Thank you to Netgalley and Erewhon books for this eARC!
I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but this is going to be a difficult one for meThank you to Netgalley and Erewhon books for this eARC!
I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but this is going to be a difficult one for me to review because I’ve genuinely never read anything like it before. Also because I really liked the first few chapters and loved the end few, but the middle section really didn’t do it for me. - The worldbuilding was a highlight for me. It had a really unique flavour and a lot of depth to it that I really enjoyed reading about. The magic was also really unique in that it had a really detrimental effect on the user and I really liked that aspect of it. - The writing style was another really unique aspect. In places, it was wonderful and impactful (like the opening few chapters, during action sequences and the ending). It was also brilliant during the magic-using scenes as it captured the confusion and fear and feverishness so well. But, it did drag for me a little bit towards the middle and sometimes just made things a bit confusing/blurry when they didn’t need to be. I enjoyed it overall (we have too many books with the same style of writing) but it got a bit much in some places and a bit fluffy. I’ve enjoyed books with similar styles before, but those have all been novellas and so it didn’t get to be too much. - In terms of plot, as I said earlier, I enjoyed some aspects of it and didn’t like others. All the parts focussed on Marney’s vengeance were fantastic, but I’m not a big romance fan so I just didn’t enjoy that aspect of the story at all. I kept waiting for the vengeance plot to get going but the plot just felt like it meandered a bit. Once the romance was moved away from, I loved it! But there was a lot. Take this with a pinch of salt as I’m sure others will love the romantic aspect, but it just wasn’t for me. - I did enjoy most of the characters though, funnily enough, Marney was probably the one I connected to the least, perhaps due to the slightly odd pov style (which I did like, particularly the second person parts). But the diversity of the characters was great to read about and none of the side characters felt flat or boring- in fact, I'd love to hear more about a lot of them! - Overall, this was a really unique read that had great moments, but the more romance/sex focussed sections really dragged for me to the point where I did consider dnfing. I expected something a bit like The Rage of Dragons, but it wasn't, so that's on me I guess! I’m glad I didn’t because the ending was brilliant, but I can’t say I really enjoyed this one overall. - However, that doesn’t mean others won’t so I’d still recommend this to anyone looking for something dark, original and different with a romance element and some pretty great plot twists....more
Thank you to Netgalley & Eclipseborn Publishing for this arc! This was such good fun! 4.5 stars rounded up. - I haven't read anything quite like this bThank you to Netgalley & Eclipseborn Publishing for this arc! This was such good fun! 4.5 stars rounded up. - I haven't read anything quite like this before and I was constantly surprised by how funny, heartwarming and charming it was. - I was also surprised by how much I loved the characters, particularly the mother. It's a trope in mg/ya fiction to have really unlikeable parental figures and I'm so glad this didn't fall into that. I loved her no-nonsense yet caring attitude. The family dynamics as a whole in this were wonderful- found family in the form of Aine and blood family in the form of the siblings, ma and uncle. I loved how they all connected during the story. The main character Ailiss was also a delight. She was clearly her age, yet she still had fantastic determination! - The humour was sort of python-esque and frequently silly, but it never got in the way of the fun of the plot which, though it was mostly shennanigans, was always engaging. Ailiss' quest to find baked goods for her dragon was just delightful. Was it epic and high stakes? No. But it didn't need to be and the author knew it! - Speaking of dragons, I really enjoyed their prescence! While Pilib is quite cat-like at the moment, seeing the intelligent creatures that are in store was really nice and I can't wait to see how he changes as the series continues. - I think perhaps the villains could have done with a little bit of de-sillifying. They were good fun, but I could see some social commentary there that didn't quite land for me because they were so stupid. I feel like a properly sinister inquisitor could have elevated my enjoyment of the story a little bit but, honestly, that might just be personal preference. - Overall, a really fun cosy read that's just perfect for a rainy day (or any day really) when you want to lighten your mood! However, a warning: the baked goods will make you hungry. ...more
Thank you to Netgalley and Cursed Dragon Ship publishing for this eARC! This was generally a fun read! I really loved the first half with its mystery Thank you to Netgalley and Cursed Dragon Ship publishing for this eARC! This was generally a fun read! I really loved the first half with its mystery and good humour. Belle was a really fun character to follow and I loved her interactions with the other characters (though the constant sexual innuendos were a bit much sometimes). The aliens were really cool, as was the idea of the Anaranjadan society- I could totally see something like that being reality! However, the comedic tone did clash sometimes with the really quite horrific description of the murders so I’m not quite sure how to feel about that. The plot was really unique and original, with really great tension that kept me guessing throughout! It was clearly really intricately thought out, with lots of little clues as to who the murderer was some of which I did notice and some of which I didn’t! Though, I did begin to feel a bit overwhelmed towards the second half when the initially slow(er) pace erupted into an avalanche of plot twists and action. While it was well written, the fast pace made it a bit difficult for me to understand the motivations of certain characters, which took away from the story a little bit for me. It was certainly a unique read and, though some elements worked better than others for me personally, this was good fun overall and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a unique sci-fi story with a little bit of political commentary and mystery sprinkled in!...more
Thank you to Solaris and Netgalley for this eARC I'm not quite sure what it was that I just read but I really enjoyed it! Not at all what I expected, bThank you to Solaris and Netgalley for this eARC I'm not quite sure what it was that I just read but I really enjoyed it! Not at all what I expected, but all the better for it.
