thestorydragon's reviews
32 reviews

Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.25

 1🌶️ 

Pros:
✨Audiobook Narration
✨Secondary Characters
✨Fun Concept

Cons:
✨Alice Cooper (Protagonist)
✨Underdeveloped / Flat Characters
✨Miscommunication Trope
✨Contrived Conflict
✨Telling instead of Showing 
 

Oof. This was problematic. I’m going to start this out with the things I really enjoyed about the novel. (Basically, all the elements that had nothing to do with the FMC.)

The concept here was fun. A literary tour through the UK led by a sassy, attractive Scottish-man and accompanied by a gaggle of old ladies. The secondary cast was hilarious (if surface level) and made for a fun atmosphere. Robbie, the MMC and love-interest, was genuine and kind and bursting with character. I adored him, and wish we had gotten more emotional intimacy beyond the back-and-forth banter between him and Alice. The inclusion of UK culture (as someone from the United States) was interesting, and I enjoyed the pockets of history as the group visited different locations.

Unfortunately, our FMC, Alice Cooper, was wholly unlikeable. She was outright mean to Robbie. And, yes, this did lead to some bits of banter that had me cackling, but I’d say it’s a 60/40 mean-to-funny ratio. I didn’t understand where her hostility came from. They had a bad first encounter, but it felt disproportionate to her barbs.

The entire conflict between Alice and Robbie hinges on the classic, and hated, miscommunication trope. And this is where I would have DNF’d if I didn’t need to finish this for a reading prompt. Alice overhears Robbie on a phone call, and based on the conversation, she thinks he has a girlfriend. What should have happened at that point, especially based on Alice’s backstory of being cheated on by her fiancé—the inciting incident for her spontaneous trip to the UK—is that she should have called him out for kissing her and flirting with her. A simple: “It’s inappropriate to hit on me when you have a girlfriend”.

Except, this didn’t happen. She just blubbered around, told him to keep his distance without any explanation, then switched tune and said they should be friends, all while still fantasizing about him even as he continued to low-key flirt with her. 

Alice is confrontational to a fault. It made no sense that she didn’t immediately rebut his advances and spit fire at him for being a cheater.

Which leaves me with two huge issues:

1. This whole miscommunication could have been resolved in a single sentence.
   
   
2. Alice had skewed morals and kept ogling a man who she 100% believed had a girlfriend, which goes against the basic logic of her character personality and development.
   
   

When Alice finally does realize that the woman Robbie spoke to was his mom, and that he never had a girlfriend, she’s upset he didn’t pursue her harder.

 Excuse me, girlie, are you saying that you’re upset he … respected your boundaries? Listened to you and agreed to do what would make you feel more comfortable? 

Baffled. 

She acted more like a high school teen throwing a nonstop temper tantrum than she did a 30-year-old woman.

There were other faults. Telling instead of showing. Lack of character development. An FMC and MMC that felt flat. Irrelevant plot points. Etc. But those paled in comparison to how much I loathed Alice. I spite-read this to fulfill my reading prompt.

And what stinks is that there were pieces of the book I truly enjoyed. If Alice Cooper had been cut from this story, it would have been enjoyable. Give me more Robbie and his band of geriatric ladies trooping across the UK. That would have been 100 times better than this.

I listened to the audiobook, and Angela Dawe made this as bearable as she could. Great voice distinction between characters, including juggling the accents! 

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

 Pros:
✨Audiobook Narration
✨Character Development
✨Introspection and Inner Monologue
✨Queer Representation 
✨Play on Format
✨Commentary on Suicide
✨Heavy Topics Handled with Care 
✨Development of Complex Sibling / Family Relationship

Cons: None 

My first 5 star read of the year! It makes perfect sense that it would go to Emily Austin.

This novel sucked the life out of me, broke my heart, then gave me new lungs and mended my soul.

We start out in an epistolary format told through drafts of suicide notes from Sigrid. Laced throughout them is her story, expressed in a dry humor that’s both sharp and poignant and filled with grief. In these, we learn that our two POVs are unreliable narrators, prone to lying, unable to share their truth because they’ve been silenced and disregarded in the past. There was no good way to be a daughter, a student, an employee, a friend—there is no escape from the being disappointed and, in turn, disappointing others.

I adore the way format gets played with in this book. The POVs, drafted suicide notes, and segments are executed with precision. This could have gone wrong and felt clunky. Instead, I can’t imagine Sigrid and Margit’s story being told in any other way. 

