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thegrimhobbyist's reviews
176 reviews
Academy of Breath and Fire by Kristofor Hellmeister
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
I can't connect with the main characters, nor am I thrilled with the asinine way they're trying to solve this murder mystery. Especially the FBI agent. How did he get to be an agent with the choices he's making???
Attack of the Mutant by R.L. Stine
3.0
This is yet another Goosebumps where the main character is too bratty for me to enjoy the book. Overall, I liked the story. It was a cool concept and as zany as your typical comic book is. But I was rolling my eyes with every bratty statement this kid said throughout. This has unlocked my need to find more superhero/villain type stories though!
Dracula by Bram Stoker
5.0
The first part of this book sucked me in and was surprisingly easy for me to read for a classic - I'm normally slow with my reading of classics. Soon as it hit the broken english of Van Helsing and classically educated Mina and Lucy, however, my struggles started up again. It's a nod towards Stoker's ability to generate different voices for each character, despite this all being written in journal and letter format. So, this is certainly no complaint on the book, just documenting my personal struggle.
It slowed me down and I kept putting it down for more easier reads, until finally I caved and found the audiobook version. I'm SO glad I chose to do this. Van Helsing and the other characters came to life thanks to Mark Gatiss narrating it. Instead of slowing down and struggling through the classical writing, I was able to be transported into this tragic yet surprisingly wholesome tale. Found family and lovers coming together to defeat a great evil vampire, what's not to love?
Okay, so I was a little frustrated by the men being slow in learning Mina and Lucy were in trouble, but I suppose the story would have been so much shorter and so less tragic if they weren't oblivious. And without spoiling too much, I also understand why there's so many retellings of Dracula, because that ending was a bit... Well, it was definitely intense, but also mildly disappointing? I don't know, I had a lot of emotions by the end. Including tears. I was tearing up at the end, thanks to the performance of the narrator of my audiobook.
So while it wasn't PERFECT, it was still amazing enough to warrant five stars and to recommend to those who haven't read this classic yet. Just do the audiobook version. Plenty out there narrated by great voice actors for you to get transported into this story without having to personally struggle through the classic writing style. I might read all my classics this way, honestly.
It slowed me down and I kept putting it down for more easier reads, until finally I caved and found the audiobook version. I'm SO glad I chose to do this. Van Helsing and the other characters came to life thanks to Mark Gatiss narrating it. Instead of slowing down and struggling through the classical writing, I was able to be transported into this tragic yet surprisingly wholesome tale. Found family and lovers coming together to defeat a great evil vampire, what's not to love?
Okay, so I was a little frustrated by the men being slow in learning Mina and Lucy were in trouble, but I suppose the story would have been so much shorter and so less tragic if they weren't oblivious. And without spoiling too much, I also understand why there's so many retellings of Dracula, because that ending was a bit... Well, it was definitely intense, but also mildly disappointing? I don't know, I had a lot of emotions by the end. Including tears. I was tearing up at the end, thanks to the performance of the narrator of my audiobook.
So while it wasn't PERFECT, it was still amazing enough to warrant five stars and to recommend to those who haven't read this classic yet. Just do the audiobook version. Plenty out there narrated by great voice actors for you to get transported into this story without having to personally struggle through the classic writing style. I might read all my classics this way, honestly.
Phantom of the Auditorium by R.L. Stine
4.0
Okay, I actually quite enjoyed this one, but it's because phantom of the opera is a favorite story of mine, so any retelling or inspired story is going to have a soft spot in my heart. Stine actually brought in multiple suspects to keep you guessing during the whole mystery, at least mildly. It was still easy for me to figure out, but perhaps a bit harder for someone in the middle grade range to figure out. A way for kids to use their context clues to solve a mystery.
My only complaint with this one is the tried and true repetition that Stine seems to like to do. Kids doing the same thing over and over again until something finally changes. It gets a little frustrating, and that's why this lost a half star.
My only complaint with this one is the tried and true repetition that Stine seems to like to do. Kids doing the same thing over and over again until something finally changes. It gets a little frustrating, and that's why this lost a half star.