This was one of the most unique takes on dragons I've seen for a long while, which instantly made me really enjoy it. Though dragons seem to be having a resurgence of late, there are frustratingly few stories that try to do something new with them, but they were wonderful here.
Lowachee's writing is also gorgeous and it made me feel really immersed in the world. Despite the short page count, the atmosphere created was incredible. I loved the exploration of the Ba'suon culture, limited though it was, and the sheer vastness and unfathomableness (is that a word?) of the magic and connection to the suon (dragons) and the natural world. The bond between suon and rider was just so heartwarming. I also loved hearing the dragons' thoughts- alien and strange yet with clear meaning. The lyricism meant that the magic in particular was sometimes a bit hard to understand, but I think that contributed to the wonder of it. It's magic after all- I shouldn't expect to understand it!
I also really liked the characters. Again, despite the short page count, Lowachee really established them in a way that felt real and grounded. I realise now that I don't actually know a huge amount about them, but I feel as if I really do.
My only complant would be the short page count! I just want to spend more time in this universe with the suon. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel when it comes out....more
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for giving me an eARC of this book! I liked this book a lot! I read its predecessor, Morgan is My Name, and enjThank you to Netgalley and Random House for giving me an eARC of this book! I liked this book a lot! I read its predecessor, Morgan is My Name, and enjoyed that a lot too. It was very well written, with an intelligent plot that conforms to tet also completely breaks away from traditional Arthurian myth. It's clearly well thought out but, arguably most importantly, completely unpredictable and so incredibly gripping. I also found the characters really compelling, particularly the titular character Morgan. They were all deeply complex but also really human. Morgan most of all: amother, abused wife, courtier, sister, friend, lover and witch. The only thing I can find to dislike about this book is that I couldn't stop reading it when I should have been revising for my exams!...more
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this eARC! Rating: 3.5/5 stars
This was a really cool concept- gods residing in a hollow earth and a war between tThank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this eARC! Rating: 3.5/5 stars
This was a really cool concept- gods residing in a hollow earth and a war between them. Restoration which turns people into god-like creatures, two sisters trying to find each other, etc. I feel like I should have loved it, but I never really connected to the plot or any of the characters. I feel like a lot of the cool ideas were just sort of touched upon, and I really wanted them to be explored in more depth. The world building was so good but I just wanted more!!
The plot was fun for the most part and the action scenes were all well written. The plot twists were mostly pretty predictable though, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily but it didn’t really help me get invested in the story. Some of the characters were also pretty one-dimensional and there was a fair bit of just sort of stating what they’re like without properly showing it.
I will say that Kluehn was a really cool villain! Delightfully creepy and I really loved the scene with him, Rasha and the child god early on.
