Rai
Did Murderbot just make a... friend? In as much as it can, wants or cares to.
Our anxious misanthrope of a free bot seeks out answers as to what happened to make it become Murderbot in this 2nd instalment of the series. Everything you loved about Mb in the first novella is still there now with added... hair? Thrown into the mix this time around is ART, the Asshole Research Transport Mb meets on the way to finding answers.
Once again this is a brilliantly witty and well-written story by Wells, told in a diarised style (hence the series name) from the point of view of the eponymous Murderbot. The experiences with social anxiety are cleverly done and accurate. There's not too much ‘hard science' involved in these books so if you're not a fan of that in your sci-fi then these books are definitely worth a gander. They're short, quick reads that are immense fun.
The eponymous short story is an interesting read, mostly as comparison to the film as they are two very different entities. The other two short stories in this collection are dull as dishwater. All have the problematic elements typical of something written in the 1920's and set even before that, two big offenders are: racism and misogyny. So, yes, it is “of an age” but that doesn't mean we can't criticise it for being problematic.
Benjamin in this story is a lot less likeable, I found, than in the 2008 film because he's a bit of a philandering arse once he gets going. He ditches his wife and goes off to war because she's too old for him (at 45!), which given his predicament is a bit rich. She married him when he looked 50 yet somehow it's OK for him to bugger off and leave her when the tables are reversed.
As I say, the story is only worth reading if you want to see how different the film was to the original. The film is a lot more romantic and Benjamin a lot more likeable in it. It's a quick read so it depends how curious you are as to whether I'd recommend you bother.
This was provided as an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGally by the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Black Sunday follows the children of a fractured family who end up abandoned by both parents to live with their Grandmother in a poor Lagos neighbourhood. Twin older sisters Bibike and Ariyike are more in focus than their two younger brothers Andrew and Peter. The story is told mostly in first person segments from the points of view of each of the four children with one exception in a segment of Peter's where it was written in second person, which seemed like an odd choice to go against the trend of the rest of the book.
The story spans two decades of their lives growing up and trying to survive poor and parent-less in Lagos and how they each find different ways to carve out their own futures. The girls start working to put their brothers through school and University; Ariyike becoming a famous Christian radio presenter and later moving to Christian TV with the very same church who conned her father out of their family home and destroyed their lives.
Some sections seem a little stilted in the prose, however it's important to remember these are being told from the point of view of children. As the four grow up the prose becomes more smooth as the characters are maturing. The story can be difficult to digest as it demonstrates the personal suffering of this family and even moreso the suffering of the twin sisters as girls and women growing up in a deeply misogynistic, male-dominated society.
Within the blurb for the book it mentions: “the twins' paths diverge once the household shatters: one embracing modernity as the years pass, the other consumed by religion.” I had this in mind as I read through the book and I was expecting one sister to stay with their Yoruba grandmother (one does) and for that to be the one ‘consumed by religion'. However, to me it seemed the sister consumed by religion was also the one who embraced modernity - embracing modern technology and the movement of power into the use of those technologies. Each sister seems to embrace modernity in a different way and both have religion in their lives to a greater or lesser extent. It is not quite as clear-cut as the blurb might imply.
The ending of the book initially seemed a little flat to me but after thinking about it for a little while I feel it does provide what I was after, only much more subtly than I was expecting. That is a common theme with the book, there is a lot happening that is big, bold and obvious, smacking you in the face but underneath there is a lot working subtly in the background that might take you a little longer to recognise and appreciate.
This and my other reviews are on my website: Aspects of Me.
An easy, light read that is good fun with a m/m romance that is very sweet.
I am not typically either a YA or Romance reader so if you're in the same boat; I found this definitely worth the read. It's easy to read, first-person story told by Cal, an internet-famous 17 year old whose life is uprooted when is dad is (unexpectedly) accepted into a space program to Mars. The family moves from New York to Texas to take up residence in Houston for the father's astronaut training.
