susana82's reviews
164 reviews

Billy Summers by Stephen King

adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Not quite what I was expecting, but I don't mean this in a bad way.
There is no terror, or supernatural stuff in this book (unless you want to consider the weird painting in Bucky's summer cabin). There are monsters, yes, but those are humans. Humans capable of the most terrible things. Bad people. And bad people deserve to die. Billy Summers takes care of those people, but on his last commissioned job things don't go as straightforward as he would have liked. 
As usual in King's stories, there are welcoming people, there are places that feel cosy. I always find parts that make me feel so welcomed or want to meet those people and be part of what is going on. Stephen King always manages that.
Billy meets some good and interesting people that make you feel like all is good in this world, but that is only part of it.
Billy is on a mission, so we spend part of the story following him during his preparation. We get to see Billy in action. We get to follow Billy while he is writing his life story. We get to see Billy staying low. Billy saving a girl's life. Billy taking care of more bad people.
But things don't go as he planned, in the end.
Stephen King made us follow Billy for many pages, but towards the end, we need to face that there won't be a happy ending. There is an ending, a suitable one, perhaps. But as usual, Stephen King gives us the world, and then punches in the face and the stomach.
Thanks for that!

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

This is probably the most weird book I ever read. Not in a bad way. In a good, weird way!
The story is cruel, violent, and gruesome. Some passages are detailed and vivid and not for the weak.
A lot of the gruesome things that happen, happen to kids. There is a lot of abuse and neglect.
We mostly follow Carolyn, one of 12 adopted kids by Father, an old entity, god, creator. Rules are simple, each kid learns from a specific catalogue, the one assigned to them and no one else's. They live in a place where the rules of space and time don't apply as they do in the outside world. They grow up to be masters of their own catalogue. But Carolyn has other plans and the story is pretty much about how she sets things into motion.
We can see the ending perhaps as another cycle that begins, or... just simply the results from Carolyn fighting to free herself from the unjust and violent reign of her Father and abusive brother David, and fix things and make them right. 
I stand by what I said, this is a weird read, the weirdest I have ever read. No flourishes either, you get everything with a punch on the face. And the stomach. And another one or two on the back. Enjoy!

The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke

dark emotional informative mysterious 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A slimmy cosy gothic read. If that is ever a thing.
I enjoyed this a lot. The gothic atmosphere is definitely there. Great world building, we are dragged into that house and its luxury, and already decaying. The woods in the surroundings. The herbs and plants. The Micrarium. The people coming for business, the girls coming to give birth.
We follow 2 main young characters that arrive at the manor 5 years apart, so we get to understand the decay of the place and its people during this period, bit by bit. We get to see a sisterhood being created and grow stronger. We get to see the fungus slowly take over.
Sacrifices had to be made, but the ending was both horrific and right. I quite enjoyed the story and all the eerie atmosphere.
Besides all the eeriness and fantasy, there was a lot of the real world. How society and norms were so controlling of women's bodies and lives. The shame of having sex and turning pregnant outside the wedding was a sentence of almost death to any woman. When women were in need the most, they wouls lose their jobs, could no finish their studies, were forsaken by their families, were left without anything  them and their children ostracised by society, because of stupid unfair norms. The conditions in which women had their newborns, absolutely ghastly. Women having their babies taken without their consent. All the gynecological violence against women and that it still exists today.
This book is justas much of fantasy terror as real life terror.

Bem-vindos a Joyland by Stephen King

adventurous emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This is quite a sweet story compared to others from Mr. King. And nothing wrong with that.
A little coming-of-age, a little growing pains, a little supernatural... but just a wee bit.
Diverse cast of characters, as it is usual, and many of them are loveable and the environment is friendly and welcoming. As usual, Mr. King makes us wish we were there.
A young college kid named Devin, or Dev, makes friends and works, while he makes new friends and deals with a ghost ofna murdered girl he never saw. Neither the girl or her ghost.
There isn't that much going on, but our young Dev decides to investigate the murdered girl after his friend Tom sees her ghost. The whole story is simple, the environment is cosy and welcoming and there isn't much to terrify us. A cosy reading for Autumn time, says I.

