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archaicrobin's reviews
601 reviews
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I had high hopes for this medieval horror book mostly due to all the praise this one has received, but unfortunately Between Two Fires fell short for me.
The writing style is abrupt and brash which suits the story and the setting, but it does make connecting with the characters at first a little hard, or at least it was for me. I found it hard to feel attached to anyone until more than halfway too the book and at that point it’s too late.
The story itself is interesting and my favorite part was all the crazy demons they encounter but something was missing for me. Between Two Fires is a well written story and you can tell the writer is knowledgeable but I was never intrigued enough to want to pick this one up. I honestly don’t understand all the hype behind this novel. It’s fine, but not great.
The writing style is abrupt and brash which suits the story and the setting, but it does make connecting with the characters at first a little hard, or at least it was for me. I found it hard to feel attached to anyone until more than halfway too the book and at that point it’s too late.
The story itself is interesting and my favorite part was all the crazy demons they encounter but something was missing for me. Between Two Fires is a well written story and you can tell the writer is knowledgeable but I was never intrigued enough to want to pick this one up. I honestly don’t understand all the hype behind this novel. It’s fine, but not great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
Was looking a cute feel good romance but this one just did not hit the mark. The characters aren’t interesting and honestly are a little annoying. They instantly are in love and the author tries to go for this slow burn but it doesn’t work because the characters are so dull and both had insta love. Romance isn’t my genre but I do like to read them every now and then between heavier books, but I try to find novels that at least have lovable characters or an interesting plot.
The boring characters were made worse by the non existent plot where the only conflict is the two characters getting cock-blocked every five minutes. This was a huge miss for me…
The boring characters were made worse by the non existent plot where the only conflict is the two characters getting cock-blocked every five minutes. This was a huge miss for me…
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A twisty and out there horror novel about a family that call definitely overstays their welcome. I had no idea where this one was going and even after finishing it I’m still contemplating what happened. This is for those that like their horror subtle and slow, with a twist of psychological and otherworldly entities. This one was hard for me to rate, I think I need to sit with it more. Would recommend to fans of House of Leaves and other speculative horror fiction.
The Sanctuary by Gustavo Eduardo Abrevaya
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A surrealist horror-crime novel centered around a film maker and his wife who stumble upon the wrong town at the wrong time. This is a hard one to rate because it really is just so weird, the characters are strange and the writing is surrealist to the point it was hard for me to get into.
Not to mention the main character Alvaro is a sexist and talks about his wife like a trophy piece the entire time….
I can see what the point was and what the author was going for but this fell flat for me.
Not to mention the main character Alvaro is a sexist and talks about his wife like a trophy piece the entire time….
I can see what the point was and what the author was going for but this fell flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Reformatory is one of the best books I’ve read this year and one of Due’s best, which is hard tos ay because all of her books are phenomenal.
Steeped in history and her own personal family trauma is a tale of a young boy in the south sent to a horrific “school” for boys and his journey to find freedom with help from the spirits who refuse to leave without justice.
This story is heart wrenching and horrifying, made all the more painful because it’s based on a real place where real boys were tortured, raped, abused and murdered. I highly recommend looking at triggers before starting this one just to be safe, because it’s brutal. While spirits and the supernatural are paramount to this story, the true terror is in the lack of humanity and completely disgusting and historically true displays of racism.
This story was phenomenal but so hard to get through, there were several times I had to put this down and just decompress because it weighed so heavy on my heart. Books like this are some of the most importantly literature in my eyes, especially at a time right now where racism and bigotry are being paraded around as political candidates.
10/10 everyone should read if you can handle it. I will be thinking about Robert, his family, the boys left behind, and the message of this novel for a very long time.
Steeped in history and her own personal family trauma is a tale of a young boy in the south sent to a horrific “school” for boys and his journey to find freedom with help from the spirits who refuse to leave without justice.
This story is heart wrenching and horrifying, made all the more painful because it’s based on a real place where real boys were tortured, raped, abused and murdered. I highly recommend looking at triggers before starting this one just to be safe, because it’s brutal. While spirits and the supernatural are paramount to this story, the true terror is in the lack of humanity and completely disgusting and historically true displays of racism.
This story was phenomenal but so hard to get through, there were several times I had to put this down and just decompress because it weighed so heavy on my heart. Books like this are some of the most importantly literature in my eyes, especially at a time right now where racism and bigotry are being paraded around as political candidates.