It is written in the lexicon of a teenager in 2020 and I feel that lends to a more authentic feel as a personal coming-of-age story under exceptional circumstances. The romance is key to the story but not 100% central so you can't get sick of too much soppy stuff. Not that there's much anyway as Cal and Leon are more the kind of sweet young love than the drippy overly saccharine sort.
Besides the queer romance, the book deals with themes of mental health, loss, fame and integrity and does so very well. All of these aspects come together to build the story up and to ensure it has the strength to stand on it's own and is not just a romance novel. It is clever, funny and moving.
This and my other reviews are on my website: Aspects of Me.
This is a short philosophical book that explores the cycles of community beliefs and how a single pebble can cause ripples that change far more than could have been predicted. This version is one reprinted with the fourth section (previously languishing in a desk drawer) and I definitely think the addition of that final section makes the whole story feel more finished. The cycle is completed by that last section; a full turn of the wheel.
“...the forces of rulers and ritual slowly, slowly will kill our freedom to live as we choose.”
This and my other reviews are on my website: Aspects of Me.
Note: this was an e-ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review
To me, one of the key features of a thriller or mystery book is that I can't guess the ending. Unfortunately for Final Cut, I guessed the ‘big twist' within the first 20% of the book and spent the rest of the time waiting to be proved right as the author threw things at me to try and convince me otherwise. By the final 10%, where said twist is revealed and everything I had guessed was confirmed I felt more like I had been reading as a chore and that the majority of the story had been inconsequential.
The MC at times behaves contrary to all the information she has available to her; pursuing a man she's accusing of murdering girls that in a previous or next chapter she's adamant are both alive despite everyone she ‘trusts' in the village telling her said man wouldn't have done such a thing, that he's harmless and he's only ever tried to help. Her complete belligerence at blaming him for events seems completely at odds with her relatively logical approach to everything else. It felt too much like the author was trying to force a distraction on the reader to disguise the truth. The MC trusts some complete strangers that no-one has vouched for but then doesn't trust this other stranger who everyone has vouched for.
The story itself had potential and is almost certainly, and depressingly, based on the terrible abuses real people have suffered and it is a shame it has been executed so poorly here in Final Cut. While the MC is struggling with her memory, I still don't think that forgives the confused signals we get from her and her motivations.
Finally, I am unsure whether the e-ARC I received had chapters out of order as there were two occasions were the MC references other characters by name who we have not been introduced to yet and in a subsequent chapter we're then introduced to them. As I say, I'm not sure if this was a mistake and edits will be done before publication or whether it was intentional as an attempt to make the reader doubt their own memory, much as our MC does throughout the book. In either event, I found it frustrating and it felt like a mistake so made me wonder about the editing process. There was one other instance that I spotted which seemed to have been missed in editing - whether that's picked up on between now and retail, maybe, so I let it slide.
Overall, there was a bit too much that didn't make sense in the book on top of the poor characterisation, weird editing decisions and the endless buffeting of distractions away from an otherwise predictable ending.
This and my other reviews are on my site: Aspects of Me.
This and my other reviews are on my site: Aspects of Me.
I read this as part of the #SchwabReadalong organised over Twitter/Booktube (twitter.com/schwabreadalong) and this was the first book of the schedule. I haven't read Schwab before but have seen her pop up with both her YA and adult fantasy books as a recommended author for me quite a few times so I decided now's as good a time as any!
The Archived was a good story exploring ideas of death, grieving, family, friendships and desire from the perspective of a 16 year old. The overall concept of a supernatural style library that catalogues the dead who in turn have a tendency to get up and wander off is one I've seen done elsewhere, nevertheless this book does a good job at exploring the idea.
It is well written for the target audience (YA) however I found some of it frustratingly simple at times; I also found myself getting annoyed at some of the decisions the characters were making and some of the martial expertise of the 16 year old protagonist seemed a little far-fetched. It was a good story but I am happy with leaving it at just The Archived personally, as opposed to reading the 2nd book.
