violentdelights's reviews
56 reviews

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

3.25

Not sure how I feel about this book honestly. I quite enjoyed the first half, but as the book went on it got more and more convoluted and it got harder to keep track of all the different elements. Saying that, there were some things that were very easy to predict, even for a novice mystery reader like myself. I think I ultimately had fun, but I might have to update this review as I parse through my thoughts.

I will say I enjoyed the characters, especially Ana. I also enjoyed the concept of special grafts to enhance one’s abilities, though the concept of the leviathans felt like a sort of boring backdrop - maybe not boring, but one that didn’t interest me. 

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

5.0

It’s so much harder to write about books you love as opposed to books you hated or books you liked, and in this instance it’s because the book leaves you in absolute awe. I’m not usually a SFF person and often times there were things that flew over my head, but I trusted the book enough to keep going and for that I’m so grateful because the book unfolded so beautifully. Even when I didn’t understand everything, I’ve built enough trust in the author to know that it’ll all come together.

The journey this book takes you on - throwing you into a world with absolutely no knowledge of anything and carrying you through a story of epic proportions - was a lovely experience. I especially love the way this book plays with your expectations of a novel in regards to time and characters. I don’t want to give too much away, but just know that watching the three point of view characters come together was a masterpiece and was ultimately what made me rate this book so high.

This book’s ability to make me care about people I didn’t know and things I didn’t understand astounds me. I don’t understand myself why I love it so much. but just know it comes highly recommended.

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin

3.5

Second verse, same as the first - this book had all the same things I loved from the first book, but also the same struggles as well, the latter of which I found were unfortunately multiplied. Finding out that this was originally written to be a trilogy explained everything for me, because it all felt so…rushed. I remember reading the second last chapter and kept thinking that the last chapter must have been a hundred pages or something, because there was no way I felt it would be able to wrap everything up in one normal sized chapter. Unfortunately, I don’t feel that it did. 

Additionally, I found that giving a name to the offensive aspect of their city magic took away part of
the magic of it, which worked best to me when it was a completely soft magic system. The characters  and Jemisen’s writing pulled this through for me, and I still read this very quickly, but it was definitely a bit of a let down compared to the first book.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

4.0

Such a unique and engaging premise with distinct character voices and a forced found family trope that I eat up every time. I love New York, I love the way each borough was personified in a way that brought its weird front and centre, and even if I didn’t love New York I think reading this book would make me a believer. My only gripe with it is the pacing - the book managed to feel both slow-paced and rushed, the majority of the book being the menial act of finding the boroughs and the ending sort of tacking itself on in a way that I don’t completely buy. Other than that, I thought the book was so interesting and I will definitely be reading more by N.K. Jemisen.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

5.0

For such a difficult read, I read this book whenever I had even a spare moment, which should tell you how good it was. It’s hard to articulate how I felt about this book; all I can say is that Octavia Butler is clearly a genius, and I’m not the first person to say that. I’m not normally a fan of science fiction, but this book captured my attention right away. It made life on a plantation come alive, brought to life the various characters in the novel and the roles they took on, and explained their complex motivations for staying. This book made me understand things I didn’t even know were gaps in my knowledge. There were times where I felt like this book was even too smart for me, symbolism I was missing out on. I felt like I could read this book a hundred times and pull something new from it every time if I was smart enough. That’s how layered this book felt. A brilliant work by an original great - will definitely be picking up more of her work.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

4.5

A brilliant, beautifully put together novel with creative world building and loveable characters. As someone new to fantasy and a little nervous about tackling such a dense genre, this book was easy-to-follow and was devoured within a few short days. At some points, it felt almost too easy to follow, such as the prophecies that I often solved before the characters did. This is a small complaint, but I personally don’t like feeling smarter than the characters in the novel I’m reading. 

The characters themselves were wonderful and full of life. They often acted in ways that I would not have, but never in a way that didn’t make sense with their core motivations. I did feel that the romances, while strong on chemistry, felt a bit overly intense at times for how short their durations were. However, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of them.

The world building was lush and fantastical. The descriptions especially made me feel like I was part of the world myself, which indeed is what my heart ached for. Despite the political battle underscoring the whole book, the queernormative society and the extravagant outfits and locations managed to capture me wholeheartedly.

I recommend this books for those who are, like me, new to the genre and are searching for a fantasy world with as much political intrigue as there is magic and parties. A very strong to the series, and I can’t wait to read more!