I was a bit skeptical of Sigrid’s voice in the notes because, while she admits she struggled in school, she draws multiple literary parallels. So, when it’s revealed the Margit has been drafting the notes to honor Sigrid’s final request before her attempt, I felt as though my heart had been impaled. All that time, we were getting Margit’s voice, Margit’s reflections on their bond and their relationship, Margit’s processing of grief.

I was already sunk into the storyline, but that moment is when this became a five star read. 

When, eventually, we do get Sigrid’s POV, the difference in voice is biting in the best way.

 

The bonds and trials of sisterhood get explored in depth in this novel, as does loneliness, substance abuse, and more. Austin’s representation of suicide is raw and—for anyone who has had suicidal ideation—cutting. The distinct inclination that the desire here isn’t to die, but rather, to not exist, is as subtle as it is imperative. The romanticization of childhood wonder mixed with adult pragmatism builds Sigrid’s path toward dissonance and numb despair and the desire to simply … disappear. To be a rat, content on greasy carnival food, surround by the lights of the Ferris wheel, here and gone and happy with the time allotted. I felt flayed open. 

The political threads and oppressive power dynamics of society clotted my throat and gripped my chest. Austin manages to put into words the rage and despair at being unable to articulate one’s emotions, and how that helplessness leads to outbursts. I broke down when Sigrid slapped the pie in her mother’s face, mourning her inability to express herself in a way that would be understood by others, because that’s exactly the circumstance I find myself in all the time. It’s unbearable, to feel so much and care so much and have no point of release. To be shot down and dismissed as too much or difficult or dramatic while also being loved. It’s a mentally exhausting place to be. And it bottles up until it explodes. 

It’s taken me 30 years to accept that I’m allowed to be angry, and Sigrid’s fury was a sigh of relief.

This has got triggers galore, but we do end on a hopeful note that ties back into the relationship between Sigrid and Margit. I also had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook narration by Candace Thaxton, who did a wonderful job with this story and these characters.

What I love about Austin’s novels is that she needles her way into the core of mental health and lets us sit there in an honest, witty, matter-of-fact style that doesn’t pull punches, but that also leaves us optimistic. 

Every time I read a book by this author, I finish it and think: I needed this. My soul needed this. 

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Pros:
✨Audiobook Narration 
✨Character Development
✨Introspection and Inner Monologue 
✨Immersive Atmosphere
✨Beautiful Prose 
✨Development of Complex Sibling Relationship

Cons:
✨Flat Romantic Interest
✨Slow Pacing (I enjoyed this, but it could be a big turn-off for some readers)

Adrienne Young’s writing never fails to craft an atmosphere that leaves goosebumps. It truly feels like sinking into the world through mist and loam. Despite a mix of magical realism, slow-burn mystery, second-chance-romance, and more, what really sets this apart is the character study of James. We explore the relationship between character and self, character and family, character and community, and character and nature. This deep examination is what makes the story slow. And I really do mean that we set out crawling and don’t pick up the pace until the second half of the novel when the mystery begins to unfold. I, for one, don’t mind this!

James’s development was executed well, and I feel that we really got to know her and Johnny. I found Johnny’s character to be the most fascinating, however. He depicted a darker side of humanity, wrapped up in a violent loyalty to the things he loves in life. Thanks to the empathic connection between James and Johnny, we’re exposed to his emotions and reactions first-hand, as well as momentary pockets of his life. 

The reveal that he was killing predatory owl species to protect the one he wished to keep safe was a thoughtfully twisted connection to his protection of James and the events of the past. Watching James grapple with the possibility that Johnny might have been involved with a student, and her dread that she thought he could, even as she refused to believe he would, made my gut churn.

 These were complex, morally gray characters. 

There is a romance here, but it’s perhaps the least developed part of the novel. Micah remained a relatively flat character who was a part of the story to give support to James, and to fill in some information regarding Johnny. He didn’t stand alone. Because of this, the relationship never felt fleshed out.

The mystery itself builds piece by piece, coming together as James learns more about her brother’s life after she fled to art school in the city. The more she learns of the people in the town, the more connections she can make, and I appreciate how every wrong conclusion feels believable.

Although I’ve been able to pick out the twists in Young’s other novels, I didn’t expect one of them here, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Young leaves readers to decide whether they believe Olivia’s part in Autumn’s death was truly an accident that she took advantage of (reminiscent of Kuang’s Yellowface), or if there was a more sinister, murderous motive afoot.

The darker sides of humanity in this novel feel real for just how easy it is to slide down into them and get lost in the shadows.