This and my other reviews are on my site: Aspects of Me.I read the original trilogy shortly after publication and discovering there was to be a new instalment in the saga was a wonderful surprise. After 14 years, I certainly hadn't expected a new book in the series! That's also a reason I delayed reading it. ‘What if it spoilt the memory of the originals? What if my tastes have changed and I don't like it?' I was both excited and anxious to read The Arkhel Conundrum and in the end I needn't have been worried: it is every bit as excellent as the first three books.The rear cover has a quote comparing [a:Sarah Ash 127082 Sarah Ash https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1482140735p2/127082.jpg] to [a:Robert Jordan 6252 Robert Jordan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1538507642p2/6252.jpg] and [a:George R.R. Martin 346732 George R.R. Martin https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] and rightly so; she is an expert in weaving a tale of epic proportions with a wide cast, all of whom are well-written and fleshed out, without falling foul of overly complex plot threads. Yes, you will almost certainly need to read the Tears of Artamon in full in order to appreciate The Arkhel Conundrum as there are references back to events in the previous books that you might not understand without reading them. You could go in straight at book 4 and get by with what's in the book alone and still enjoy the new story-lines but I heartily recommend the trilogy as it is excellent.In this instalment we meet back up with Gavril and Kiukiu and start the story in earnest almost a year after the end of [b:Children of the Serpent Gate 372091 Children of the Serpent Gate (Tears of Artamon, #3) Sarah Ash https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389164715l/372091.SY75.jpg 362037] and after the birth of their daughter who, it turns out, was conceived before Gavril was freed of his dragon-demon Khezef. Little Larisa is a very special baby and once Elder Ones and Heavenly Guardians alike discover her existence, she becomes very popular indeed.Emperor Eugene, in the absence of his mentor and magus Kaspar Linnaius, launches a competition to construct a flying craft, which accidentally opens him up to new threats. We're also introduced to a handful of new characters, including Toran Arkhel and Gerard Bernay, who feel like we've known them long before this book, such is the strength of their characterisation. In the high/epic fantasy style there are different plots weaving together towards two climax points that are expertly done and I foresee those two story-lines coming together in a 5th book. PoV shifts between chapters so that we can feel and experience the world from different character perspectives where even seemingly minor characters are still key to the overall story.I feel I cannot proselytise about this series enough. I loved it when I first read it and still love it now. I look forward to the next book and won't be quite so anxious to keep going next time!
This is a short novella introducing the character of Murderbot, a free agent security android on its final contract with a surveying team on an uninhabited world, as it tries to avoid interacting with the clients (the humans) as much as possible and chill out watching serials and reading books. An introvert's dream!Unfortunately for Murderbot, the world is not as uninhabited as the team were told and Mb takes some serious damage rescuing two of its client scientists from the maw of a very large, very chompy hostile entity. Investigating how The Company could've neglected to warn the team about the local fauna highlights some discrepancies they have to work together to figure out and escape the planet alive. Much to Murderbot's annoyance as those serials won't watch themselves!The story is told first person by Murderbot and this adds to the appeal of this story as Wells successfully gets us to empathise with and root for a rogue AI who has dubbed itself MURDERBOT (not the most sympathetic of names, is it?) but who really just wants to be left alone. The action is fast-paced but not rushed; the world building is just right for such a short book and the ‘touchy-feely' parts that Mb hates so much make you think. A good all-round balance and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kevin R. Free, which was 3h 40m long, and while Free's narration style sounds an awful lot like [a:Wil Wheaton 37075 Wil Wheaton https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1356706649p2/37075.jpg] it definitely fits well with Murderbot's sarcastic and misanthropic demeanour.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes exquisite prose and weaves amazing stories and worlds, seemingly, effortlessly. When Noemí arrives at High Place to find her cousin Catalina taken ill, after receiving such an alarming letter from her some weeks before, she is immediately suspicious - as are we, the readers. What follows is an expert lesson in the Gothic full of intrigue and suspense in a remote 1950's mould-ridden mansion in Mexico, inhabited by some very peculiar characters in the Doyle family. A family obsessed with England and holding on to some very racist and misogynist ideals in an overly strict household that ‘no one leaves'.
