yarnchickenreads's reviews
69 reviews

Spy x Family, Vol. 4 by Tatsuya Endo

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

Another fantastic volume in the series!  The addition of the dog is superb.  Love it!

Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is a wonderful conclusion to the Fallen Gods series!  It is deeply emotional, and characters adapt and change as they separate, come back together, and separate again. The fighting and battle scenes are more frequent and engaging.  Love in all its forms is a major  theme.  There is fantastic LGBTQ+ representation.  I was just swept away by this series and the final book, enjoyed every page, and cannot recommend it enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an e-ARC of this volume.

The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen

adventurous emotional 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? No

3.5

I had many issues with this book.  While this was an adult fantasy, it read very much like a YA novel, with added cursing and smut.  The main character Lyra is quite inconsistent—is she an accomplished thief or an accountant, virgin or seductress, for example.  Hades is the typical brooding romantasy male lead.  The romance is very insta-love and is often cringey.  And for the audiobook the narrator was adequate but just added to the juvenile feel to the novel.  

Having said all of this, the book was compulsively readable.  I finished this in two days.  The trials were suspenseful and the plot compelling.  Even the romance, while often eye rolling, was interesting.  I am planning to read the sequel.  This is a fun book, if you manage expectations.

Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman

5.0

Ok, I’m all in.  My palette cleanser has taken over my TBR

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

4.0

I thought the pacing in the first half of this book was a little uneven, but the second half was fantastic.  A quick little fantasy read.  I really enjoyed myself with it.  

The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman

5.0

The series remains laugh out loud funny.  Carl’s narration gets more sophisticated.  The strategy grows more as they descend levels.  The emotional impact to the characters increases, and more secondary characters take larger roles.  No quibbles with this installment at all.  
The humor continues to be crude and the language strong, so beware of that’s a concern.  Strong recommendation.  

The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence
Did not finish book.

There is a plot device that I always bounce off of.  No idea why.  There was a similar sequence in Lev Grossman’s The Magicians and I stopped there as well

The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman

4.75

Last Chance to Save the World by Beth Revis

adventurous funny hopeful 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

4.75

I have really enjoyed this short series, Chaotic Orbits by Beth Revis .  An adventurous scifi romance with a heist atmosphere, this final novella in the trilogy really sticks the landing.  As before, this is mainly a first person narrative from Ada, the female protagonist, with a few memos by Rian, the male protagonist here and there to cover his perspective.   

This is a truly wonderful book in a truly wonderful series and it gets an enthusiastic recommendation from me for all scifi readers!

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an eARC in advance of publication