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This book manages to weave together different themes that you would never think to align so perfectly: poetry, religion, sexuality, coming-of-age, motherhood, first loves. It dips in and out of these themes, with the beating heart being Xiomara, our titular poet x. A beautiful story with a loveable main character exploring complicated relationships with big topics that have no right answer.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

3.25

Wendell and Emily were the heart of this book - obviously, as she is the titular character, but more than that was her characterization refreshing and intriguing. For me, it’s fun to read about an intense scholar with a knack for missing social cues due to her love of the job, and it’s fun to read about a Howl Pendragon-esque faerie who can do little else but sew and charm. Wendell’s teasing and blatant flirting, as well as Emily’s unwillingness/inability to put up with it for even a second was wildly charming. Unfortunately, the side characters fell flat in comparison, and it was hard for me to remember which name went with which role. 

This was a book of meandering - of overwriting and unconnected adventures. I’m not saying that as a bad thing, because I more or less enjoyed it, but I am warning you as a reader if that’s not your thing. The beginning is mostly slow-going, especially before Wendell shows up, and it doesn’t really pick up pace until the very end. It’s less of a plot and more of a set of stories with a loose thread connecting to it, but a charming read nonetheless.

Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker

4.0

Blood Justice had the same amount of charm, love, and magic as Blood Debts without as many of its pitfalls. It was a compelling mystery with twists and turns that left me on the edge of my seat. The character arcs of the twins are a natural continuation of the first book, and speak to their own feelings around fairness and justice that raised interesting conversations.

The mystery in Blood Justice was just as captivating and page-turning as the one in Blood Debts, without as much of the second act clutter that felt hard to track. While not necessarily straightforward, the mystery didn’t feel nearly as overwhelming as the one in the first book, which I appreciate. I also appreciate how much the mystery tied in with the character arcs of our main characters, and how the pressures felt ratcheted up from the first novel (ie. solving a thirty-year-old murder vs solving a present-day murder).

Like its former, Blood Justice suffers from a large cast of characters. While the problem is less jarring as we had the entirety of the first book to get used to most of the characters, the new characters introduced like Ayden or Detective Sommers felt underdeveloped and ultimately not wholly necessary to the plot. Additionally, I was left wishing in both books that New Orleans played a larger role, or at least added more flavour text and description to the book. There were also a few lines that felt clunky and stilted, like the author didn’t trust the reader enough and instead went ahead and stated the obvious; however, since I was granted an advanced copy, I can only assume these lines will be ironed out and tried not to give them too much weight.

While I’m never a fan of a cliffhanger story ending, I can understand that the story told within this novel was wrapped up to the best of its ability, and can only wait with bated breath for the next book in the series. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

3.75

Things I liked:

• The general concept of this book. A pantheon of gods infusing people with voodoo magic (as well as other types) set in New Orleans? Sign me up!
• The complex family relationships. I read a review that said the in-fighting was petty, and of course it a little bit was. Sometimes family fighting is petty. Sometimes family brings out the best in you as easily as they bring out the worst. I really appreciated that honesty.
• The twins! Cris and Clem were my heart, and they both had such interesting and honest reactions to their trauma. I loved Cris’ aloofness just as much as I loved Clem’s open heart.
• Papa Eshu’s story. The idea of a slave becoming a god and imbuing his people with magic to protect them from their racial trauma is a beautiful one
• The overall themes in the story. Justice is a complicated thing, and there’s no easy answer for it, especially when you factor in racial and intergenerational trauma. I liked that the author tried to tell that story with no clear answer.

Things I didn’t like

• The cluttering. I felt there was a lot that could have been pared down. For example, five Dupart sisters felt like too many to keep track of. Additionally, the second act had a lot of plot lines that, while I was ultimately able to follow due to the author’s in-character recaps, felt a bit overwhelming.
• The lack of setting. While there were mentions of New Orleans here and there, it was ultimately not a central focus of the story. While that’s a necessary thing, a reader like me enjoys when the setting ends up playing a character in and of itself.
• The sameness of the POVs. Cris and Clem’s chapters were in first person, and yet they had very similar voices. This is a pet peeve of mine that I run into a lot, so I’m not too upset with it by a debut author, but it is a bother of mine.
• The twin’s romantic relationships. Ultimately, I never found myself too invested in them, because they either gave off red flags right away or were insta-lovey.

Overall, I would recommend this book for fans of urban fantasy and an interest in voodoo/hoodoo magic. Be prepared to be entangled in a whole mess of characters and plots that can be a little confusing to track, but result in intensely interesting plot lines when you get down to it.