I listened to this on audio, and Christine Lakin does an excellent job of bringing these characters and this story to life.

If you’ve read Spells for Forgetting, we get a lot of similar themes here. Past and present relationships are explored, an accident from the past that sent the protagonist running from their small home town still haunts them and the community, a second-chance romance that fell apart after said accident and running is revisited, vibes, vibes, vibes.

I feel that Young is an author you’ll either love, or find mediocre. If you aren’t connecting with James and hooked within the first few chapters (which I obviously was), then I doubt you’ll engage at all. Young’s style is consistent, and what you get at the beginning is what you’ll get throughout. But boy, do I adore the thought and scenery behind her tales!

My favorite of hers is The Unmaking of June Farrow and I will recommend that novel to anyone and everyone until my dying breath! 

Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

 Pros:
✨Interesting Magical Scenarios
✨Distinct Characters

Cons:
✨Audience Level (Should be middle grade) 
✨Flat Characters
✨Lack of Character Growth 
✨Poor Craft 
✨Needed another round of polishing 
✨Trauma as Plot Device 
✨Underwhelming / Lackluster Conclusion 
✨Abrupt Ending 
✨Insta-Love 
 

Mullory is warned to run when the strange finds her. She was meant to run away from it, and instead, she runs towards it. Right into a deadly game of magical inheritance hosted by the now-deceased Xavier. It’s an inheritance meant for Lyric, the unwanted and unloved grandson of the powerful man.

This felt half developed, and there would have been a quick fix to that problem: Play down the romance, then mark this as middle grade. As a YA, this novel didn’t work. The characters were distinctive due to their caricature quirks, but they were surface level with little-to-no character development. The plot was whimsical, but simple and relied on awe factor resolutions that speak more to a juvenile audience. The villains were cartoonish in nature. Mullory’s mother was little more than an off-screen catalyst who’s reputation loomed larger than the character herself. Even the writing style fell short, using a plethora of cliche phrases, which can help young audiences with comprehension, but that stood out like a glare as is.

This was less about the story, and more about the magic and the adventure. It’s simply too young for the themes needed in a YA novel. We skipped all over the place, chased POVs that depended on character traits more than substance and development, and had an abrupt ending that would have been a spot of wonder for a younger audience, but felt wholly lacking as a YA. No one here acts older than twelve. Not even the adults, at times.

I don’t read middle grade, but this felt like a middle grade novel. A few tweaks and it would have been perfect for that age group. I’m not quite sure why it was nudged into the YA sphere because it simply doesn’t work well here. 

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

adventurous hopeful medium-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

3.25

 1  🌶️

Pros:
✨Fun / Interesting Concept
✨End Twist

Cons:
✨Dialogue / Philosophical Commentary Felt Disjointed
✨Cool Ideas w/ No Follow Through
✨Underdeveloped Plot
✨Flat Characters / Character Development

 

I have so much, and yet nothing at all, to say about this novel. Which pretty much sums things up.

This is one where, if you step back, close one eye, turn your mind off, and go with the flow, it’s dreamlike and full of whimsy. But if you try to think about it AT ALL, the whole thing falls apart and feels pointless. Which is a crazy weird line to walk. The plot is all over the place, the characters are surface-level, and the goal of the main protagonist ends up being a wase of time, which in a way makes the novel feel a bit like a waste of time as well? That’s harsh, I know, but this is all vibes and nothing else. If that’s your thing, you’ll adore this!

I did like the twist. Very nicely done. And I also liked the concepts if they were individually presented and fleshed out. Like the the museum for education, which snagged my attention, but was never explored further than a few pages. This would have been an interesting collection of short stories. But as a novel, it was disjointed and jarring. 

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Pros:
✨Character Development 
✨Distinct Characters
✨Disability Rep -- Paralysis
✨Interesting Concept
✨Craft

Cons:
✨Connection to / Interest in Characters 
✨Unlikeable Characters
✨Slow Pacing
✨Underwhelming / Lackluster Conclusion  (Explained in spoiler)
✨Inciting Action

 

This was not a book for me, which I hate. After reading A TON of reviews to see if I missed something, I was forced to recognize I’m the cog in this machine. 

The craft here is executed with precision, the exploration of Nigerian culture, family dynamics, and near-future elements was integrated realistically, and the end twist was predictable for me only because I read SO MUCH that I knew something crazy was underfoot, and not because it’s truly predictable. It all worked from a technical level.

