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abbythebookreviewer's reviews
101 reviews
The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne
4.5
No question that Gwynne is an epic story teller. However, no matter how well done the story is I can’t overlook the sheer amount of repetitive writing in his stories. The Hunger of The Gods held the same issues for me as The Shadow of The Gods. Nearly identical descriptions of clothing, weapons, and armor every chapter. Repetitive Norse words said multiple times in one page (thought-cage, deep cunning, humping (lol)). At times it clogged up the paragraphs and I found my mind drifting from the story due to this. STILL I love these characters! That’s where Gwynne’s writing is the strongest. I’m excited to read the third book, however repetitive it may be.
A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
Listen, I understand that people have rape kinks (consensual non consent) I understand that the beginning of this book is just exploring that kink (though not a safe display of said kink.). So this book will only appeal to readers who have that type of kink. HOWEVER. My main issue is not the rape…it’s the writing. I found this book borderline unreadable and eventually the cringey “Scottish” accent of the mmc did me in. If I had to read “doona” or “lass” one more time I was going to gouge out my eyeballs. This story belly flops directly into erotica, the large glossary at the front IS the world building. The author is just relying on the readers to read the entire glossary then jump into the sexual assault that hits by chapter 1. Again, I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yum but the start of this story is a horrible mess. I can’t speak for the rest of the story, but I did lightly skim the rest of the book and it seems that the messiness carried throughout the entire story. Imma exit stage right and leave this one to other readers.
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
funny
medium-paced
3.0
It’s exactly what you think it’s going to be. A cheesy autumnal small town romance. Repetitive at times but it did make me chuckle a few times. Overall? Exactly as advertised.
Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas
medium-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
Really close to 4 stars but the pacing ultimately held this back in the 3 star range for me. The writing is very well done, feeling like a more sarcastic Becky Chambers novel. The characters are the main focus and while I enjoyed them I did feel that a few were too similar to each other for me to connect with. The story itself didn’t illicit a strong emotional response from me and I think that was due to the aforementioned pacing issue. The pacing of the plot was far too slow for me. Yes it has moments of fast sci-fi awesomeness but most of this story is witty banter between the characters. This pacing confused me due to so many reviews saying it was an action packed fast paced sci-fi romp. I didn’t find it to be fast paced at all. The characters spend several chapters just sitting and talking to one another. Speaking of chapters. The chapter length also contributed to the slowed pace feeling. These chapters are 20-30 pages long. Long chapters usually slow a story down for me. There was definitely an opportunity to chop these chapters into smaller bits. Overall I enjoyed it enough to read the second book, and to recommend with some caveats.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
3.0
Beautiful writing. A statement that many would have a hard time arguing. But all that poetic prose clogged up the larger picture. This is a love story with sci-fi elements. The purpose of this story is to build a relationship across time. I was not invested in this relationship at all. I didn’t feel anything that the authors were trying to convey. It left me feeling bored and uninterested. But hey, beautiful prose.
Gleam by Raven Kennedy
slow-paced
2.0
You may ask why I am continuing to read a series I do not enjoy, and I to would like that question answered. My guess? Curiosity. My curiosity to see how this mess plays out is far stronger than my dislike…..for now. The world building is a disjointed disaster. The characters flat and unoriginal. This book could have been three hundred pages shorter and no one would have missed those pages. Will I read the fourth book? Probably…
Glint by Raven Kennedy
medium-paced
2.5
A bit of an improvement from book 1 but still a mess. Please someone get a developmental editor on board…..I am begging….pleading.
Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
An excellent sequel to a series that continues to surprise me. While I do feel it dragged a bit around the 50% mark It was not enough to take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. The plot (while predictable at times) was so well woven & executed that it kept me well hooked page after page. The ending left me hungry for more. A well written YA fantasy with just enough of the common YA fantasy taste to feel familiar but a streak of uniqueness running strong throughout to feel fresh.
Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver
slow-paced
2.5
Repetitive. Dialogue heavy info dumping. Predictable. Overall…I was bored. Not terrible but had lots of room for improvement.