Amity
This was...fine? It felt so incomplete that I actually looked to see if I had accidentally checked out the second volume from the library. The concept is great and I liked the art but...meh? It was ultimately forgettable (so much so, in fact, that I forgot to log it after reading it). Overall, a low three evil supes out of 5.
This was another fine entry...kind of seems like a series of diminishing returns at this point? I still like it, but after really liking / loving the first four volumes, it's a little disappointing. I do like Regan quite a bit, and I LOVED Gristle, but it kind of felt like...meh? I dunno! 3 doofy unicorns out of 5.
I mean, it's a high 3 stars? It was very readable and I liked some of the plot direction in the last third of the book, but...meh? I generally like multiverse stuff but only if I actually care about the characters and I did not particularly care about Jason. Daniela was more prop than person, and the writing was more tell than show. I'm not upset that I read it, but I also don't get the hype. 3 doorways out of 5.
On paper, this and [b:Down Among the Sticks and Bones 31450908 Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children, #2) Seanan McGuire https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1473685781l/31450908.SX50.jpg 47411892] should be my favorites, as I love spooky stuff so much. But something about them just falls a little flat for me in comparison to the others in the series, and I'm not sure why! I still really like the books, just not as much. Anyway, 3.5 lightning strikes out of 5, rounded up.
I might have to come back and change my rating...it's hovering between a 3 and a rounded-up 3.5. There was so much to like here: some genuinely spooky moments, a great atmosphere, a compelling plot...but it also fizzled out a bit toward the end, and there were maybe too many character perspectives? I will definitely read more from this author as I liked this and have previously liked his NoSleep Podcast work but for now I'm giving this 3 spooky ghost kids out of 5.
For the first time in her life, everyone wanted to find her. Everyone cared. They wouldn't look to her when she used to scream, but now that she was the cause of screaming, suddenly everyone gave a damn.
This was some of the best body horror fiction I've read, and I loved how queer it was and how it was sad and sweet and funny at times (any man who forces you to watch Fight Club and then complains that you “just don't get it” afterwards is not to be trusted) and again, it was just absolutely yucko. But also kind of beautiful? 3.5 toothy tentacles out of 5, rounded up.
The writing in this wasn't quite as sharp as normal - it felt a bit disconnected and meandering at times - but the characters, which are definitely King's forte, were great as per usual. It was a bit eerie to see how the worst political candidate King could think of was so similar to modern politicians...the more things change, etc. etc.
Let's call it 3.5 things stuck in the dead zone rounded up because it's King and even his worst stuff is generally at least decent in my opinion.
Exploring a variety of issues such as racism, climate change, and living through the early days of the pandemic, this book of poetry is a difficult but beautiful read. Gorman captures the mounting frustration that came with something that should be uniting us ultimately dividing us further, as well as the power of hope and perseverance and words. I was going to quote all of my favorite lines, but that would be approximately 80% of the book, so here's a random one:
It's said that ignorance is bliss.
Ignorance is this: a vine that
sneaks up a tree, killing not by
poison, but by blocking out its
light.
This was a lovely, whimsical read. I appreciated the diversity of both the characters and the worlds they visited (though all of the magical realms sounded awful to me, tbh...I guess this is why I was never received the call to adventure as a child) even though I didn't really understand the “High Wicked, Low Logic” etc. etc. part of it.
I will definitely continue this series, as I'm interested to see where it goes. 4 magical doorways out of 5.
Hmm, okay, so....not as gripping as the first one, and it seemed sort of repetitive at times? I don't know, Bardugo is so talented and there were certain scenes and lines that made me stop and appreciate what a gifted writer she is, but the plot here was....ehhh. And normally, I can handwave wonky plot stuff in favor of good characters, because that's what I really look for in a book, but I didn't feel the connection with any of the characters like I did in the first one. It felt like their personalities sort of...stagnated, I guess? Even Demon!Darlington was still basically the same and tbh I found him a bit cringey when he was acting more demon-y.
I still like the magic and the world-building, and I'm vaguely interested in the next book. Mostly because I want to see Turner just have a good day. Y'know, maybe get some ice cream, pet some dogs, pop some bubble wrap, anything to get him away from those meddling kids and their secret societies and magic. Overall, 3 Cosmo the Cat appearances out of 5.
