Gemma
I'm really sad to say this, but The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath didn't work for me.
I want to take a moment to appreciate the cover and the font choice, because it attracted to me this book so much. I was also really interested in the storm and magic described in the blurb so I ripped through the book. One of the first things I noticed was the Scottish place names and dialect, so I got excited to see all the places I could spot. I really liked those additions. I would say that for a fantasy novel I wish more had been done with it. If you're creating fantasy words for things you could have thrown in a little more to build up your language. It just felt weirdly jarring to see all this perfect speech with no dialect apart from the occasional wee thrown in.
I struggled with how little expansion the world building got. Or more accurately, how weirdly placed the world building was in to the story. A world building concept, like the three types of magic users, would be named and used for 2/3s of the book with no explanation about the difference and just the barest context to figure out they're distinct peoples and enough information to guess at why for one of the three types. And then around 200 pages in it gets explained just because a new character asks about the difference? That happened with a few different things and a fair few others didn't get any explanation at all. I know you don't need everything spelled out and I certainly managed to make guesses based on context for most of it. But the amount of things left to figure out by yourself makes the story harder to follow and get invested in.
I didn't enjoy this one and can't see myself picking up any sequels.
One of my most surprising reads of the year! I didn't have any interest surrounding doping in sports, but the author told his story with plenty of details to keep me interested. I also really appreciated a lot of the additional information about his life in Russia and expanding on the picture so we got a fuller idea of his life. I think it really helped explain how it was expected of his and a natural next step to start hiding this evidence.
The audiobook was also a great choice. I listened to the book all in one day and it was so easy to follow along. I think the author did a good job of keeping the writing brief and avoided over explaining.
Enjoyed it as a thriller, had no idea where it was going for most of the last third. I could se myself re-reading it in the future to figure it out again.
I absolutely hated that when we switched to the sister's POV, its a sexualised description of her naked body almost the first thing. She finds out her brother's being framed for murder and “tweaks her nipples” for no reason. It makes me a little upset just thinking about it. There was no narrative reason for her to be naked, even less reason to do the nipple thing and it just read like the authors wanted you to know the character was attractive. Which we find out over the course of the book when she flirts with men to get things she needs, so we didn't even need the reveal.
I liked the plot, and would have gone on to read more from the author but if there's more of the same in his books I think I'll skip.
I loved this.
The author drops you straight into the plot when you wake up with one sister, who has amnesia on a deserted island and all she can remember is her desperate need to get back to her sister. Her sister lives in one of the eco cities their parents helped build due to Earth being ravaged by the consequences of climate change. This book is a dystopia, a mystery, and a bit of a thriller all rolled into one.
I loved reading about both sisters, especially Kay. She was so dear to me, from the start, and following along with her journey was one of my favourite parts of the book.
I was so focused on aspects of the story that I missed others unfolding until they were right in front of me. That???s something I think most straight thrillers don???t manage that often. There were so many moments where a twist happened, and I was gripped by the intense urge to keep on reading despite struggling to keep my eyes open.
I really loved this book. I believe I have recently picked up a copy of the author's first book and I can???t wait to get to it now.
I really love when an author writes in the more detached way that myths and fairy tales are written in, so I knew Ariadne was going to be a good selection for me. I don???t know anything about the relevant myths so it was great to discover them for this first time in this way.
I liked Ariadne immediately and it wasn???t hard to feel invested in her story. Her story takes off quickly as the first few chapters progress. On the other hand her sister was less interesting to me except where you get the comparison between their lives. I thought that was a bit of a weakness because I was dying the whole time to get back to Ariadne???s chapters.
One thing I would have liked more of is character development. I think if the story had focused more on each sister individually and developed them further it would have blown me away.
I thought this was a good myth retelling, and I???m interested to follow Jennifer Saint???s next book and see where she takes it.
I???ve now read all of Weir's novels, and I think I???ve got a firm idea of the type of story he likes to write. His sense of humour is always threaded through the entire book and it???s a bit of a miss for me. In this story in particular I noticed straight away the character wakes up in an unfamiliar medical environment and starts joking about tubes in his butt and alien probes. Honestly, that just wasn???t funny to me and I thought it took away from what could have been a great opening if it had been written in a less comedic style. The comedy got less intense as the book continues and I found the rest of it didn???t take away from the story but simply didn???t enhance my enjoyment.