Without giving too much away, Mexican Gothic will have you guessing from the start as to what is really going on at High Place. Where Noemí's nightmares may take you one way, her conversations with the various Doyles will take you another, and all the while we wonder what is really behind Catalina's sickness? This is a great book from a brilliant writer and a must-read for any Gothic Horror fans. For me, the Gothic genre is not quite my thing, which is why I've given it 4 stars instead of 5.
3.5 stars
This is a good suspenseful book that explores bonds of sisterhood and family in and through adversity and how far Korede would go to protect her little sister Ayoola, in spite of her murderous tendencies. I enjoyed the writing and characters but I really wanted Korede to stand up for herself given how maligned she is by almost every other character in the book. In that respect, I was a touch disappointed at the ending. Otherwise, definitely worth picking up!
3.5 Stars
I had been expecting, from the blurb, for this to take place at Oomza University but it's mostly focused on Binti's journey to get there, which is eventful and historically important in this universe. Some of the elements felt a little convenient and deus ex machina-esque, which I can forgive as it's only a 96 page novella and going into great detail about the source and significance of some of those elements would take time.
The obvious racism Binti faces is something that we can see around us now, on our Earth, in our time, and for that I feel it's an important read to experience some of the micro-aggressions as Binti does.
It only took me a couple of hours to read and it is well worth the effort. I'll definitely continue the series as Nnedi Okorafor has managed to make Binti a character to invest in despite the short form of the story.
This and my other reviews are on my site: Aspects of Me.
The Silent Patient is a mystery/thriller with a twist I did not guess. That's a claim a lot of PR tends to make only for it to not be true. There are a lot of books out there that I have guessed the endings to and while I was expecting something a little different to the standard cookie-cutter thriller (my theory in the first half of the book was it would be some sort of Shutter Island switch-up) the ending was well disguised.
Alicia murdered her husband and never spoke again; Theo thinks he will be the one to “save her” and get her to talk again. They both had a tumultuous upbringing with asshole fathers, which Theo believes gives him an edge to figuring out why Alicia stopped speaking. All the while, telling us about his unfaithful actress wife, Kathy. Some of Theo's white-knighting and general attitude towards women is frustrating and disappointing, although stick with the story as it feeds into the ending.
In between Theo's narratives we have entries from Alicia's journal that she began to keep in the weeks running up to the murder of her husband Gabriel. These offer us a glimpse into the character of Alicia who - present day - is silent. It's a clever mechanism to build up a rapport and empathy with a character that would otherwise be inaccessible.
There are plenty of little twists and turns in the story along the way that will keep you guessing at what's going to happen next. It's a great read, well written, paced and with good character development on both Theo and Alicia's part. As Michaelides begins to peel back the Big Reveal, and it starts to click into place, it'll have you thinking “Hang on a second...!” before hitting you with the full secret. Expertly done.
This and my other reviews are available at my site: Aspects of Me
Gods of Jade and Shadow is a little different than my usual fantasy choices - I don't tend to read fantasy based in our real world Earth - and I was not disappointed. The journey of Casiopea Tun is one I found myself readily investing in and just as at-first rude & lofty god Hun-Kamé softens and grows on Casiopea so does he too with the reader.
The quest they embark upon doesn't have great odds and along the way they meet demons, ghosts, spirits, witches, warlocks and Lords of Death. Hun-Kamé seeks to restore his power and himself to the throne of Xibalba (a form of Underworld in Mayan history) but he needs Casiopea's help to do so. She is stuck living with her awful racist family who treat her with cruelty and disdain - she wants to escape and the time she spends with Hun-Kamé becomes some of the most vibrant and exciting days of her life; even with all the threat, dread and sacrfice.