There was some really great stuff here, but it wasn’t all connected well and, though it was fine overall, I wouldn’t say I really enjoyed it. However, I feel like the series as a whole has a huge amount of potential with the unique ideas. I think I’d still recommend this to fans of modern fantasy with really cool world building, even if it wasn’t necessarily all for me....more
Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for this eARC! Wow! I enjoyed this even more than Hell Followed With Us (this author’s debut novel) I feel lik Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for this eARC! Wow! I enjoyed this even more than Hell Followed With Us (this author’s debut novel) I feel like this improves on every issue I had with it. I loved the writing style- it was so poetic but still sharp, to the point and not overly fluffy like some writing can be. Like hfwu, it was simultaneously disgusting and horrifying but beautiful. I also really liked all of the medical metaphors relating to Silas’ ambitions as a surgeon. I also really liked the characters- all felt distinct from one another and more developed than in hfwu- though some more backstory perhaps could have been nice.The main character Silas in particular was a really great point of view. His internal struggles were really well written. I ended up really invested in him and Daphne- I just want them to be happy!! The plot was fairly simple I suppose but that worked in its favour, and made it all the more effective! It was horrific at points, affecting and ended up satisfying. The pacing was also pretty much perfect (which is the only thing I didn’t like about hfwu) and I was so hooked that I finished this in two days flat! I feel like I did want a bit more worldbuilding in terms of the medium abilities- how they with and how they’ve affected the history of this world, but that’s really just personal preference and didn’t affect my overall reading experience so much. I’d really recommend this to anyone looking for a supernatural/horror novel with a twist. The only thing it suffers from is its very small page count, which meant some worldbuilding and character develop aspects were missing....more
I received and eARC of this in exchange for an honest review -I’m really not sure whether to give this 4 or 5 stars so take this rating with a pinch I received and eARC of this in exchange for an honest review -I’m really not sure whether to give this 4 or 5 stars so take this rating with a pinch of salt! - First off, this is not at all what I expected from the blurb. I expected it to focus a lot more on romance, but parts of this were just full on horror- and I really liked that! The romance was there, but it was a lot more of a subplot/undertone than I thought it would be and, as someone who’s not a massive fan of romance, I enjoyed that. - The author really has a gift in terms of their descriptive writing. I could visualise it all so perfectly. The way the flood was written was wonderfully simultaneously beautiful and really horrific. I loved it. The depictions of Benji and his emotions surrounding it were also wonderful. I really liked his growth throughout. I sort of predicted certain plot beats, but they were still really emotionally affecting! - The worldbuilding of this post apocalyptic place was also really interesting. The flood as a whole was just a really cool concept. Sometimes it was a bit confusing trying to figure out what exactly seraph meant/was, but that’s probably a little bit of me just speeding through the book because I really wanted to know what happens next! - it did have a few flaws, which is why I don’t know whether or not to give it 5 stars. The pacing was a bit weird sometimes, as was the structure of some of the scenes and dialogue. The plot went from fairly slowed down to breakneck at seemingly random intervals- but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story much! Some of the side characters also felt like they were just there for the sake of it, rather than being actual characters with developed personalities. I could remember who was who at certain points. - I’m not trans, so I can’t really say anything about how well the community was represented, but the amount of diversity and representation was a really nice change of pace from what I often read! - Overall, a unique, beautiful and emotional read! I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a ya dystopia that breaks a lot of the traditional tropes. ...more
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting one- not something I’ve read anything like beI received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting one- not something I’ve read anything like before! A bit like Glass onion/The Menu but in space and even more morally ambiguous. - I did enjoy the fact that all of the characters just got more and more terrible the further it continued. But they were never caricatures and everyone had their own motivation, which I liked even if it was a little hard to engage with the story sometimes because they were all *that* terrible. - the future world presented is very bleak, but feels frighteningly possible! I felt that the worldbuilding was well done. - I did struggle to connect to the story throughout most of the first half in particular. A lot of it was set up and it felt a little bit directionless at times- perhaps some of the reveals could have been done a bit earlier so there was a bit more substance rather than saving it all for an avalanche at the end? I did enjoy the ambiguity of the ending, but it was a little bit rushed. The author tried to do a lot here and it was generally handled well, but not all of it landed. - I don’t really like rating books, but I’ll give it 3.5/5 stars and round it up. I’m certainly glad I picked it up as it was a nice change of pace from what I normally read, but I think the tagline of knives out/parasite in space was a bit misleading as this was not that! It had its flaws but I’ll look out for whatever else Manibo does in the future!...more
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