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jstilts's reviews
84 reviews
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
Beautifully written, I nevertheless found this book an absolute slog of a read. Terrible things happen to Alice throughout the book, which is heartbreaking, but terrible things fill the lives of the dozens of other characters as well to the point of ridiculousness. Everyone is damaged by death or abuse - even the most minor of characters - for instance a vet, who appears in a handful of paragraphs, has a dead wife and child on his mind. It's eye rolling and exhausting. A character we meet early on and only return to very late in the book has a child die at 5 because everyone needs a tragedy. Everyone has a story and every story is miserable.
Characters make the worst possible decisions at all times just to drive the grimness onwards and make Alice's life as miserable as possible. Her lov ng grandmother absolutely ruins Alice's life and the motivations are all incomprehensible beyond the author wanting their character to suffer.
Where I really gave up is when - SPOILER - Aluce falls ridiculously deeply and savagely in love literally at first sight with someone who of course turns out to be an abuser. I realise that it's not uncommon for victims of abusive families to find themselves with abusive partners but she didn't gravitate towards him, she didn't know the guy at all, so that's not what is happening here - it's just Alice Must Suffer!
Honestly, I wouldn't have finished this book if it wasn't chosen for a book club I'm hosting.
Utterly exhausting, which is a shame as it's beautifully written. One quirk is that most chapters feel like they could be the ending - at times it's like reading a collection of short stories that tell one narrative. I'd be tempted to try the author again so long as the subject matter is entirely different.
Characters make the worst possible decisions at all times just to drive the grimness onwards and make Alice's life as miserable as possible. Her lov ng grandmother absolutely ruins Alice's life and the motivations are all incomprehensible beyond the author wanting their character to suffer.
Where I really gave up is when - SPOILER - Aluce falls ridiculously deeply and savagely in love literally at first sight with someone who of course turns out to be an abuser. I realise that it's not uncommon for victims of abusive families to find themselves with abusive partners but she didn't gravitate towards him, she didn't know the guy at all, so that's not what is happening here - it's just Alice Must Suffer!
Honestly, I wouldn't have finished this book if it wasn't chosen for a book club I'm hosting.
Utterly exhausting, which is a shame as it's beautifully written. One quirk is that most chapters feel like they could be the ending - at times it's like reading a collection of short stories that tell one narrative. I'd be tempted to try the author again so long as the subject matter is entirely different.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Deportation
Simon Black in Space by Ivan Southall
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
2.25
Early Australian science fiction!
Written in the 1950s, the "Simon Black" series follows the adventures of RAAF pilot Simon Black and his dog in escapades very much aimed at Australian fans of "Biggles", but with a home-grown hero.
This book and a few others veer a little away from airforce adventures and into Science Fiction, but it's still a story told through the lense of someone obsessed with the mechanics of air travel who loves a good punch-up, keeping a stiff upper lip and burying all their feelings - except ones of superiority! Note, there are almost no female characters in this.
It's a pretty basic straightforward adventure but fairly effectively cloaked in mystery that makes it seem more complex: where are these flying saucers coming from? What do they want? How will Simon catch them? What will Simon do? How will he return? Why the heck did they take a dog into space with them?
The dog must be a recurring character, but it's utterly ridiculous that it comes on this adventure and has a thoroughly miserable time on the spaceship and on Mars. At one point one of the three main characters actually punches the dog unconscious to simplify a tense moment.
The answer to "what do they want" contains a surprising critique against modern farming practices and humans impact on the environment, and "what will Simon do?" is - other than punching his way out of trouble - a very humanitarian response to the problem - if through a somewhat condescending colonialist mindset. Having not read any other Simon Black books I can't say if this is a common theme or a side-effect of exploring science fiction themes.
As an alternative to Biggles it succeeds, as a early Australian sci-fi it's an interesting curiosity. If I ever come across another volume I'll be interested to read it, but it's not something I'd especially recommend to modern children.
Written in the 1950s, the "Simon Black" series follows the adventures of RAAF pilot Simon Black and his dog in escapades very much aimed at Australian fans of "Biggles", but with a home-grown hero.
This book and a few others veer a little away from airforce adventures and into Science Fiction, but it's still a story told through the lense of someone obsessed with the mechanics of air travel who loves a good punch-up, keeping a stiff upper lip and burying all their feelings - except ones of superiority! Note, there are almost no female characters in this.
It's a pretty basic straightforward adventure but fairly effectively cloaked in mystery that makes it seem more complex: where are these flying saucers coming from? What do they want? How will Simon catch them? What will Simon do? How will he return? Why the heck did they take a dog into space with them?
The dog must be a recurring character, but it's utterly ridiculous that it comes on this adventure and has a thoroughly miserable time on the spaceship and on Mars. At one point one of the three main characters actually punches the dog unconscious to simplify a tense moment.