The Sun Child by J.M. Failde
5.0
The amount of internal screaming I am doing at this book. Good screaming, I promise. Oh. My. God. This book do be spicing (after the teasing of spice in the first book) but it also be storying... I laughed, I cried, I sat on the edge of my seat rooting them on, I yelled in frustration, I grinned so wide and felt my heart melt, I flailed in embarrassment, and I hurt my neck because I could not put the book down long enough to stretch my neck out. The amount of slouching over my kindle for hours on end that I just did...especially half way in the book all the way to the end. Youch!
I read what Julie wrote at the end, about how the direction of the story went the completely opposite way of how it was planned, and I'm SOOO glad Ambrose and Lila had a mind of their own. This was perfect, and I WILL be rereading this duology repeatedly in the coming future. All the characters, not just Ambrose and Lila, were absolutely wonderful and I want to dive back into their world again. Yes, even the gritty dark stuff that happened. I'm ready to shout in anger and cry again, thanks. Also, I quoted the spicy moments at my husband, so now he's wanting to read the duology for himself haha!
A few things I want to point out though. This book gets REALLY dark and also gory, so please take care and check out the list of trigger warnings on Julie's site. There is also a miscommunication trope, and that's probably my least favorite trope ever, but I loved the characters so much that I managed to tough it out. These are characters that grow throughout the story, not just their relationship but themselves as people, so they need tropes like this to try to work through.
Lastly, as I mentioned before, this book IS spicy - the whole duology, but this second book especially. There are a ton of scenes and multiple k!nks are explored. I would consider this dark romantasy, so you know what to expect. Also monster love, he is a vampire with a monster form after all. Ambrose and Lira are a highly charged relationship, they find any kind of excuse to get down. Just as a heads up! I thought it was fine personally, but I wanted to point it out for others.
Okay, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go scream some more.
I read what Julie wrote at the end, about how the direction of the story went the completely opposite way of how it was planned, and I'm SOOO glad Ambrose and Lila had a mind of their own. This was perfect, and I WILL be rereading this duology repeatedly in the coming future. All the characters, not just Ambrose and Lila, were absolutely wonderful and I want to dive back into their world again. Yes, even the gritty dark stuff that happened. I'm ready to shout in anger and cry again, thanks. Also, I quoted the spicy moments at my husband, so now he's wanting to read the duology for himself haha!
A few things I want to point out though. This book gets REALLY dark and also gory, so please take care and check out the list of trigger warnings on Julie's site. There is also a miscommunication trope, and that's probably my least favorite trope ever, but I loved the characters so much that I managed to tough it out. These are characters that grow throughout the story, not just their relationship but themselves as people, so they need tropes like this to try to work through.
Lastly, as I mentioned before, this book IS spicy - the whole duology, but this second book especially. There are a ton of scenes and multiple k!nks are explored. I would consider this dark romantasy, so you know what to expect. Also monster love, he is a vampire with a monster form after all. Ambrose and Lira are a highly charged relationship, they find any kind of excuse to get down. Just as a heads up! I thought it was fine personally, but I wanted to point it out for others.
Okay, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go scream some more.
The Curse of King Midas by Colleen M. Story
4.0
Most people should know the myth of King Midas, the one who's touch turned things to gold, but did you know he was a real person? I didn't. Story discovered this while researching for this book and turned her story from just a mythology retelling to a historical fiction retelling - keeping the myth of Midas alive, of course.
Goddesses, magic, war, espionage, love and loss...this book has it all. It's jam packed and so well written, including the world building. I felt transported into this world with all the details and the food especially made me hungry, every time it was described in the book. And so many dynamic characters to read about!
I will say that I got overwhelmed at times due to how many puzzle pieces there were to this rather layered story, and so many multiple PoVs, but I understand those PoVs are necessary to tell this story. I also got a little frustrated trying to decipher the quirk of one of the advisors of King Midas - he talks in opposites. While the other advisors made it at least tolerable, as they help decipher his opposite speech, sometimes they aren't helpful and you're left to figure it out yourself. Especially later on in the book.
But these are just minor complaints, overall I really enjoyed this retelling and would recommend it to people who enjoy diving into mythology and historical fictions like this one! Supposedly this will be a series, and I'm curious as to where this story will go.
Goddesses, magic, war, espionage, love and loss...this book has it all. It's jam packed and so well written, including the world building. I felt transported into this world with all the details and the food especially made me hungry, every time it was described in the book. And so many dynamic characters to read about!