It is set in the 1920s so some of the prose and dialogue is suitably antiquated; if you're not used to reading historical fiction it might take a little bit to get used to (like me) but it is worth it. This is a wonderful story that will teach you a few little snippets of Mexican and Mayan history along the way. Don't worry, you don't need to know anything special in advance as Moreno-Garcia not only guides us beautifully through the narrative but includes a handy Glossary at the end of the book too.
4.5/5
Sarah Graley is, as always, on top form with Donut the Destroyer. The story of a young hero trying to break away from a family history of supervillainy, this book follows Donut through the first month of Hero school; making new friends, confronting old ones and trying to juggle a reputation that preceded them.
The book touches on themes around friendship, fitting in and being true to yourself no matter what with a hint towards there being a lot more to life than heroism and villainy. Not everything is quite so simple.
Great fun and great art; this is an excellent graphic novel and I look forward to reading (& seeing) more of Donut in the future! I only wish it had covered more time but I know there's constraints on the format when it comes to length.
This little book has a lot to offer. Nine short stories all with a shade of the Gothic or the macabre about them as they explore different comings, goings and phases in women's lives. All are well-written, clever and engaging. These are stories that can make you ache with feeling.
There are romantic relationships - queer and straight - that are fraught with difficulties, pain and loss. There are sisterly relationships; both affirming and fractious. There is a hint of the monstrous in each story, which seems to make each one evermore human.
The missing star between 4 and 5 is simply because some of the stories didn't hit 5/5 for me, personally, and you should definitely read salt slow for yourself as they may resonate with you perfectly.
The Nothing Man offers something a bit different to the serial killer, cat-and-mouse thriller staple and two nights running I read up until midnight because I wanted to know what would happen. Initially, the book-in-a-book idea made me a little sceptical but I needn't have been. We have two narrators; the first, of our book, is Jim Doyle, who we already know is the serial killer in question; the second, of the book he's reading, is Eve Black, a woman who survived Jim's most brutal attack as a child. Neither are 100% trustworthy, which adds some nice extra layers of mystery. Catherine Ryan Howard has done well to make Jim a really odious figure and - despite him being our primary narrator - we really want him to get caught.
Added bonus is this is not a thriller set in America, like so many are; it's set in Ireland, in otherwise sleepy Co. Cork, and this gives the impact of the murders a little more punch because they truly stand out in the collective memories and because we know then that law enforcement was never prepared for such crimes.
Overall, this is a captivating read and well worth looking into for a bit of a different approach to storytelling in the thriller genre.
With lovely art style and a story told with compassion, Invisible Differences is about a woman in her late 20's being diagnosed with Asperger's in a country that doesn't give it much credence where misinformation is rife. While Marguerite's story is centred around autism, this is a story that anyone with a form of neuro-divergence can recognise themselves in and find a bit of comfort in seeing Marguerite triumph.
It is also wonderful as an educational tool to explain what living with ASD (or generally being neuro-atypical, or having a chronic condition) is like in a way that isn't condescending or light-footed. It's perfect to evoke an empathy and understanding in others who may not have first hand experience of conditions like this. To those of us who have, Dachez leaves us a heartwarming note at the beginning of the book to remind us we shouldn't hold ourselves to the standards of others and to live our lives without fear. Something we could all do with being reminded of now and then.
I see a lot of myself in Marguerite: sensitive to noise, drained by social interactions and the spoon theory as well as some of the negative interactions she goes through before officially receiving her diagnosis. The uplifting outcome is all the better for knowing this is a true story of the author and her artist friend.
This has been a translation from a French original and I didn't detect any jilted phrases along the way so excellent in every respect.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) in exchange for honest reviews.
