btlitell's reviews
107 reviews

On These Black Sands by Vanessa Rasanen

5.0

Here there be pirates (and other pirate-related clichés and turns of phrase)
A great read that involves a full cast of complex characters, an intriguing story arc that takes turns where you don’t entirely expect them, and a setting that forced its way onto my “if I could visit a fictional world” list. The characters are all well-rounded and the ones who play a more pivotal role in the book are certainly beyond memorable. The pacing is also steady throughout the book and many times I wanted to not set the book down and continue reading. I’m quite thankful that book two (From These Dark Depths) is already out so I can start reading that and continue the story. 
Declan is at the very least a burnt cinnamon roll. It’s really hard not to feel sympathetic with him. He is a pirate, so I doubt he would enjoy being wrapped up in a blanket and swaddled until he feels better, but I think that’s what he might need honestly. Blanket burrito and some coffee or tea should fix him right up.
Aoife, while naïve and too trusting, grows on you as a reader. I wanted to be mad at her for trusting people too quickly, but I can’t blame her for that at all. Maybe some more experience in the real world will help her grow.
Tommy… I’m not sure what to say about him at this point.
Cait is greatly amusing for the little bit that we see of her. I want more of her in the next book(s) and I really hope we get that.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

5.0

I haven't read this since high school (well over a decade ago) and I still enjoy the story. Probably what sparked my love for sci-fi and worth a read

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

4.0

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

5.0

This is probably the heaviest book that I've read in a long time, but I was warned about that going into it. Even with this story being about such a heavy subject, Klune approached it lightly but without making light of the topic of death and grief and loss. There were so many great characters in this story and so many moments where, unexpectedly, I cried and had goosebumps. There were also moments where I chuckled because the characters were witty or played pranks. I cannot recommend this book enough but if you are sensitive to topics of death, suicide, lost love, etc. go into this expecting those topics to show up throughout. With mentions of death and grief being so frequent through the story, that helped with it showing up whereas if it was just big clumps in a couple places, this would have been harder to digest.

I wasn't expecting the ending. Nelson leaving Hugo was sad. Apollo? Completely tragic. While I appreciated at first that we didn't have to see a dog death, because Apollo is such a good boy, I did <b>NOT</b> expect or appreciate him leaving how and when he did. It was such a precious moment but gods above that hurt.

Read. This. Book.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

5.0

This was a fun read. I didn't know before getting into this that I wanted to read a DnD meets baristas type of story, but here we are. I borrowed the audiobook from my local library and was surprised to see the author narrated the book, something I don't think is commonplace outside of non-fiction genres and likely not something encountered often aside from memoirs, autobiographies, etc.

One thing I wasn't a huge fan of, and this may be partially on the audiobook format, was the repeated menu for the shop. After the first couple times it got a bit old, but it fit with the rest of the story so I didn't really mind all that much.

Story was fast-paced and fun and while there wasn't a huge amount of action, it was still engaging and kept my interest all the way through. Definitely pick this up if you can.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

4.0

It was an interesting read. Not my first exposure to PKD and likely not to be my last.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

5.0

This was such a wonderful story. Editing to add the below now that I have the time to leave a full review.

This story started out with just enough whimsy that the almost immediate shift to Orwellian gloom and dystopian sadness felt like going from 45mph to a full stop in 100 feet (72kmh to 0 in 30m for non-Americans). That said, that whiplash needed to happen for us to appreciate the later color in the rest of the book. As Bob Ross said, "you must have the dark to appreciate the light."

As far as the story itself goes, I love how there is a mixture between realism and fantastical, whimsy and somber, metaphor and blatant awareness.

There were so many wonderful characters in this story. I think Chauncey is my favorite of the children. The simplicity of his life's dream shows so much about him. Actually, all of the children seem to have "simple" dreams showing they have so much of their needs fulfilled. One could argue "dream bigger" but why is that always necessary? If collecting buttons would make you happy, strive for that.

The children's field trip to the village was such an overall amazing part of the book. I loved seeing how the children interacted with Linus, the village, the people living there, everything. I was hoping that the deal with Talia and Lucy encountering the spitting lady and Marty would be the worst concentration of bigotry that the children had to face (that we saw at least) but alas. The whole scene in the ice cream parlor with the man who scared Sal and angered Arthur was so saddening to read. I think the audiobook made it that much more upsetting. That said, how Linus reacted to both Arthur and Sal later was such a sweet and touching moment. I really think that's when Linus realized he needed to stay. Also, Chauncey getting a bellhop hat made me so happy. It was such a precious moment that he was so excited about even just having a piece of the uniform.

I love the message in this story: you don't have to belong to a social class to advocate to them. Linus may not be a magical person, but that doesn't stop him from looking after the interests of magical children. Such a wonderful message in this book.

Aurora's End by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

5.0

What an end to an amazing series. I didn't want it to end, and there are parts I wish could change if only for the characters' sakes, but the twists were done well and were unexpected. I am still a bit in shock at how some of the specifics played out.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

5.0

I. Am. Unwell.

There was so much of this book that I enjoyed. I know there were a couple "wait, what's that now?" moments during my read (nothing major at all) but right now I can't remember any of them, and clearly they didn't detract from the rating or enjoyment at all. The magic system was unique and fresh. Iris and Roman were great characters and I enjoyed their bickering and competitive nature. It fueled them and drove them closer, even if she didn't realize it for a long while.

The pacing was great. There was always something happening, driving the plot forward, pushing the story.

I want so much more of this.

The. Ending. I was not ready for that. Not at all. I am hurt.

Also, since I listened to this, I have to say the dual narrators was immaculately done. The changes between her and him was done seamlessly and added a layer to this story that I didn't know I needed. I think more audiobooks should have multiple narrators. Hoping this is a trend that picks up (I know some publishing companies tend to do full-cast audiobooks, looking at you Penguin, and it's always exquisite.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

5.0

The circus arrives without warning...

Le Cirque des Rêves and it's black, white, and grey with a touch of red motif is something I would love to experience in person. I can only imagine the magical feeling of being there, seeing the bonfire, the clock tower, the tents, and the acts. It feels like such a wonderful place even if there is a hint of something lurking beneath the surface. I think that's the key to any successful magic-feeling place.

I loved the imagery and whimsy in this story and how the author played with words and emotions. I listened to the audiobook and Jim Dale is remarkable choice of narrator. The whole read felt like I was having an Attenborough narrate visiting a circus to me, especially the portions that were told in 2nd person (using "you" which was something I haven't really encountered in fiction outside of choose your own adventure type books. I was hoping that there was going to be more of that in the story after the opening, but I feel like it had a pretty strong presence as it was.

So many of the characters were so well done in this story. I started off liking Prospero but opinions change over time. Celia felt so precious as a child

and I felt so bad for her during her magic training with Hector, especially the finger slicing thing. That made me immediately like Prospero much less.

Poppet, Widget, and Sukiko I feel could have had a bit more screen time in the story, but they also filled their roles well.

The magic system was soft and left quite a bit to the imagination, something that's good when done well. This did it well.

You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream.