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squids_can_read's Reviews (706)
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you Penguin Random House for the ARC.
It’s a little hard to describe what this book was actually about. The plot was hard to follow because there were so many different plot lines. I thinks that’s why there were so many plot holes. Plot lines were dropped or completed weirdly, especially since the book is only 300 pages.
The characters, I have mixed feelings about. I liked them overall. I liked them at the beginning and mostly through the book. However none of the characters really grew through out the book. I will say that they changed, not necessarily in bad ways, however the characters aren’t developed on page. Most of the characters just suddenly decide to change without a whole lot of thought or development behind it. I also felt like so many important parts of the characters were glossed over because there were so many characters(10+) and so little pages. I was just disappointed in the characters development.
I also thought that the title of the book didn’t really make sense. It is a reference to a single line in the book brought up in the last 50 pages of the book. I just thought that the metaphor should have been used throughout the book instead of just at the end because it doesn’t make sense for them all to suddenly start talking about it. I also didn’t love the metaphor overall.
Finally, I thought the themes of the book were a little heavy handed. I thought the themes/messages were important and well thought out. However, all of these themes/messages are just told to the reader instead of letting the characters(and readers) figure them out for themselves. I just was a little disappointed in how showy this book was.
P.S. I will mention that I do not typically read realistic fiction, especially with these themes. So my review may be colored by that slightly.
It’s a little hard to describe what this book was actually about. The plot was hard to follow because there were so many different plot lines. I thinks that’s why there were so many plot holes. Plot lines were dropped or completed weirdly, especially since the book is only 300 pages.
The characters, I have mixed feelings about. I liked them overall. I liked them at the beginning and mostly through the book. However none of the characters really grew through out the book. I will say that they changed, not necessarily in bad ways, however the characters aren’t developed on page. Most of the characters just suddenly decide to change without a whole lot of thought or development behind it. I also felt like so many important parts of the characters were glossed over because there were so many characters(10+) and so little pages. I was just disappointed in the characters development.
I also thought that the title of the book didn’t really make sense. It is a reference to a single line in the book brought up in the last 50 pages of the book. I just thought that the metaphor should have been used throughout the book instead of just at the end because it doesn’t make sense for them all to suddenly start talking about it. I also didn’t love the metaphor overall.
Finally, I thought the themes of the book were a little heavy handed. I thought the themes/messages were important and well thought out. However, all of these themes/messages are just told to the reader instead of letting the characters(and readers) figure them out for themselves. I just was a little disappointed in how showy this book was.
P.S. I will mention that I do not typically read realistic fiction, especially with these themes. So my review may be colored by that slightly.
adventurous
challenging
dark
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:
Complicated
The exciting sequel to What Moves the Dead. Alex is back home after ka’s frightful visit to the Usher House. But now ka has to deal with the idea that maybe some of the folk stories that pervade ka’s home may be real.
This was a delightful sequel. The characters were still wonderful, snarky, and believable. The plot was super interesting and I couldn’t wait to see where it went. This world is super interesting and I absolutely can't wait to see more of this universe.
Absolutely recommend if you like horror and a really interesting world.
This was a delightful sequel. The characters were still wonderful, snarky, and believable. The plot was super interesting and I couldn’t wait to see where it went. This world is super interesting and I absolutely can't wait to see more of this universe.
Absolutely recommend if you like horror and a really interesting world.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Viola is a vampire. She wasn’t born one and she didn’t ask to be made into one but never the less she is one. However, being a vampire in the human world means that she has to have a job to live. And that job just happens to be a real estate agent trying to sell a haunted house. The only problem, she can’t get rid of the ghost.
Fox is the godson of Death. A mere mortal, so he has been told many times. Currently, employed as a medium and is more interested in exploring his clients then exploring the nature of what happens after death.
When Viola hires Fox to take care of her ghost problem, a set of events starts pulling an eclectic group of people and creatures alike to save death.
This book was really almost perfect in my opinion. The characters were really interesting and creatively written. The plot was interesting and I was hanging on the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen. The world was also really interesting, I’d love to read more in this world. There were just certain things that I didn’t totally understand at the end of the book and I though that “the game” really wasn’t described in a way that made sense. This is explained away by the readers being mortal but, I really wanted to know how it works.
Anyway, if you love intricate fantasy that deals that themes of mortality and immortality, give this a read.
Fox is the godson of Death. A mere mortal, so he has been told many times. Currently, employed as a medium and is more interested in exploring his clients then exploring the nature of what happens after death.
When Viola hires Fox to take care of her ghost problem, a set of events starts pulling an eclectic group of people and creatures alike to save death.
This book was really almost perfect in my opinion. The characters were really interesting and creatively written. The plot was interesting and I was hanging on the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen. The world was also really interesting, I’d love to read more in this world. There were just certain things that I didn’t totally understand at the end of the book and I though that “the game” really wasn’t described in a way that made sense. This is explained away by the readers being mortal but, I really wanted to know how it works.
Anyway, if you love intricate fantasy that deals that themes of mortality and immortality, give this a read.
dark
emotional
funny
This is a collection of somewhat interconnected science fiction short stories, many of which take place in a dystopian landscape.
I thought that the characters were the shining stars of this short story collection. Each character felt complex but easy to understand. I wanted to know more about each of the characters and their stories.
I do think that some of the stories were a little difficult to understand, especially with how short they were. Additionally, I thought that some just didn’t fit the theme of the book.
However, I overall enjoyed this short story collection.
I thought that the characters were the shining stars of this short story collection. Each character felt complex but easy to understand. I wanted to know more about each of the characters and their stories.
I do think that some of the stories were a little difficult to understand, especially with how short they were. Additionally, I thought that some just didn’t fit the theme of the book.
However, I overall enjoyed this short story collection.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Atria/Black Privilege Publishing for the ARC.
Oya has experienced a devastating travesty, one that she couldn’t deal with in her home in Cuba. So her mother sends her to New Orleans to a Voodoo Queen. Oya is thrust into a place where she doesn’t know the rules and her powers are out of her control.
I really think the characters in this book really shined. They were all very well written and I loved their personalities. I did think that some of them got over some trauma or difficulties extremely quickly but I didn’t think that it detracted from the characters. I really fell in love with them and I wanted to know so much more about them all.
I do think that this book actually suffered a little by being so short. There were parts of the story that seemed to just be told to the reader in order to get to the next point, including travel sequences or time between important events. It made the passage of time extremely difficult to follow. Additionally, the reader didn’t get to see all of the character development of characters. This made some of the character's development hard to follow and hard to believe.
Overall, I think that the characters and the talk of religion was extremely interesting but I think that some important development is missed.
Oya has experienced a devastating travesty, one that she couldn’t deal with in her home in Cuba. So her mother sends her to New Orleans to a Voodoo Queen. Oya is thrust into a place where she doesn’t know the rules and her powers are out of her control.
I really think the characters in this book really shined. They were all very well written and I loved their personalities. I did think that some of them got over some trauma or difficulties extremely quickly but I didn’t think that it detracted from the characters. I really fell in love with them and I wanted to know so much more about them all.
I do think that this book actually suffered a little by being so short. There were parts of the story that seemed to just be told to the reader in order to get to the next point, including travel sequences or time between important events. It made the passage of time extremely difficult to follow. Additionally, the reader didn’t get to see all of the character development of characters. This made some of the character's development hard to follow and hard to believe.
Overall, I think that the characters and the talk of religion was extremely interesting but I think that some important development is missed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dracula is a creature of the night feeding on unsuspecting people, thriving on the blood of the innocent. But what if Dracula was a spirit rather than a creature? And what if he wasn’t alone?
The characters in this book were good and well-rounded. Their motivations and actions made sense with how the author wrote them. However, I feel like the characters were not the main focus of this novel. Especially since certain characters had names that were in the original Dracula but their characters were completely different. I didn’t totally like that because it made the book feel like it was trying to be different from the source material.
The overall plot of the book was both similar and different from the source material. Into the second part of the book, when it deviated greatly from the original Dracula, I thought that the book was really great. However, the beginning of the book seemed like the author was trying to rush through the events to get to what they really wanted to write. I wish that the author would have just taken inspiration from Dracula rather than trying to rewrite it in a new way.
I really enjoyed the book once I separated it from the source material. If you are looking for a really interesting vampire book, this is it. However, if you are looking for a Dracula retelling, I think that this book slightly misses the mark.
The characters in this book were good and well-rounded. Their motivations and actions made sense with how the author wrote them. However, I feel like the characters were not the main focus of this novel. Especially since certain characters had names that were in the original Dracula but their characters were completely different. I didn’t totally like that because it made the book feel like it was trying to be different from the source material.
The overall plot of the book was both similar and different from the source material. Into the second part of the book, when it deviated greatly from the original Dracula, I thought that the book was really great. However, the beginning of the book seemed like the author was trying to rush through the events to get to what they really wanted to write. I wish that the author would have just taken inspiration from Dracula rather than trying to rewrite it in a new way.
I really enjoyed the book once I separated it from the source material. If you are looking for a really interesting vampire book, this is it. However, if you are looking for a Dracula retelling, I think that this book slightly misses the mark.
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have not read the original A Study in Scarlet.
I really enjoyed this manga. The coloring was amazing as was the artwork. It was never hard to understand what was going on or who was talking. The characters were really interesting and I felt like they were fairly true to the source material. Honestly, I really loved this manga. It had me laughing out loud.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A library is home to books, that’s the purpose of a library. But this library holds special books, spellbooks. And these books don’t contain spells but magical creatures that are trapped in the pages for the safety of humanity. The Librarians are tasked with protecting it.
The artwork in this manga was really cute, however, some of the panels were a little overdrawn and it was hard to understand what was written. The characters were really interesting and I look forward to learning more about them. The world was built really well and it was easy to understand.
Overall, this manga was really cute and I’m excited to see more of it.
The artwork in this manga was really cute, however, some of the panels were a little overdrawn and it was hard to understand what was written. The characters were really interesting and I look forward to learning more about them. The world was built really well and it was easy to understand.
Overall, this manga was really cute and I’m excited to see more of it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
First things first, this is being marketed as a standalone is A.J. Vrana’s other universe. I disagree with this marketing as it seems like the main characters in this novel are the main characters in the author’s duology. I was not aware of this prior to reading so I have not read the duology. I believe the duology will provide important context for specific interactions between characters. Thus keep in mind that I am reviewing this book without having read this author’s duology.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They all seemed to be a little bit messed up and I think that works for the characters that they are. The only issue with the characters I found is that they had interactions that didn’t make sense with the characterization that we got on page. Additionally, one of the characters goes to therapy randomly in the middle of the action. I didn’t mind the addition but I thought it could have come at a better time.
The plot was really good if a little slow. There would be times of intense action and then absolutely nothing to push the plot forward. There were times when we ignored the problem until the very last moment for no reason. It was just strange how the action was split up.
Overall, I did really like the book but I think in order to read this, you need to have read A.J. Vrana’s duology.
First things first, this is being marketed as a standalone is A.J. Vrana’s other universe. I disagree with this marketing as it seems like the main characters in this novel are the main characters in the author’s duology. I was not aware of this prior to reading so I have not read the duology. I believe the duology will provide important context for specific interactions between characters. Thus keep in mind that I am reviewing this book without having read this author’s duology.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They all seemed to be a little bit messed up and I think that works for the characters that they are. The only issue with the characters I found is that they had interactions that didn’t make sense with the characterization that we got on page. Additionally, one of the characters goes to therapy randomly in the middle of the action. I didn’t mind the addition but I thought it could have come at a better time.
The plot was really good if a little slow. There would be times of intense action and then absolutely nothing to push the plot forward. There were times when we ignored the problem until the very last moment for no reason. It was just strange how the action was split up.
Overall, I did really like the book but I think in order to read this, you need to have read A.J. Vrana’s duology.