I just never engaged. And I tried to figure out why that was, because pulling these concepts apart, this sounds like my kind of read. Throw in the a-book-within-a-book aspect (not dissimilar to Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin) and I should have been foaming at the mouth hooked. 

So here’s my best guess at why this didn’t work for me.

Zelu’s chapters were, essentially, like getting an autobiography. But most readers (I imagine) pick those up because they’re already interested in the person the autobiography focuses on. It can be argued that Zelu is based off of Okorafor herself, and if you enjoy the author, you’re already invested. But as someone who knows nothing about the author, Zelu’s chapters were agonizingly slow and tedious. They were packed full of melodrama with no real indication of where we were going. At first, based on the interviews that reflected on Zelu’s life from people around her, as well as the semi-omniscient inserts that hint Zelu knows something about the future that we don’t, as though we’re being told the story from a further point, I really thought she was dead, and we were building to how she died. 

I was wrong. 

But, I still think those sections were set up as a reflection on Zelu’s life after she was “gone”, so I’m confused even a week after finishing the novel as to why they were written to make us believe something horrible happened to her.

The fact remains--we weren’t working towards any set goal. We were just bystanders with binoculars watching Zelu live her life, waiting for something to happen. And as a relatively unlikeable character surrounded by other unlikeable characters, I didn’t warm up to her until about 55% into the novel, which means I really didn’t care about what happened until that point, either.

What I did enjoy where the chapters we got from Rusted Robots. I wanted more of those characters, more of that plot, more of that world-build. Which means,

when we got to the twist and I realized the actual author was Ankara, and Zelu was the character in her book, a book that made the Ghosts find beauty in humanity, it felt a bit like a slap to the face. Zelu’s story made the Ghost’s feel so much that their murderous, deep-seated hatred for all things human evaporated? I’m just am not buying that.

 

 

I wish we had gotten the reverse: Ankara’s life with excerpts of her novel as they pertained to recognizing the aches and pain and joys and loves of humanity. Yes, it would have removed the twist, which I know so many people loved; I get why they did. But the two storylines would have woven together to touch on the beauty of life, nature, the physical world, family, Nigerian culture, automation, and more. The book would have been more than a twist--it would have been a journey.

I don’t know. I finished this and just felt unsatisfied.

Honestly, if this wasn’t getting so much acclaim, I would have DNF’d at 30%. And while I’m glad I read it so I can be a part of the discourse, I wish I was glad I read it because I gained something emotionally intrinsic.

I understand the raving reviews. The execution and technical craft prove Okorafor can Create with a capital “C”, just like her Hume, Ankara. Unfortunately, this was simply a novel I didn’t connect with. 

I Think They Love You by Julian Winters

emotional hopeful lighthearted tense slow-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? Yes

3.5

3  🌶️

Pros:
✨Braylon
✨Distinct Characters

Cons:
✨Flashback Chapters Halt Plot Progress
✨Protagonist's Character Development
✨Connection to / Interest in Characters
✨ CEO Contest Contrived 
 

Set in both the past and the present, we follow rich party planner Denz as he competes against his sister to become the next CEO of their father’s company. To prove he has his head on his shoulders, he ends up fake dating an old flame--the one who broke his heart.

I wanted to love this. Between the synopsis and this gorgeous cover art, I was hooked from the moment this book crossed my radar. Unfortunately, so much of it had me scrunching my nose. The two main things that drew me out of the novel were the chapters from the past, and the present competition to become CEO.

Exploring the past relationship between Denz and Bray in long flashbacks halted plot progress. Nothing happened that couldn’t have been summed up in the present as BrayLON (new, improved, back from London with an ... accent?) and Denz worked to heal old wounds. In fact, because we spend so much time in the past, we get less time with our characters rekindling their feelings and working through the pitfalls of their younger selves. I would have loved to learn about the past relationship while IN the present, as Denz and Braylon faced the moments that tore them apart. Instead, these chapters steal the opportunity for character development without being additive.

Kami obviously deserved to be CEO. Denz was a mess, and the competition felt odd because I wasn’t rooting for our protagonist.

In fact, I was going to be enraged if Denz did win.

I think the experience of the competition was meant to force Denz to work through his character flaws, but the events happened so fast, and Denz continuously dropped the ball during them, so there didn’t seem to be much personal improvement. He felt the same at the end of the novel as he did at the beginning, despite having a new perspective on life. Which kind of made the contest feel pointless ....

Everything about this fell flat for me, and I never fully engaged with Denz. The writing was fine and the secondary characters were great, but I was relieved to be done with this one. 

