awanderingweasel's reviews
243 reviews

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Evocation by S.T. Gibson

1.0

dnf @ 70% - LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD

 

Having read Odd Spirits (Evocation’s little sister) back in 2022 and enjoyed it, I was very surprised when I neglected to enjoy Evocation. In fact, I’m sorry to say that I disliked this book so much that I couldn’t even finish it. I cannot believe this is supposedly the first book in a trilogy, because what else is there to talk about when the narrative is so bland and character relationships so unnatural? 

 

I have a bone to pick with Moira’s behavior. Readers pointed out how in Odd Spirits Moira was displaying biphobia towards her husband, which turns into complete understanding of Rhys and David still being in love with each other and kissing years after their breakup. S.T. Gibson might have been trying to right her wrongs and rid Moira of her initial biphobia, but this completely dulls her and renders her a side chick in her own marriage. I don’t know if this is a common dynamic in poly relationships, but it seemed wrong that Moira should be the odd one out and get cheated on. This poorly written Black woman goes from one stereotype to another: first, in Odd Spirits, she does not legitimize her husband’s bisexuality, then, in Evocation, she is supposed to accept and stand by while her husband gets it on with his ex??? Moira’s characterization infuriated me, to say the least. I should point out that Odd Spirits is getting re-published later this year, and I think S.T. Gibson will have fixed the issues from the original novella. 

 

It goes without saying that the polyamorous romance skews drastically towards Rhys and David, whose connection isn’t really fleshed out either. We are more so told that they had a two-year relationship, and strong feelings linger even now that Rhys is married to Moira. Other than that, there is no way of actually seeing why Rhys and David are drawn to each other, or why Rhys married Moira. It all feels so fabricated with zero chemistry. 

 

Another point that drove me mad was how poor the worldbuilding was. I was very excited to read about the occult community in Boston (a place I lived in for 4 years, where I was introduced to tarot, etc.), but it was lacking detail. I wanted to learn more about the characters’ special practices, more about the rituals, just more than what we ended up getting. I didn’t care much for the relationship drama that, unfortunately, occupied most of the story. 

 

I have so much more to say, but I do not wish to bash this book before publication, even though it was a huge disappointment. I’m starting to believe that S.T. Gibson no longer writes for my taste.

Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing me with an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling

adventurous hopeful 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

4.25

Mariana by André Aciman

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The Odyssey by Homer

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Room on the Sea by André Aciman

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

An Education in Malice became my most anticipated book of the year as soon as S.T. Gibson, whose work I have loved since reading A Dowry of Blood, announced she was working on a Carmilla retelling. I love consuming media about vampires. My academic research revolves around vampires. In other words, I’m somewhat of a vampire connoisseur. In extending some grace to this book and its author, I’ll partially blame the following thoughts on my high expectations and my familiarity with the genre and its tropes. 

 

This book tries to do a lot of things at once. It traverses the horror, gothic, fantasy, romance, and dark academia genres without grounding itself in any of them. What immediately struck me about its lack of dark academiadness was the fact that, despite my close reading (I was taking notes for an academic project), by the time I reached 60% of the book I had forgotten they were enrolled in a college and had classes to attend. I just thought they were taking a poetry seminar because the narrative solely focused on De Lafontaine’s course. Towards the end of the book, other courses – Astronomy and Church History – are mentioned because Laura and Carmilla have finals. Tell me more about Saint Perpetua’s course catalogue, please!! I was a bit annoyed by the lack of worldbuilding, especially because the setting isn’t even contemporary, so I think we could have spent more time looking at the time period and the academic environment. And to be quite frank, there wasn’t much going on with the plot or the characters that we couldn’t focus on worldbuilding every so often. 

 

With that premise out of the way, I have to say that although I found the reading experience most frustrating at times, there are some elements I appreciated. The religious references and overtones, which pullulate S.T. Gibson’s books, were very nice. I like when an author has a peculiarity about them, a predilection for some thing that inevitably bleeds into everything they create. Religious imagery is it for S.T. Gibson, and I really like that. I also enjoyed the absence of men in the narrative. It is both true of real life and vampire novels that men ruin everything, and you can quote me on this. Human men kill Carmilla in the original story, but this book forsakes that ending in order to focus on the blossoming of a (complicated) sapphic relationship. 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” is a timeless masterpiece of psychological and ghostly horror. Set within the foreboding walls of Hill House, the novel grips readers from its beginning, refusing to give away its secrets even as the plot advances.

What impressed me the most was Shirley Jackson’s writing, which I find truly unparalleled. Her meticulous attention to detail and evocative prose makes for a chilling read, as readers are left to their own devices in the navigation of a labyrinthine and uninviting home. Eleanor is one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever encountered in fiction, though I have a soft spot for Theodora. 

This book was my favorite read from 2023, and a great way to ring in the new year. After thinking about it non-stop for 3 months, I decided to post about it. The Haunting is a story I was extremely familiar with — my parents showed me the 1999 film adaptation when I was younger, and it made me scared of my own shadow. But I always meant to return to this story later. And when I did, I loved it.

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75