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

adventurous challenging dark funny sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Perhaps I didn't feel so emotional as apparently some people did, but I most certainly loved this book and the entire trilogy. 
It has been a long, long time since I have been obsessed with a story ("The invisible life of Addie LaRue" was so good, but Shades of Magic made me obssessed for real. Before that, only "The midnight circus" came this close, but that was one book, so no time to obsess a little longer). 
I am a picky reader. I don't often relate to the characters. But I did here.
If suppose I relate more to Kell than any other character, him being moody, reliable, irritable, loyal, responsible, skilled, and oh so many other things things...
But other characters were so nice and they all carry a bit of ourselves too. Lila and her incredible wit, Rhy trying to fit his father's shoes, Alucard always so cool, Holland the no-bullshit guy.
The world building was incredible as ever, to a point where I don't want to be in our grey world. I want Red London. I want to see the golden palace in the horizon. I want to explore the market. I want to observe the ships on the Isle. I want to visit the other kingdoms. I want to feel the wind in my face on board of a ship. I want to do magic. Is it that much to ask?
But with all the world building, the characters left an impression on me. Most books don't make me as eager as I was. Most books either have interesting characters but not enough story and world building. This one had all in good measure to a point I laughed so hard with some scenes. Felt sad with others. Was trully excited with some more.
I will miss these guys.
With all this said, the story is not perfect. A few flaws here and there, and the story could have been a wee bit shorter, but let's be honest... we didn't want this to end, now did we? But apparently there is a new sequel trilogy on the way, so we don't need to say goodbye just now. Just "anoshe".

A Life Erased by V.E. Schwab

emotional sad fast-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? No

4.0

Super short story about that gives us a glimpse of how Kell ended up fostered by the King and Queen. How he lost his memories. How those who should have taken care of him, traded him for something else. Short, sad story. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

4.0

The book is only 12 pages long. Yhw story was shortened as much as possible, but in a way that it still makes some sense. Of course, most of the lovely parts of the original book are missing, but the point is that this is a pop-up book and a splendid one! Some images pop up spectacularly and others are so very clever. I nice to have.

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Another good fun adventure. However the story is not over yet. While the first book is one story fairly finished, book 2 is just half of the second story, so now we are off to book 3!
Book 2 ends in a cliffhanger and I am fine with it has I have book 3 at hand.
Just like book 1, great story and worldbuilding. Slowly burning into something, bit by bit the story, the places, the people come into place come into life.
Everything is well described, we can imagine the places, people's facial  expressions, feel the tension, the excitement, etc.
There isn't that much happening, to be honest, but I don't mind it. The storytelling is compelling. We get to learn what happened in the past 4 months after the events on book 1. How Lila ended up part or a privateer's crew. How she learned her magic. How things turned sour betwen Kell and the kings. How he feels caged like a prisioner. How he and his brother are living with the consequences of sharing the same life.
In the middle of this all, a tournament on the way. How it's being organized, the guests, the festivities, the fights! The tournament took only a small portion of the book, but it was important.
And far, in some other London, danger awaits and plots leading to the end of the book, but not the end of the story.
Kell, Rhy and Lila feel like moody teens, so sometimes they are annoying, but they are also much fun. Alucard (no idea why he was given Dracula's name reversed) was a sort of a rock star, and a cool character to amuse us a bit more.
A good, fun read!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark funny tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

A fun adventurous reading. Not as flourished and lyric and beautiful as "The invisible life of Addie LaRue", but this is a sort of thief/pirate/magic adventurous story with a fast pace. Hard to believe it's the same author. She manages to write differently and kudos to her for being able to do that.
She created several Londons, fun interesting characters, people we care about and others we don't. Story is an adventure non-stop through the different Londons and ir leaves our heroes with a door open to something dark thar might perhaps come out of Black London which we didn't get a chance to meet.
Main characters are fun and witty, honorable and skilled, and there is more to know about them and how they will relate in the future.

O Homem Duplicado by José Saramago

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Written in Saramago's trademark style, this was a good one!
It starts and develops slow. But I enjoy the slow burning, building something outrageous towards the end.
Two men looking exactly the same, born the same day, at the same time live their own separate lives until Tertuliano finds his duplicate by chance. Becomes obssessed and finds him, which ends up being the biggest mistake.
These events affect the closest people to these men. Both men are cowards. Both men have flaws. Both men deal with this situation in all the wrong ways.
It was left unexplained how this coincidence came to be, for 2 men, looking equal like 2 drops of water, born same day and time, could ever exist. 
I really enjoyed this story, Saramago is always a wonderful writer, even if sometimes his words feel like they are too much, they make the story a little extra.