10/10 everyone should read if you can handle it. I will be thinking about Robert, his family, the boys left behind, and the message of this novel for a very long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is WILD. It starts off very fast paced and I was immediately enthralled but then unfortunately you hit the middle portion which long, boring, and a little lost in my opinion. I think if the middle portion of this book was tighter I would have given this one a higher score but I really enjoyed the beginning and end of this one!
A cult horror fantasy with some gruesome scenes and interesting characters. If you can make it past the middle portion of this one it’s definitely worth it!
A cult horror fantasy with some gruesome scenes and interesting characters. If you can make it past the middle portion of this one it’s definitely worth it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The premise for this novel was great, the execution not so much. The story is too slow, there are alternate timelines, and the characters are forgettable. This one took me forever to finish, even listening to it on the way back from Vegas and it wasn’t enough time. I’d recommend skipping this one unless you really want a supernatural survival horror.
The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Last Days of Jack Sparks is a truly wild ride that I could not put down! Jack Sparks is one of the most selfish people on earth but also happens to be a social media star and journalist. While working on his new book to prove the supernatural isn’t real he finds himself entangled in some truly evil paranormal phenomena and his only way to survive is to come to terms with the fact ghosts are real and he’s an asshole.
I loved this book!! Full of interesting characters, a main character that you love to hate, and supernatural phenomenon told through a social media lense made this hard to put down for me.
There are so many elements going on, and I don’t want to give anything away but if you’re looking for a great supernatural horror novel with an unreliable narrator and dark humor pick this one up!! I’m still thinking about this book and probably will for a long time!
I loved this book!! Full of interesting characters, a main character that you love to hate, and supernatural phenomenon told through a social media lense made this hard to put down for me.
There are so many elements going on, and I don’t want to give anything away but if you’re looking for a great supernatural horror novel with an unreliable narrator and dark humor pick this one up!! I’m still thinking about this book and probably will for a long time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Very unpopular opinion here but I didn’t love this book. If you’re looking for historical fiction true to the times I would not recommend this one, but if you’re looking for historical fiction heavy on the fiction with feel good moments and a happy slice of life feel you might enjoy this one more than I did.
Despite the dark times in history, this book is lighthearted and goofy which was a very strange take in my opinion. You hear vaguely about people suffering outside the hotel but it’s always in a paragraph or side note and quickly gone, instead you get the Count’s privileged life in the Metropol hotel and his little dalliances as he ages and very, very slowly, begins to show growth.
I usually like my historical fiction to be dark and plausible, set in reality, and plot focused which is the exact opposite of A Gentleman in Moscow.
The Count is sentenced to live in a fictional hotel during the Russian Revolution due to a political poem he wrote years before. Historically speaking the Count’s predicament itself is incredibly fantastical considering the history of Russia at this time and realistically he would probably have just been killed, so right away you have to suspend disbelief and just go with it. What proceeds is more tongue in cheek commentary with heartfelt scenes between the Count and the guests of the Metropol which I found boring but if you enjoy lighthearted novels heavy on commentary maybe you’d enjoy it?
Another issue I had with this book along with its fantastical elements, was the pacing!
This book is way too long in my opinion, we spend about 300 pages setting the scene and only with the last 100 do things actually start to pick up plot wise. Instead a majority of the book centers around the Count’s interactions with guests, his philosophical ideals, what it means to be a gentleman, and random anecdotes about fine wood crown moulding and what wine pairs best with roasted duck. A Gentleman in Moscow is a character driven book with social commentary and tons of random anecdotes and tangents thrown in about Russia before the revolution but not much else. I see what the author was attempting to do with this one, but in my opinion it just didn’t work. This book could have been half the size and I think the impact would have been the same if not better, because I would not have had to drudge through pages and pages of fluff or irrelevance.
Along with the suspension of disbelief and the pacing I also wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. Alexander Rostov, the Count himself I found to be incredibly pretentious and selfish, always doing what benefits him or improves upon his image. I could not relate to him, even later in the novel when we FINALLY see some growth he had only slightly grown on me.
There is also a wide array of side characters which led to my other problem which was the female representation. We have young girl to provide Rostov with entertainment and new outlooks, a daughter type, we have beautiful woman whose sole purpose is to have sex with The Count basically the wife, and then we have the mother in Marina who is the hotel’s seamstress. The women are there but they’re not well crafted and they each represent a female archetype and no depth beyond what they are in relation to The Count.
With so many well crafted male characters why couldn’t we have multifaceted female characters? This lack of strong female characters for a majority of the book was another factor in my overall enjoyment of this novel.