I will say that I got overwhelmed at times due to how many puzzle pieces there were to this rather layered story, and so many multiple PoVs, but I understand those PoVs are necessary to tell this story. I also got a little frustrated trying to decipher the quirk of one of the advisors of King Midas - he talks in opposites. While the other advisors made it at least tolerable, as they help decipher his opposite speech, sometimes they aren't helpful and you're left to figure it out yourself. Especially later on in the book.
But these are just minor complaints, overall I really enjoyed this retelling and would recommend it to people who enjoy diving into mythology and historical fictions like this one! Supposedly this will be a series, and I'm curious as to where this story will go.
Ghost Beach by R.L. Stine
4.0
I actually quite enjoyed this one. Once again the epitome of what I expect from a Goosebumps story: wacky, spooky, and twisty. My only complaints have to do with the dragged out suspense at the end and repetition of scenes to pad out the story, it got old fast and I wanted to skim through the repeated scenes. I also raised my eyebrow at sending your kids to some weird distant cousins they've never met before for vacation, but that's just me constantly questioning the decisions of these kid's parents in these books haha!
Go Eat Worms! by R.L. Stine
2.0
I really struggled getting through this one, because I wasn't a fan of Todd. Nor was I a fan of him not learning a lesson by the end. The only part that captured my interest was towards the end - not the ending itself but leading up to the end. Lots of good spooky scenes, which is why this is getting a two instead of a one star from me.
The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls by Angela Sylvaine
5.0
Thank you to the author for giving me a copy of this collection. The review is my own honest opinion.
Uhm wow! If you want a collection of short stories that drop kicks you in the feels, written in beautiful prose, then this is the collection for you! All seventeen of these stories will suck you straight into the moment and fill you with dread, make you paranoid, make you want to cry out for the women and girls stuck in these situations, and then make you feel numb by the end.
None of these stories really have happy endings, so don't go into this expecting them. What they do have though, is satisfying ones - by that I mean they wrap up nicely. Sometimes I always complain about a story being too short while reading short stories, this collection doesn't suffer from that. Not because I wouldn't want to see these into full fledged books, but because they wrap up in a nice tidy way. Even the ones that end obscurely I feel like ended where it needed to end, to let your imagination run wild.
I need a physical copy now, so I can reread some of my favorites - and by that I mean ALL of them. All of these stories impacted me, so I can't list favorites. Is it too soon to reread now, even though I just finished reading it? Haha!
It's out now! Published today! Go get yourself a copy!
Uhm wow! If you want a collection of short stories that drop kicks you in the feels, written in beautiful prose, then this is the collection for you! All seventeen of these stories will suck you straight into the moment and fill you with dread, make you paranoid, make you want to cry out for the women and girls stuck in these situations, and then make you feel numb by the end.
None of these stories really have happy endings, so don't go into this expecting them. What they do have though, is satisfying ones - by that I mean they wrap up nicely. Sometimes I always complain about a story being too short while reading short stories, this collection doesn't suffer from that. Not because I wouldn't want to see these into full fledged books, but because they wrap up in a nice tidy way. Even the ones that end obscurely I feel like ended where it needed to end, to let your imagination run wild.
I need a physical copy now, so I can reread some of my favorites - and by that I mean ALL of them. All of these stories impacted me, so I can't list favorites. Is it too soon to reread now, even though I just finished reading it? Haha!
It's out now! Published today! Go get yourself a copy!
The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight by R.L. Stine
4.0
I have a soft spot for scarecrows, so I enjoyed this one simply for that. Scarecrows and farm settings in horror are some of my favorite. I liked it overall, beyond the setting and scarecrows. It was a nice spooky Goosebumps story. What you'd expect from these books.
I, of course, question the character's decisions in the end, but it didn't frustrate me to the point of hating the story. I still find their decisions dumb though. So beware if you despise dumb characters. Though, I did feel for Jodie being allergic to everything. That was me at her age. Less so now, but I still get seasonal allergies.
I, of course, question the character's decisions in the end, but it didn't frustrate me to the point of hating the story. I still find their decisions dumb though. So beware if you despise dumb characters. Though, I did feel for Jodie being allergic to everything. That was me at her age. Less so now, but I still get seasonal allergies.