And I think it stems from the fact that I felt like I was reading Mark Watney lite. The sense of humour is strong in all of Weir's books and I think it leaves a lot of his characters with the same flavour, jokey science nerds who are incredibly clever but can???t take anything serious. I thought that was great in the Martian but as more characters have the same attitude it becomes less fun to read. And that???s my only real complaint with Project Hail Mary. Our character is always ending up in situations that just kind of happen to him and then his superior knowledge saves him every time, and it just falls a little flat.
Aside from the character feeling juvenile, the plot was great. Another lone astronaut in space, sure, but this one didn???t feel like a re-do of The Martian. The plot was built up over the book with flashbacks adding complexity and more of that science heavy problem-solving I liked so much in his debut.
All in all, this was a fun science fiction book that I had a good time reading. I???m not sure if it has the same star quality of The Martian, but it???s not far off.
The first thing that jumped out to me as I started Anna is how creepy and visceral the book was. The book was excellent at building terror as we moved through the story and I thought it was remarkably well done. This was probably one of the strongest aspects of the book. It really elevated the first and third part of the book but during the middle where the character was in a relatively stable environment it meant that the novel dragged a little. As the book is written from Anna???a point of view, it???s her emotions that really help to build the tension and atmosphere so when she gets any form of safety it means the atmosphere falls flat.
Unfortunately, the plot didn???t add to the reading experience. I don???t think it was a negative aspect but it was fairly predictable and a plot line I think I???ve seen before in similar settings. The characters did exactly what I thought they would, so as the plot wore on I enjoyed it less. I think if there???d been a bit more to the plot, maybe subverting some of my expectations it could have been a really solid read.
I thought Anna was a good read, a definite page turner as the first part hooks you in deep. I enjoyed soaking in the suspense and atmosphere the author built and I really think it stands apart from other books in how well the tension was built.
Man, talk about a cover pick. There???s a style of cover art that uses the distinct paint strokes to build up the art and get a textured feel that just makes me want to pick the book up immediately.
There???s Roman influences in the structure of the army and it???s the most I???ve enjoyed any Roman influenced fantasy. I just don???t get a long with it. The setting was built up fairly minimally and done through conversation mostly so you built up a wider picture in little chunks. I thought that was a good balance to strike considering how little the setting plays a part in the story.
The dialogue felt overly stiff and formal for how well characters knew each other. And then there were moments when I couldn???t believe things happened for any reason other than the plot requiring it, like torturers giving information away freely while trying to interrogate someone. C???mon man. The character felt like they were mostly just designed to fit the plot rather than having layers and feeling more real.
I had a fun time reading Seven Deaths of an Empire, it was a cool premise. I was hooked quite early on but unfortunately it didn???t end up a hit for me.
This is a successor to one of my favourite non-fiction books of all time, the Prisoners of Geography, which talked about how the facts of how the land is formed affects the politics of various regions. I loved that book, and as a result have been working through the rest of Tim Marshall???s releases.
Fristly, the writing is incredibly accessible. It???s one of the things that drew me in after reading the first book by Marshall. Non-fiction can be dry, or difficult or dense to read but these books have all been a breeze to read and follow. There are also some moments when Marshall inserts his own personal connection to the topic he is writing about and it adds to the reading experience. I do recommend picking the books up physically if you can as the ability to easily flip back and forth to the maps being discussed are essential for me.
The sequel focussed less on the specifics of the geography of each region discussed and looked a lot on the history and politics, but I enjoyed that just as much as the first book. I really liked the final chapter on the future of colonising space and how that may play out.
I can???t wait to pick up more books by Tim Marshall!
I was not expecting this book. It???s had a lot of hype in the past few months so it has been on my radar and I jumped at the chance to request an arc, but I had forgotten the blurb by the time it came to read my copy. I got to try and figure out the world and magic as it unfolded in the book and it made the experience all the better.
I appreciated how different all our point of view characters were in status; personality and political views. I found myself quickly attached to two characters but by the end of the book I was enjoying all of them equally. I can???t wait to know more about their plotlines.
The plot was fairly busy, with five points of view to balance and a lot of action throughout the book. It kept me glued to the pages. I struggled to keep the points of view separate initially, especially the names, but I had a clear idea by the end of the book. There was a surprise towards the end of the book that has me eagerly awaiting the sequel.
The magic and worldbuilding in this first book was something different. The magic uses bones to draw power from and can power constructs. I???d like to see more of the world built up in the sequel but I???m looking forward to picking it as it releases.
This book really surprised me. Partially it was because I didn???t remind
myself of the blurb before diving in, partially because it had a small focus on hockey which coincided with my re-subscription to NHL.com, partially because the plot just did not let up in terms of pace.
Our main character is a teenage girl straddling two worlds that don???t seem to want to accept her. She is sharp and vibrant in every page of the book and it felt like she was the force driving the plot along rather than the plot happening to her. She takes charge of her story as soon as events start picking up speed. One thing I didn???t love about her character is how much it is emphasised by everyone around her that she???s so good at every skill she comes across. It ended up feeling a little flat, but that???s my only drawback.
Everything else about this book was great to read. Fast plot, complicated storylines that kept me guessing, I didn???t feel like the answer to the mystery was obvious at any point. I really recommend this book to anyone interested by the blurb. It only gets better from there.
Ok, I don't think I understood what I was getting into when I requested Skyward Inn for early review. I've seen someone refer to it as ‘new weird', a little in the vein of Vandermeer and I think that gives a little bit of an insight into the style. I preferred this over the Vandermeer I've read for a few reasons.
I found it much easier to follow and get invested in the narrative as the reader is given a clear idea of the initial ideas. The characters were distinct and easy to get a good idea of and I liked reading about them. I thought they seemed like people I could have met in real life and that lent them a richness that helped carry me through any of the confusing new weird moments.
The ‘weird' part of science fiction isn't one I have liked in the past, but I'd definitely make an exception for Skyward Inn. I thought the characters were engaging, the world exciting to read about and the twist towards the end makes me want to re-read it already, only a few months later.
The Lamplighters was a creepy, quick read that I couldn't put down the whole way through. If you've been flicking through mystery/thrillers, enjoying them but haven't been impressed in a while, this book is a definite change of pace from most.
Firstly, the setting and original concept was a great draw. I love a locked room mystery, and the added intrigue of an isolated lighthouse made that all the more attractive. I also liked the atmosphere it lent to the book because the whole time it felt creepy and otherworldly while we remained in the lighthouse. If the whole book had focused on the men in the lighthouse I think I would have enjoyed it even more.
Unfortunately, the author looks at the mystery through the lens of an author writing a book about the tragedy, and the author gets in contact with the spouses of the men. This angle made the mystery all the more down to earth, removed a lot of the atmosphere I was enjoying so much and really began to focus the mystery through the eyes of the spouses.
I didn???t know anything about the author, very little about the plot and essentially picked this book based on the absolutely beautiful cover. I eventually picked it up physically after finishing my arc because I loved the book and its cover so much.
The first couple chapters had me hooked. A desperate clan, similar to Vikings, crosses the sea to try and make peace with the land they normally plunder. Turns out they are in need of refuge from their home. And now a town that considers these invaders as their enemies has to find a harmony with their new neighbours. That premise alone had me requesting the arc.
From there, the character really shone through in this book. I found myself attached to multiple characters and their understanding of their cultures. One of the reasons this book was so enjoyable was the clash of the cultures and it was done with plenty of attention to detail to both cultures. Typically in fantasy books the world building is dense at the beginning and peters out over the course of the book but in this one due to the nature of the plot it was continuously evolving and developing as I read.
I???m sure the book will keep evolving as the sequels release, and I can???t wait to read the next one.
I loved the first book in this series so much that it was going to be difficult to stand up against it. But reading Bear Head made me realise that my love for the first was bolstered by my love for Rex and that the sequel could be just as good in very different ways.
Instead of loving a character and enjoying the plot as a secondary element, the sequel takes the concept I was enjoying and brought it to the forefront of the story. The new point of view character was less lovable (while still being enjoyable to read), so the plot and the wider concepts had more room to shine.
On Mars, our POV character is a low class worker who resents his life. He doesn???t have much, doesn???t get paid much at all and there???s barely anything to do between shifts. He even rents out storage space in his memory for cash. And then he stumbles into a fight for power that he absolutely doesn???t want any part in. This felt fun, like an action packed science fiction comedy, but also managed to discuss deeper topics and make me think all without taking a break from the enjoyment.
This was my first books by Tchaikovsky, but I???m absolutely intending on reading everything else he has released. A stand out series.
One of my top books of the year, definitely one of the best arcs I???ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing. I picked it up mainly due to the author???s name as I???ve only every heard great things said about her books but I???d never read one myself. And this was a phenomenal place to start.
I love the mixing of genres, so a science fiction thriller mystery was absolutely going to be on my highly anticipated list. I had forgotten the premise of the book by the time it came around to reading it (as I seem to always say in these reviews, but it has paid off well for me in the past), so I loved being thrown straight into the science fiction world where our main character works as a renowned scientist studying clones.
I thought I knew what I was getting into but although this book is only 250-ish pages, it feels like a 500 page epic. So much happens over the course of the book and there isn???t a single wasted scene. Everything is so tightly and masterfully engineered to craft this story with no fat to trim. There were multiple points where I reacted out loud to moments.
