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spines's reviews
167 reviews
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first two sections of this book (Celia and Allie) are so deliciously unsettling, the tension builds up so quickly and it left me feeling so paranoid at certain parts. I also really liked all of the protagonists, they're super scrappy and genre-savvy, though ig that's the point. The third section is a lot less tense, although that's understandable given that the characters are too busy to try and really solve a mystery. I still enjoyed it either way, and the side characters were well-written.
However, I spent the whole book hoping that the final section would be really robust and wrap everything up in a satisfying way and I was kind of disappointed by that. I didn’t have super high expectations going in, as I didn't think it could be fully explained without feeling like paragraphs of exposition, and that's kind of what ended up happening.
So obviously there was some kind of misogynistic conspiracy, this is apparent early on based on Pete's dialogue and the snippets of forum conversation at the beginning of each chapter. This gets a lot more obvious in each section, and Maggie's section has her captors outright saying as much. But not only is the logic of the conspiracy super flimsy, it also feels like the last chapter was kind of an afterthought?
The description of the antagonist and his dialogue feels like parody/satire as he spouts the most generic incel bullshit at the protagonists but it's not funny or unique enough to be parody and it doesn't have enough depth to be good satire. He gives a cliché villain monologue as soon as they figure out who he is and explains the whole stupid plan in an incredibly boring spiel that almost makes the preceding chapters a lot less scary. Maybe that's the point, that misogyny is just a tool of pathetic uninteresting men, but it's such a boring way of presenting this message.
Also the logic of this plan is so stupid and convoluted! I can suspend my disbelief that he could manage to create such elaborate soundstages to terrorize women and even that he could hire a whole troupe of actors (including children??) to force someone into their own Truman Show, whatever. But he went on forums and found random women talking about books and movies and then tried to find men in their lives willing to pay for them to be murdered in an elaborate game? He did this fourteen times??? Why is the forum thing even part of his plan other than to give structure to the novel??? Just putting a bunch of hunger games fans into a maze because you hate women????
TL;DR:
I would happily read the first two sections over and over again, they were so unsettling and creepy and fun to read, I felt super invested as a fellow self-proclaimed 'genre-savvy' girlie and I was horrifed by each new awful twist and turn. I really liked the characters in the third section but I found the setting/plot less compelling. However, the final chapter was really a letdown and it kind of killed a lot of the goodwill I had built up for this novel. If I end up rereading this book in the future, I'll rip out the last chapter and let it end with the cliffhanger of all three sections.
However, I spent the whole book hoping that the final section would be really robust and wrap everything up in a satisfying way and I was kind of disappointed by that. I didn’t have super high expectations going in, as I didn't think it could be fully explained without feeling like paragraphs of exposition, and that's kind of what ended up happening.
The description of the antagonist and his dialogue feels like parody/satire as he spouts the most generic incel bullshit at the protagonists but it's not funny or unique enough to be parody and it doesn't have enough depth to be good satire. He gives a cliché villain monologue as soon as they figure out who he is and explains the whole stupid plan in an incredibly boring spiel that almost makes the preceding chapters a lot less scary. Maybe that's the point, that misogyny is just a tool of pathetic uninteresting men, but it's such a boring way of presenting this message.
Also the logic of this plan is so stupid and convoluted! I can suspend my disbelief that he could manage to create such elaborate soundstages to terrorize women and even that he could hire a whole troupe of actors (including children??) to force someone into their own Truman Show, whatever. But he went on forums and found random women talking about books and movies and then tried to find men in their lives willing to pay for them to be murdered in an elaborate game? He did this fourteen times??? Why is the forum thing even part of his plan other than to give structure to the novel??? Just putting a bunch of hunger games fans into a maze because you hate women????
TL;DR:
I would happily read the first two sections over and over again, they were so unsettling and creepy and fun to read, I felt super invested as a fellow self-proclaimed 'genre-savvy' girlie and I was horrifed by each new awful twist and turn. I really liked the characters in the third section but I found the setting/plot less compelling. However, the final chapter was really a letdown and it kind of killed a lot of the goodwill I had built up for this novel. If I end up rereading this book in the future, I'll rip out the last chapter and let it end with the cliffhanger of all three sections.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Addiction
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed reading the book but the logic of the characters' actions was so questionable it made me hate them all a little bit. Very suspenseful though, I do love a conspiracy!
It’s understandable that Pip doesn't trust the police seeing as she has pretty intense PTSD throughout the book and she felt gaslit when she went to them about her stalker. But there is a huge leap in logic between that and attempting an insane scheme to frame someone for murder??? Like yeah the justice system is corrupt but there is a trail of evidence proving that Jason Bell kidnapped Pip and tried to murder her, why would the cops not believe that! (sidenote why did Pip think it was Daniel Da Silva and not Jason Bell, that was a stupid deduction too)
Like maybe Pip has reasons for making dumbass decisions but Ravi should have used his brain and called the fucking police instead of helping his traumatised girlfriend with her elaborate plan to frame a guy for murder? I spent the latter half of this book alternating between irritation and intrigue.
Like maybe Pip has reasons for making dumbass decisions but Ravi should have used his brain and called the fucking police instead of helping his traumatised girlfriend with her elaborate plan to frame a guy for murder? I spent the latter half of this book alternating between irritation and intrigue.
Surprise, Baby! by Leslie McAdam, Lex Martin
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The first part of the book was genuinely enjoyable and I really liked the leads and their chemistry together. Drew had a really sweet redemption arc proving that he really has changed and that he cares about Kendall, and I liked seeing them learn to communicate and trust each other.
But at chapter 32 it becomes incredibly clichéd, boring and it feels like a worse book was accidentally added on to this one. The conflict is so contrived and Drew and Kendall lose all of the character development that happened in the previous 31 chapters. They don't talk to each other and they have really stupid motivation for everything they do. I skimmed through the last portion of the book and I regret even doing that.
But at chapter 32 it becomes incredibly clichéd, boring and it feels like a worse book was accidentally added on to this one. The conflict is so contrived and Drew and Kendall lose all of the character development that happened in the previous 31 chapters. They don't talk to each other and they have really stupid motivation for everything they do. I skimmed through the last portion of the book and I regret even doing that.
The Echoed Realm by A.J. Vrana
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I don't dislike Mason as a character but I hate him as part of the narrative. He doesn't do anything interesting and his portion of the book could just be replaced by expository text explaining whatever information he shares with Miya. His presence in this book is even more annoying than in the first one.
The lore and backstory fully got expanded upon and I did like the explanation of the dreamwalker and the wolf and how all their past lives intertwined.
I am confused about Abbadon/Velizar's presence in their past lives though. In the first book Miya learns about a past life where there were two werewolf(?) brothers named Mirek (Velizar) and Vuk (Kai) and they both fell in love with a girl named Cassia (dreamwalker) but she got burned alive. But in this book it seems like Miya and Kai get reincarnated and Velizar is a spirit that causes the cycle of destruction, not Kai's brother. Did I miss something that explains this??
Kai and Miya are sweet and I like them, and I like Gavran and Ama as well, but this book is not great. Not bad, but I found myself skimming through chapters to get to more interesting parts.
The lore and backstory fully got expanded upon and I did like the explanation of the dreamwalker and the wolf and how all their past lives intertwined.
Kai and Miya are sweet and I like them, and I like Gavran and Ama as well, but this book is not great. Not bad, but I found myself skimming through chapters to get to more interesting parts.