In addition to all these reasons for my rating I also have the very personal review that this book is just plain BORING. Almost 500 pages and you don’t get answers to anything until the last 100, and when you do you’re so bored from all the fluff and random anecdotes that the twist and ending don’t really have much impact anymore.
Overall, I feel A Gentleman in Moscow does not thrive as a historical novel but if you’re looking for a character driven commentary set in a real place with fantastical elements maybe you’ll enjoy this, but for me it was boring, unoriginal, and pretentious and that’s ok because not all books are for all people.
Despite the dark times in history, this book is lighthearted and goofy which was a very strange take in my opinion. You hear vaguely about people suffering outside the hotel but it’s always in a paragraph or side note and quickly gone, instead you get the Count’s privileged life in the Metropol hotel and his little dalliances as he ages and very, very slowly, begins to show growth.
I usually like my historical fiction to be dark and plausible, set in reality, and plot focused which is the exact opposite of A Gentleman in Moscow.
The Count is sentenced to live in a fictional hotel during the Russian Revolution due to a political poem he wrote years before. Historically speaking the Count’s predicament itself is incredibly fantastical considering the history of Russia at this time and realistically he would probably have just been killed, so right away you have to suspend disbelief and just go with it. What proceeds is more tongue in cheek commentary with heartfelt scenes between the Count and the guests of the Metropol which I found boring but if you enjoy lighthearted novels heavy on commentary maybe you’d enjoy it?
Another issue I had with this book along with its fantastical elements, was the pacing!
This book is way too long in my opinion, we spend about 300 pages setting the scene and only with the last 100 do things actually start to pick up plot wise. Instead a majority of the book centers around the Count’s interactions with guests, his philosophical ideals, what it means to be a gentleman, and random anecdotes about fine wood crown moulding and what wine pairs best with roasted duck. A Gentleman in Moscow is a character driven book with social commentary and tons of random anecdotes and tangents thrown in about Russia before the revolution but not much else. I see what the author was attempting to do with this one, but in my opinion it just didn’t work. This book could have been half the size and I think the impact would have been the same if not better, because I would not have had to drudge through pages and pages of fluff or irrelevance.
Along with the suspension of disbelief and the pacing I also wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. Alexander Rostov, the Count himself I found to be incredibly pretentious and selfish, always doing what benefits him or improves upon his image. I could not relate to him, even later in the novel when we FINALLY see some growth he had only slightly grown on me.
There is also a wide array of side characters which led to my other problem which was the female representation. We have young girl to provide Rostov with entertainment and new outlooks, a daughter type, we have beautiful woman whose sole purpose is to have sex with The Count basically the wife, and then we have the mother in Marina who is the hotel’s seamstress. The women are there but they’re not well crafted and they each represent a female archetype and no depth beyond what they are in relation to The Count.
With so many well crafted male characters why couldn’t we have multifaceted female characters? This lack of strong female characters for a majority of the book was another factor in my overall enjoyment of this novel.
In addition to all these reasons for my rating I also have the very personal review that this book is just plain BORING. Almost 500 pages and you don’t get answers to anything until the last 100, and when you do you’re so bored from all the fluff and random anecdotes that the twist and ending don’t really have much impact anymore.
Overall, I feel A Gentleman in Moscow does not thrive as a historical novel but if you’re looking for a character driven commentary set in a real place with fantastical elements maybe you’ll enjoy this, but for me it was boring, unoriginal, and pretentious and that’s ok because not all books are for all people.
The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have no idea what list I got this book off of, and I’m not sure how to even describe it. A lot of reviews compare this to Flowers In the Attic and I would agree, but I’d say it’s a milder version.
Four siblings lose both parents suddenly and tragically a year apart, and instead of seeking help decide to hide their mother’s death by encasing her in cement in the cellar. With two teenaged siblings Jack and Julie, and two you get kids Sue and Tom, the siblings take on a weird familial relationship that begins to delve into incest territory.
While disturbing I still found this less disturbing than Flowers in the Attic but still haunting. I don’t see this novel for everyone and I’m not even sure how I feel about it but if you’re open to weird, disturbing, literature why not?
Four siblings lose both parents suddenly and tragically a year apart, and instead of seeking help decide to hide their mother’s death by encasing her in cement in the cellar. With two teenaged siblings Jack and Julie, and two you get kids Sue and Tom, the siblings take on a weird familial relationship that begins to delve into incest territory.
While disturbing I still found this less disturbing than Flowers in the Attic but still haunting. I don’t see this novel for everyone and I’m not even sure how I feel about it but if you’re open to weird, disturbing, literature why not?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Incest, Grief, and Death of parent