I found myself connecting to Meg more than David, and I think there’s a lot to analyze there too from the lens of perspective & gender. I don’t see a need to get into it here. But that’s on my list of thoughts about this book, alongside the telling through the eyes of a child, to power and control, to girlhood and violence. I digress.
I went into this blind, by the way. A subreddit post said GIRL was disturbing and bleak and I didn’t know there was a true story this pulled from, not until I turned the final page and had to sit in my misery and darkness. They said Ketchum wrote a better ending to the real case. That there was a kindness here that the real world did not afford the victims. That this was the happier ending.
I don’t think I’d choose those words. I don’t think there was kindness or happiness at all. I don’t think there was justice. I think if we, as bystanders, see Ketchum’s fictional end as better than reality, then what can we do for this in the real world? How do we, as bystanders, make sure these cases never happen again?
As Meg herself said, “what you do last— that’s what counts.”
And I fear that now. That I’ll never know what I’ll do last.
To say GIRL is bleak is frankly an understatement. It was depraved. Horrifying in unspeakable ways. It made me angry. It broke my heart over and over again. I was nauseous. I was ill. There were several points I put down the book and told myself that it was alright to stop. That I had power over my own actions, that I could quit and not read further. But I think there’s a point to be made there— I didn’t stop. I was a bystander and a witness to what happened to Meg in much the same ways David was, and I know that was the point. The degrees of helplessness I felt aren’t exaggerated—this will make you feel hurt and angry and broken, over and over again. You’re a witness to evil, and that helpless feeling of being a bystander carries to the end. There is no kindness, not a moment of hope or reprieve. No salve for any wound here.
I think Ketchum is a brilliant writer. His words are gripping. The story he told was difficult, horrible, something I wished I looked away from. There are scenes in this book that are going to haunt me for the rest of my life. It feels so strange to praise his craft while vehemently condemning the story, frankly, but credit where it’s due.
I thought a lot about if David’s POV was appropriate, if he was a narrator I could have faith in—he’s not unlikeable. But he does unlikeable things and believes unlikeable things. But I’m a young woman in the modern day, and I found myself connecting to Meg more than David, and I think there’s a lot to analyze there too from the lens of perspective & gender. I don’t see a need to get into it here. But that’s on my list of thoughts about this book, alongside the telling through the eyes of a child, to power and control, to girlhood and violence. I digress.
I went into this blind, by the way. A subreddit post said GIRL was disturbing and bleak and I didn’t know there was a true story this pulled from, not until I turned the final page and had to sit in my misery and darkness. They said Ketchum wrote a better ending to the real case. That there was a kindness here that the real world did not afford the victims. That this was the happier ending.
I don’t think I’d choose those words. I don’t think there was kindness or happiness at all. I don’t think there was justice. I think if we, as bystanders, see Ketchum’s fictional end as better than reality, then what can we do for this in the real world? How do we, as bystanders, make sure these cases never happen again?
As Meg herself said, “what you do last— that’s what counts.”
And I fear that now. That I’ll never know what I’ll do last.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Cursing, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Minor: Sexual violence and Excrement
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
us military propaganda repackaged as fantasy is just not for me
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really quite liked this one. It’s deeply sad and yet comforting all the while, and the backdrop of Shakespeare’s great tragedies hung heavy over every moment. I’m a fan of Shakespeare and find his tragedies my favorites, and I think that’s where a lot of my enjoyment comes from, how seamlessly blended into the story were Shakespeare’s lines and plots, suffocating and inescapable. The theatrics were delightful, the tension of running through scenes of Caesar, Macbeth, R&J, King Lear were alive and thoughtful.
The mystery itself was predictable, sure, but it was less about the predictability of the conclusion and moreso the journey through tragedy and the haunting of their personal ghost that was the impactful punch of it all. Each character and their relationship to each other was felt so strongly, especially of Oliver and James. I loved them dearly.
And it was so genuinely kind, I feel, that this tragedy was unlike Shakespeare by ending in some sort of hope.
The mystery itself was predictable, sure, but it was less about the predictability of the conclusion and moreso the journey through tragedy and the haunting of their personal ghost that was the impactful punch of it all. Each character and their relationship to each other was felt so strongly, especially of Oliver and James. I loved them dearly.
And it was so genuinely kind, I feel, that this tragedy was unlike Shakespeare by ending in some sort of hope.