The initial idea was a great one, but the execution elevated the story so much further. The writing was excellent, there was tonnes of insight into our main characters and the plot progressed so steadily there was no dull moment. I hope this book gets adapted, I think it could be perfect on the big screen.
I had forgotten the pitch for All Girls by the time I came around to reading it, and all I could remember was that it was a thriller set at elite boarding school. That pitch does not describe the book I read, but nevertheless the book was a pleasant surprise.
Like I said above, I was convinced this was a mystery/thriller novel. I even think Goodreads has it categorised as a thriller. All Girls is more a literary fiction study of how the ripples of a rape accusation from 20 years ago affects the current day students at a boarding school. The incident in the blurb is not the focus of the story and we only really learn about the event through newspaper clippings and emails from staff.
I think this was a good angle to explore. I am not interested in reading a story that uses the character???s pain as a backdrop to make the story seem like it has meaning. I???ve found that to be the case with a lot of literary fiction I???ve read. In this book the students are concerned with the case, and especially how safe they are at a school where an incident like this has happened before.
Over the course of 300+ pages, we meet a series of students who were all great to read from. They each felt realised off the page, we experienced parts of their past or daily life outside of where the plot takes the character. I enjoyed that the characters were each connected to each other through the various points of view. There was a sense of how interconnected the lives of these girls are as they live together and learn together in a small school.
The writing flowed seamlessly through the various points of view. You stay with each character for exactly as long as they are needed for the narrative, so the plot feels like it is progressing quickly as it is propelled by the POV switches. While with the characters we live their life deeply and in detail for as long as we remain with them. The characters were varied and flawed. I thought Layden did a great job of writing the characters so they were believably 17/18 years old.
This not an easy topic to read about. The layers of removal from the incident is also helped by the students disconnection from the victim. The incident happened before they were born. However, the students discover that as the accusation comes to light it stirs up questions and worries they have about their safety and life experiences. I thought Layden did a great job handling a difficult topic.
Unfortunately, this book ended up as a DNF for me. I've delayed writing this review because I was hoping I could get back into it as I have another Selby on my shelves and was intrigued by all the 5 star reviews.
The main barrier to enjoyment was the writing style. This world uses a lot of unique language and unique wording, which I have enjoyed from other authors in the past (notably The Bone Ships by RJ Barker) but I never reached a point where I found myself understanding the language used. This is a pretty important aspect of the writing for me as I don't want to have to stop and re-read to gain more context to puzzle the writing out. It stops me from getting integrated into the book.
I really liked the concept for the book and the idea of reading about a fantasy postal service was really working for me. I also enjoyed the intrigue provided by the secondary POV, a magic user hunting for a rare group of people. I think this could be a great read and one I might revisit in the future to see if the writing works for me.
If the writing style works for you, there's quite a few interconnected books to explore.
I had a lot of fun reading If I Disappaear. It starts rather abruptly following Sera as she is already most of the way to the ranch the book is set on and explains the reasoning behind her choice to come and check on her favourite podcaster. I think this opening scene could have done with a bit more set up as I found it to be fairly unbelievable. Otherwise, the plot moves fast and kept me engaged. I liked the unreliable characters and how it kept me guessing thoughout the book.
The exposition style re-write of the ???final??? reveal was not my cup of tea. I think it would have been a stronger ending if the twist had been incorporated into the narrative rather than feel like I was reading it removed from the story.
Sera was missing something to make her stand out as a character. I felt like we were missing some backstory or character building moments to understand her decisions. I also thought the sudden inclusion of the anti-men narrative was so randomly placed in to the story especially since Sera???s closest friends from her backstory are both men.
The premise of the sisters hunting for their mother was dropped fairly quickly into the novel and wasn???t picked back up until the end of the book. While it was the instigating force of the plot, it wasn???t the driving force and for much of the book we are simply following the lives of these siblings. As a result, I wasn???t as interested in the middle of the book where we change focus.
I thought the assault plot line came out of nowhere, but I really did not like the inclusion of the speculative element. Characters from history appear and talk to our characters briefly, appearing a few times. It???s not too often, so if its not an element you enjoy you can quite easily move past it. In fact, I didn???t even realise that was what was happening at first. If it had been a bigger element of the plot I think it would have worked well but in the end I thought it was just a bit ill-fitting.
This book had great writing, and I enjoyed the characters. I just think there were too many elements half committed to and if there had been a bigger focus on just a couple the book would have worked better for me. As it is the book felt like it was missing an identity.