You can also read this review on my external blog, Aspects of Me: https://aspectsof.me/2020/05/15/read-invisible-differences/
I gave this a go as it was free on Audible and I would say if it ever moves out of that and requires a charge/credit; don't bother. From the very outset there was wave after wave of awful similes like an ocean of garbage breaking on the shore of your mind. If ever you took an English class on creative writing you will note a couple of things the author has done that your secondary school teachers instructed you to avoid:
- untamed similes running rampant that add nothing to the story (more likely to jolt you out of the story by how bizarre some of them are: “storm clouds as depressing as suicide”)
- repeated the same phrase at least three (3) times within a short space of time/text
- unnecessary swearing
I'm all for swearing, I do it a lot, and there are times when it really adds just the right kick to the story or the dialogue. In this, however, there's random swearing where it's not really needed and largely makes no sense, which means when it comes to crunch time at the climax of the story the swearing doesn't have as much impact.
The audiobook only lasts one (1) hour, mercifully, and the narrator is almost as painful as the prose. The main ‘shock value' zombie event is something that, if you've ever played Dead Space 2, has been done much better elsewhere.
1 star because it's free and short; otherwise, give it a miss.
One thing that you might not glean from the blurb is that some of the content might cause discomfort for some readers. Here's a big ole CW for you: sex, rape, self-harm, drug and alcohol misuse, child abuse/murder, and teeth.Beyond that, this is a fairly standard thriller. Admittedly not told from the perspective of the police, instead from Camille the journalist, but it's still predictable in terms of ‘Whodunnit' part of the plot. The clues Flynn leaves are big and obvious and I found myself wanting to reach in and shake Camille for being so blind to it all on several occasions. Perhaps that is the point? To show how we do not wish to believe the worst in the people we know, no matter how much evidence there is.Camille is a walking litany of self-harm (sex, drugs, alcohol, sharp objects...), which I found a little difficult to read at times as she tries to defend her decisions as rational. This is a commonality I found with [b:The Grownup 26025580 The Grownup (Rogues, #2) Gillian Flynn https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441679582l/26025580.SY75.jpg 45948939], both protagonists are very sexual and use sex as a way to get what they want (as is one of the key supporting characters in Sharp Objects) however there is no criticism of this and how a society puts women in a position like that has something deeply wrong with it. Because of this, I can't quite tell if Flynn is trying to be a pro-sex feminist, reclaiming it for women to wield or whether she's playing into patriarchal rhetoric.Given some of the issues I had with the book and the predictable perpetrator I don't feel I can give this more than 3 stars. Entertaining enough but has it's problems.
I picked up The Twisted Tree because it was a) cheap, b) fairly short and c) set in Norway. It sounded interesting and the cover art helped a little too. I was intrigued how the setting would interact with the story and to that point I hadn't read much set in Scandinavia. I admit points a & b appealed because I felt I was falling behind on my Reading Challenge and needed a bump; nevertheless I ended up enjoying the book more than I expected.
We follow a young teen, Martha, who has had an accident leaving her blind in one eye and with some facial scarring. Not only that, she has begun to sense things whenever she touches others' clothes: feelings, memories & intent. Her accident happened at her Grandmother's cabin in northern Norway, when falling out of a big tree that her Grandmother tends to, and she hasn't been back since. After writing her Grandmother a host of un-replied letters asking about her new found sense, she travels to the cabin my herself.
What she finds when she gets to the cabin isn't what she was hoping for. She meets Stig, a teenage boy who has also run away from home, and together they face some terrible monsters - both real and metaphorical - before Martha has to truly embrace her new ‘condition' in order to save their lives.
This is a well-written supernatural tale that anyone with even a passing interest in Norse mythology should pick up. It isn't quite ‘horror' and it isn't quite ‘coming of age' but the book does have elements of both. It deals with a line of women who have a shared heritage to protect and what might happen if the chain through the generations is broken. It also looks at the repairing of mother-daughter relationships and, in particular, where the child is guiding the adult through a complicated situation.
The character building by Burge is very good and the story is well-paced and engaging. It is a quick read at 180 pages and still a perfectly formed story that left me wondering where these characters would end up next.