wordswritinstarlight's reviews
177 reviews

The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

I really loved the set-up for this book—the framing of the Haddesley’s situation, their family dynamic, the oppressive presence of the bog and everything it represents, all of those were incredibly well written and felt real and visceral and immediate.  The problem is that all of that set-up fails to come together in the back half of the plot, leaving the book feeling anticlimactic and dissolute.  I know horror stories that just Stop with no real climax or end point are a whole thing, but honestly I don’t like them as a genre trope and I think they’re very frequently an attempt to be subversive just for the sake of being subversive.  The concept of Having A Narrative Climax is not a cliche and this book definitely feels like it decided to toss out that particular “trope” for the sake of being mysterious and unusual.

Honestly, after some thought, I think I would have liked the end of the book better if it had gone harder in one direction or the other.  As it stands, it’s not quite committed to the bog being truly supernatural, with the contract being real, nor to the idea that the Haddesley family

is essentially a forgery, with the contract being fake.

  (As a note: yes,

their mother is real, and appears to really be a bog-woman, but her return is weirdly disjointed from the question of the missing bog-wife and the issue of the Haddesleys as a whole.  If this is a Dunwich Horror plot where the bog-wife has been the same woman every lifetime, repeatedly forced to marry her own sons as part of the compact,

I wish more time had been spent on that element.)  Instead, the end is a little of one and a little of the other, and it results in a combination that has very little impact.  The horror elements set up at the beginning seem to just peter out—neither the fantastical horror of the land as a sentient force nor the mundane horror of the dictatorial rigid family dynamic really gets its moment in the sun.  I would have taken either option and, I think, enjoyed it more than the neither-both end result. 

In terms of recommendations, What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher is overall a better version of Bog Horror, and something like A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson is a better look at an incredibly fucked up and codependent family Situation, although it lacks the sibling element.

Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher

adventurous emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I love everything about this world and Caliban and Slate are a great addition.  I’m always a fan of learning about the underworld of a civilization, and the question of “what happens when a demon killer gets possessed” is a fucking fascinating one, I would read an entire prequel about how Caliban wound up in prison for Slate to pick him up.  I would read anything by T. Kingfisher, probably, but the world of the White Rat has rapidly taken a place as one of my favorite fantasy settings.

A Soul to Heal by Opal Reyne

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Delora isn't as deranged as Reia, so I don't love her QUITE as much, but she's a really sweet and earnest main character, and I'm genuinely delighted with Magnar and his total unfamiliarity with humans.  Still top rated monsterfucking.  I wasn't thrilled to death when I initially realized there was going to be

a pregnancy plot,

but honestly I liked how it was handled and I hope Fyodor shows up some more.

Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I don’t know what T. Kingfisher puts in her books but it’s like crack to me.  This one’s gay.  

Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

If anything, I liked this one more than the first one, and I liked the first one a LOT.  Loved the nuns of Saint Ursa, absolutely adored Istvhan and Galen both, and Clara is honestly a bad bitch and I want to be her when I grow up.  Also, this book is so…nonchalant about its body positivity, in a way I literally don’t know if I’ve ever seen.  Clara is treated with exactly the same admiration as Istvhan, which is to say they’re both viewed as Big (Horny) and every time their size enters consideration it’s so that one or both of them can very politely drool over each other, or so that they can do something physical where being Big (Horny) is an asset, like lifting a wagon or something.  Istvhan is down absolutely horrendous for Clara right out the gate, and being over 6 feet and built like a bear (get it, ‘cause…yeah) is just another thing on his personal checklist of “Reasons Clara Is The Most Perfect Person Alive.”  No fucking notes!!!!

Brothersong by TJ Klune

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

Absolutely adore this series.  I love Gavin immensely and I loved getting to see him and Carter basically argue their way into romance.  Ox is my beloved and he absolutely fucking shines in this book, and I loved getting the opportunity to see the relationships from previous books actually working out like real relationships—not idyllic, but affectionate and loyal and willing to work things out.  The found family vibes…they are immaculate, they are profound, they are incredibly endearing, they are so real and messy and weird and honest, no notes.  

Also, cried TWICE in this one.  I have cried more reading these four books than I have in probably the past four years.  Whether that says more about me or the books is probably a question for my therapist, but it’s at least partly the books.

Honestly, highly recommend to anyone looking for a good love story, a good found family story, a good monster story…whatever.  If you like werewolves, or even tolerate them, or have ever watched one (1) episode of Supernatural/Teen Wolf/Buffy and enjoyed it even a little bit, highly recommend these books basically without reservation.

A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Reading this book is like sticking your head out of a car window while you’re doing 90 on the highway.  It has, mmm, about one chapter of build-up and then it’s absolutely fucking breakneck until pretty much the end.  I would read the sequel right this very minute.  I love how fucking furious Freya is, Bjorn is a fucking delight, and the magic system (prominently featuring “my parents had a threesome with a god” as a very normal thing to encounter) absolutely rules.  Honestly one of my favorite takes on the demigod trope.  No notes.

Recommended for people who read and loved Percy Jackson as a kid and want a (vaguely) similar magic system, or for people who read and loved Animorphs as a kid and want to talk about The Horrors Of War(TM).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Blood, War

The Husky & His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 7 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

When I originally read 2HA, the machine translation I was limping through became totally incomprehensible right about at the beginning of this volume, so while I know the broad strokes, the actual details are new to me, and I love them.  There were multiple occasions reading this volume where I got too distraught to keep going and needed to take a break.  I love this book so fucking much, 2HA is truly a contender for my favorite book of all time.

The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 1 by Itsuki Nanao, Natsu Hyuuga

funny informative mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Currently watching and LOVING the anime, and the manga has some fun insights into Maomao’s brain that I really enjoyed.