Blindsided by the spotlight by Elora Maxwell
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I had to sit and think on this review for a while. This book first caught my eye on Twitter/X where people were dunking on it for being Tayvis inspired, and as an avid romance reader and a believer of giving things their fair chance, I took the plunge into reading this. To note: I’m a very casual Taylor Swift fan, and insta-love is not a trope I care for, so I wasn’t sure exactly how I’d feel going into this.
If you want something very easy and lighthearted to read: this is definitely that. It’s “cozy” and keeps a decent pace, and for the author’s first foray into contemporary romance, Maxwell provides a really, really safe book.
That being said, I found the safety of it all a little challenging for me. Oftentimes the conflicts were resolved within 1-2 chapters (which, as a dual pov book, really did feel quickly) and I never felt any sort of pressure or sympathy for the struggles of the characters. It was difficult to relate to Mae or Wyatt, and I found them rather flat in their development when they rarely were frustrated with each other and they communicated in such a picture-esque romantic way that, in the end, I wasn’t sold on their romance. I was being spoon-fed that they were in love with each other the entire book, and yet I never felt convinced of that. Every action and plot device was written in a calculated, near-formulaic way. You root for their romance because there is nothing else to root for, you know Mae and Wyatt are winning in their careers because it’s subconsciously difficult to parse them from their inspirations, and even with the romance genre’s emphasis on an HEA/HFN ending, I finished with the relief that I was done. There is an introspection of Mae’s love for music as storytelling near the third act that I deeply enjoyed, but it was disappointing to get that insight of her character so late into the story because everything before it didn’t feel like her as a character but a transplanted parasocial perspective of a real pop star. Wyatt himself only seemed to center his personality around Mae and her protection with a surface level drive to play football, and I desired more from his character and presence as the male lead and someone who’s perspective I was in half the time. The action of things happening was also written in a stilted, flat way that never kept my attention, and for all the feelings one should get reading about live performances or football games, I felt majorly bored and uninterested in the action compared to the dialogue and intimate moments between the characters, which were really, really sweet and enjoyable.
Overall, I think this book is really what you make of it. If you are seeking a comfy, easy romance, this delivers exactly on that front, and that’s never a bad thing to be exactly as advertised.
If you want something very easy and lighthearted to read: this is definitely that. It’s “cozy” and keeps a decent pace, and for the author’s first foray into contemporary romance, Maxwell provides a really, really safe book.
That being said, I found the safety of it all a little challenging for me. Oftentimes the conflicts were resolved within 1-2 chapters (which, as a dual pov book, really did feel quickly) and I never felt any sort of pressure or sympathy for the struggles of the characters. It was difficult to relate to Mae or Wyatt, and I found them rather flat in their development when they rarely were frustrated with each other and they communicated in such a picture-esque romantic way that, in the end, I wasn’t sold on their romance. I was being spoon-fed that they were in love with each other the entire book, and yet I never felt convinced of that. Every action and plot device was written in a calculated, near-formulaic way. You root for their romance because there is nothing else to root for, you know Mae and Wyatt are winning in their careers because it’s subconsciously difficult to parse them from their inspirations, and even with the romance genre’s emphasis on an HEA/HFN ending, I finished with the relief that I was done. There is an introspection of Mae’s love for music as storytelling near the third act that I deeply enjoyed, but it was disappointing to get that insight of her character so late into the story because everything before it didn’t feel like her as a character but a transplanted parasocial perspective of a real pop star. Wyatt himself only seemed to center his personality around Mae and her protection with a surface level drive to play football, and I desired more from his character and presence as the male lead and someone who’s perspective I was in half the time. The action of things happening was also written in a stilted, flat way that never kept my attention, and for all the feelings one should get reading about live performances or football games, I felt majorly bored and uninterested in the action compared to the dialogue and intimate moments between the characters, which were really, really sweet and enjoyable.
Overall, I think this book is really what you make of it. If you are seeking a comfy, easy romance, this delivers exactly on that front, and that’s never a bad thing to be exactly as advertised.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Car accident
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
i’ll come back to this i just forgot everything lol
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
conflicted about this one. i did not enjoy the good first half of the book—I found it to be a slog to read through with a narrator I found deeply annoying and i loathe this particular brand of white femcel thinking. But I think Dorothy grew on me, like fungus. Summers has an incredibly captivating control of language and imagery, and Dorothy charmed me when she wasn’t full of her own shit around the end, when her humanity and love slipped out from under this performance she put on for her audience. It’s a book that grows on you. A book I wanted to hate for being pretentious and other reviews being like “omg she’s a girlboss. win for feminism.” when I found that those things barely scratch the surface of the complexity of this story and Dorothy’s character. I dunno. I’m glad I stuck through to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, and Violence