The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap

adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

 Pros:

✨Audiobook Narration
✨Immersive Atmosphere
✨Queer Representation
✨Character Development
✨Genuine and Organic Relationship
✨Historical Authenticity 

 Cons: 
 ✨Flowery Language
 ✨ Family Sub-Plot (I get it, but it also had too much weight in the second half)

 

James wants nothing more than to become a physician so he can explore the mysteries and science of the human body. Unfortunately, the best way to do that requires money, which he has recently run out of. This leads him into the tangled underground of grave digging, where he finds a sharp parallel to the affluent society he’s known his whole life.

I can’t begin to express how much I ADORED this novel. The setting--1828 Edinburgh, Scotland--was beautifully crafted with an emphasis on the gothic and macabre. (Yet, semi-cozy, too? I never had the feeling of dread I normally get in a gothic horror, but the scenes themselves certainly are not for the faint of heart.) I was sucked into Dunlap’s view of this world at once, and felt like I was in the pubs and the labs and the cemeteries right alongside James as he became deeply immersed in this alternate life. James himself was a baffled, humorous, and poignantly outraged character who had me snickering throughout as his endeavors became progressively more heinous. He’s from an aristocratic (though broke) family and he’s a scholar, and this background is the reason I gave Dunlap a pass on her superfluous writing style. It’s was almost too flowery. But that felt very James-like.

I did listen to the audio, and Tom Kiteley excelled at executing this narration. I was hooked by every word! Plus, the accents were stellar. I’m hoping I get more audiobooks narrated by him!

There was a queer awakening in the novel which was handled as though being queer were the most natural thing in the world. This take does go against the time period, but it fits the mind of a scientist who looks pragmatically at anatomy and what our bodies hold. I loved that James found his feelings for

Nye

simply right, and that he didn’t look beyond that rightness. Their love story made my heart melt.

The plot took quite a few twists and turns, which I enjoyed, and the secondary characters were distinct. I could have done without the family drama in the plot, and it took up too much space at the end. The purpose (I believe) was to show that, despite the time period, societal constraints, and class differences,

James and Nye will forge a future together

. It made the ending abrupt, but satisfactory overall.

Don’t skip the Historical Note by the author at the end! It was fascinating and made me love the book all the more! 

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

  Pros:
✨Fun Concept
✨Authentic Romance
✨ Themes of Identity
✨Portrayal of Friendships 

Cons:
✨ Needed another round of polishing

Riley’s whole life is musical theatre--so much so that she drives (without a license) out of town and without parental permission to a show, and winds up grounded. No musical theatre, no afterschool activities, and worst of all, no way out of an unwanted job at her dad’s game store where she’s forced to work with surly classmate, Nathan. In a run-in with her ex, Riley accidentally spins a tale that she’s dating Nathan, and so a mutual beneficial faking-dating ploy begins.

Alright, this was adorable. Nothing game changing or special, but super cute. I liked all of the theatre and comic-store happenings, as well as the thorough amount of details that led to an extraordinarily realistic setting. There is some miscommunication that happens here, but it gets resolved fairly fast and in a reasonable manner, all of which was in-line with the plot and (as someone who hates the miscommunication trope) highly appreciated.

The writing was lower level with some elevated vocabulary. This certainly could have used tightening and polishing, but it’s geared towards an audience of (I would say) high school Freshmen/Sophomores, so that’s not a big deal. Sometimes the style (not the content) did start to feel middle-grade as opposed to YA.

Overall, a cute, fast, fun read with a unique setting and some loveable characters! 

They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody

emotional funny hopeful 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

3.0

 Pros:
✨Cute-sy Characters
✨Fast Read
✨ Easy Read

Cons:
✨Trauma as Plot Device
✨ Underdeveloped/Underexplored Traumatic Backstory
✨ Poor Craft
✨ Repetitive Plot

This was like a throwback to my Magnus X Alex fanfiction days. Was it cute? Sure. Was I shocked it was published with so many basic plot and prose issues? 100%. Our characters have highly dramatic and traumatic backstories that are underdeveloped and, frankly, seem to exist solely as plot devices. I don’t feel that they were explored in an elegant manner, if at all. The writing was slightly under subpar, the plot was redundant, and the conclusion was abrupt. All of that being said, it’s what I was expecting based on the blurb and the cover. Since the marketing set me up for exactly what this book entailed, I wasn’t mad! Still, I just can’t give this over three stars. It’s a forgettable read overall, and there are plenty of books I would recommend over this one.