Freshly out of prison, Steven Smith reunites with a son he barely knows. Steven has difficulties reading and writing, so he decides to keep a diary in the form of audio files on his son's hand-me-down phone. The diary reveals Steven's troubled past as a criminal, a connection with a mysterious teacher, and an even more mysterious series of books. These books may hold the answers to the teacher's disappearance and lead to something far greater than Steven could have imagined. Told through Steven's recorded diary transcripts, The Twyford Code is skillfully written and is a solid follow-up to [b:The Appeal 58070069 The Appeal Janice Hallett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641411390l/58070069.SY75.jpg 85222105]. However, both books drag a bit in the middle, and if you're not invested, you might find your interest waning enough to give up on the story. I know I didn't feel quite as invested in solving the mystery along with the characters as I did in [b:The Appeal 58070069 The Appeal Janice Hallett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641411390l/58070069.SY75.jpg 85222105] because my brain is not great at codebreaking and the like, and I feel that was a detracting factor to me and could be for others as well. I hope people stick with it, though; what was a solid three stars turned into four stars once revelations were made, and it was quite the ride.
I'm grateful for Book Riot's Read Harder challenge, as I wouldn't have picked this manga up otherwise. It's a sweet little slice-of-life about camping, and it has a little bit of “the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one” as well. I can't say it made me want to go camping, because I'm too indoorsy for that, but it was a pleasant read during my meal break. 3 cozy stars out of 5.
“...if these adorable kitties snuggle with a human, the human is transformed into yet another cat.”
Well, I'm toast, since I usually sleep with approximately 15 pounds of adorable dumb cat on my face:
But honestly, as far as apocalypses go, this one doesn't sound half-bad. 4 precious floofy terrors out of 5.
Following the unfortunate deaths of their parents, estranged siblings Louise and Mark reunite in order to plan the funeral and figure out what to do with their childhood home. Their strained relationship becomes the least of their problems as they unearth long-buried memories associated with their mother's enormous collection of puppets and dolls and try to figure out why, exactly, the attic is boarded up...I have to hand it to Grady Hendrix, his stories rarely play out the way I expect them to; though there are some “well, obviously” moments in this book, so much of it was a surprise to me. And a pleasant surprise at that! I've never disliked any of the books of his I've read, but I often find myself feeling like they're missing something and while this one wasn't perfect, it was quite good and probably my favorite after [b:We Sold Our Souls 37715859 We Sold Our Souls Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527975643l/37715859.SY75.jpg 59355324]. I found the journey through the grieving process and mending family ties to be the most effective part of this story, but there are plenty of spooky-fun or downright creepy moments as well. I laughed out loud at a couple bits and highlighted a few passages only to comment “Grady why” or “no thank you” which is a good sign for a horror novel when you're a horror superfan like myself. At any rate, I'm giving this a solid 4 out of 5 creepy puppets. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
I don't know, I was never going to be impartial while reading this. I adore the Telltale games and even named one of my cats after Clementine:
so obviously I'm going to be biased! I thought the fourth game wrapped up her story nicely but I was intrigued by this and it was just...okay? I thought the art was a little muddled at times and I couldn't get over the fact that 1) Clementine leaving AJ did not make sense to me and 2) the new love interest didn't strike me as much as either Louis or Violet, both of whom I loved...so again, this is on me!
I did really like Clementine adjusting to life with a prosthetic, which I feel is not explored in apocalyptic fiction enough, and her whole speech about realizing she was going to live and feeling panicked about it was good. Again, I think this is really just a case of my own biases getting in the way of me enjoying the story for what it is. Overall, 2.5 zombies out of 5, rounded down because now I guess I have to replay all the games and who has time for that? (It's me. I have time for that.)
Oof, this was a tough read, but also funny sometimes? She has a very deadpan sense of humor even as she details her childhood trauma as well as her addictions and disorders. I hope she continues to recover and that her writing career flourishes, as she is clearly talented and passionate. A difficult but important read. 4 stars out of 5.
There's a lot to like about this! Murphy's art is great and I like how it embraces being an Elseworlds story by incorporating lore from various bits of Batman media (a good way to win me over is to make a lot of references to Batman: The Animated Series tbh). The way it addresses the duality of Harley Quinn was interesting and unexpected, and there were some cool story beats along the way. I did feel that it was occasionally too wordy for its own good, which made the layout of some pages cluttered and kind of detracted from the cool art, and I reallllllly did not dig Batgirl's characterization. It's totally fine to make Babs happy and excitable - I mean, whomst among us would not find teeny mice in little helmets cute - but it felt like her whole personality was “squee about things and complain about the menfolk of the Bat Family” which didn't sit right with me.
Overall, though, I had a good time reading it, and even though he wasn't in it much at all, Alfred calling Bruce “my son” and the like will never not make me a bit emotional. I think other Batman stories have explored the Joker/Bats relationship better, but this wasn't a bad read at all. 3 rocks that almost hit Batman out of five (they were big rocks).
i like
free verse
but this?
this
reminded
me of
my own poetry
ages 14
through
20
which
t
b
h
should
not
be
published
-but if you like it and found solace in it, i am glad and i wish the author continued healing and happiness and success; this is just not for me at this particular point in my life. 2 line breaks out of 5.