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yomireads's reviews
249 reviews
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
adventurous
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
3.75
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is everything I yearn for in a horror novel. Supernatural with humanity centering as a villainous force is the perfect sweet spot for me.
The intersection of different types of "hive minded" species is really compelling. From the haunting bees introduced as early as chapter four, to the aspen trees that share a root network and seem to watch the interlopers of the wood, and then mirrored back once more in the way peer pressure and group psychology seems to create a single organism bent on attacking all things other.
The pacing was phenomenal, easily pulling the reader into the same sense of security Mars reflects without the writer telling the audience that's what Mars is feeling.
The tackling of gender binary and the sense of real life horror when life-lines in safety and trust are severed, and a queer child is left isolated and afraid, is chilling and well handled. It adds a lot to the atmosphere of tension that something could go wrong at any moment in the story.
The intersection of different types of "hive minded" species is really compelling. From the haunting bees introduced as early as chapter four, to the aspen trees that share a root network and seem to watch the interlopers of the wood, and then mirrored back once more in the way peer pressure and group psychology seems to create a single organism bent on attacking all things other.
The pacing was phenomenal, easily pulling the reader into the same sense of security Mars reflects without the writer telling the audience that's what Mars is feeling.
The tackling of gender binary and the sense of real life horror when life-lines in safety and trust are severed, and a queer child is left isolated and afraid, is chilling and well handled. It adds a lot to the atmosphere of tension that something could go wrong at any moment in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Homophobia, Gaslighting, and Transphobia
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, and Confinement
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Rape, and Dysphoria
Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Not up my genre alley. Thought I'd give it a shot but found it not to my tastes.
Red Fox Road by Frances Greenslade
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Prodigy by Marie Lu
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Listen. I'm here for 90% of the plot and characters in this book. It's brutal and compelling.
But is the story just not going to explain what came over two characters who just became unspeakably horny and boned down? Like the build up is essentially, "wow, the moon is making me really hot." And the male character is kinda like, "same" ????
These characters honestly have pretty good chemistry, and if the story had leaned more into the building of trust and established their relationship as anything more than combative, I'd have been fine to ignore my personal distaste for sex scenes. But even the story itself acknowledges that their spur of the moment sex was ill advised and odd.
Tell me the truth.... did I just accidentally start an omegaverse series?
But is the story just not going to explain what came over two characters who just became unspeakably horny and boned down? Like the build up is essentially, "wow, the moon is making me really hot." And the male character is kinda like, "same" ????
These characters honestly have pretty good chemistry, and if the story had leaned more into the building of trust and established their relationship as anything more than combative, I'd have been fine to ignore my personal distaste for sex scenes. But even the story itself acknowledges that their spur of the moment sex was ill advised and odd.
Tell me the truth.... did I just accidentally start an omegaverse series?
Artemis by Andy Weir
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Literally my only qualm is a personal taste one. Capitalism plays a huge part as the villain in this story (which I'm all for) but by the end of the story, it remains pervasive ans largely unsolved, just redirected. That said, a redirected power vacuum is very realistic so if we ever terraform the moon for habitation, we should keep our eyes peeled for that colony's Jas.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
I went into this book completely blind, so when I found out more than halfway through the read, it was a true story, I was floored. It's definitely a product of its time, representing a lot of the queerphobia (both intentionally and otherwise) and wild racism (very intentionally) that was rampant in the years it was written. The story itself reflects not just the true crime telling of the murder it speaks of, but the sense of a small town and its insular nature.
It's an oddball read that's memorable and reflects plainly how truth is often stranger than fiction.
It's an oddball read that's memorable and reflects plainly how truth is often stranger than fiction.
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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