The answer to "what do they want" contains a surprising critique against modern farming practices and humans impact on the environment, and "what will Simon do?" is - other than punching his way out of trouble - a very humanitarian response to the problem - if through a somewhat condescending colonialist mindset. Having not read any other Simon Black books I can't say if this is a common theme or a side-effect of exploring science fiction themes.
As an alternative to Biggles it succeeds, as a early Australian sci-fi it's an interesting curiosity. If I ever come across another volume I'll be interested to read it, but it's not something I'd especially recommend to modern children.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Racism, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Colonisation
Raiders of the Lost Ark by Walt Simonson
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a great movie, but it isn't captured well in this comic adaptation by Marvel. The classic 80s Marvel art style is fine, but the limited length causes many problems which Marvel's lengthy adaptation of Star Wars didn't suffer from.
Similar to the Star Wars adaptation in that they were both created before their recpective films were actually released (presumably created from storyboards, the script, set photos and maybe an early rough-cut of the movie) Raiders is interesting in that it also contains scenes cut from the final film (Toht's early death, Sallah's issues outside the Map Room, the details of Indy's sub journey) but that isn't enough to make this essential reading.
Other scenes are compressed, merged or trimmed for brevity, often at the loss of quieter character moments - it probably would have been better to cut entire subplots and let what remains have space to be done properly rather than try and get little bits of everything in.
Conversely lots of new dialogue is added to scenes that had few words in the film, which sounds reasonable except the film and the comic are both visual mediums - there could have been more elegant solutions. This is a shame twice over as the new dialogue is pretty awful.
Similar to the Star Wars adaptation in that they were both created before their recpective films were actually released (presumably created from storyboards, the script, set photos and maybe an early rough-cut of the movie) Raiders is interesting in that it also contains scenes cut from the final film (Toht's early death, Sallah's issues outside the Map Room, the details of Indy's sub journey) but that isn't enough to make this essential reading.
Other scenes are compressed, merged or trimmed for brevity, often at the loss of quieter character moments - it probably would have been better to cut entire subplots and let what remains have space to be done properly rather than try and get little bits of everything in.
Conversely lots of new dialogue is added to scenes that had few words in the film, which sounds reasonable except the film and the comic are both visual mediums - there could have been more elegant solutions. This is a shame twice over as the new dialogue is pretty awful.
You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is a bit of a trick, and it's - only just - won me over. The first 70% of the book follows one character trying to ruin the wedding of her ex-best friend to her ex-boyfriend. It's a fun fast-paced affair with a kooky character that drags you along deliciously because it's pretty clear she has serial-killer tendencies and this gloriously silly thriller is going to ramp up and up into some glorious crescendo of camp drama. The plot is interspersed with flash-forward interviews of the suspects of a slowly-revealed crime, which sounds cliche but is very neatly done.
Then in the last 30% the book changes gears and viewpoint, and becomes rather serious, revealing the main chunk of the book to have been - not exactly wr tten by an unreliable narrator so much as a cunning author determined to see an illusion through. At first this rather sucks all the fun out of the book. Then it becomes VERY serious indeed, and somehow I'm invested in this new style. It ends satisfyingly, and then in an epilogue of sorts there is a rather nice little extra twist, and I find myself living it again.
In the end I have to say well done to the author, but I still want to read that unwritten other version of the book where it goes to where it looks like it is going for the vast majority of the book!
Then in the last 30% the book changes gears and viewpoint, and becomes rather serious, revealing the main chunk of the book to have been - not exactly wr tten by an unreliable narrator so much as a cunning author determined to see an illusion through. At first this rather sucks all the fun out of the book. Then it becomes VERY serious indeed, and somehow I'm invested in this new style. It ends satisfyingly, and then in an epilogue of sorts there is a rather nice little extra twist, and I find myself living it again.
In the end I have to say well done to the author, but I still want to read that unwritten other version of the book where it goes to where it looks like it is going for the vast majority of the book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Pedophilia
Sacrifices by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
While this is a book of short stories set in revolutionary times of various countries, you often wouldn't know it as generally it's in the lead-up, and very much on the fringes. For the most part these are odd little tales of ordinary people experiencing a slightly unusual day - but not dramatically so.
Unfortunately I found a lot of it pretty unmemorable, with diverse characters all seeming to speak with the same voice, rambling through slight tales with unnecessary levels of side-detail getting in the way of the tales being told.
A few stand out - a dying man being read stories, a blind man groping, a university lecturer having panic attacks - but not especially so, it all mostly falls flat.
Unfortunately I found a lot of it pretty unmemorable, with diverse characters all seeming to speak with the same voice, rambling through slight tales with unnecessary levels of side-detail getting in the way of the tales being told.
A few stand out - a dying man being read stories, a blind man groping, a university lecturer having panic attacks - but not especially so, it all mostly falls flat.
Power Pack Classic Volume 3 by Terry Austin, Walt Simonson, Louise Simonson
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Finally, I've caught up and read beyond where I left Power Pack back when I was nine! I'm happily surprised to say it holds up extremely well - tense, exciting, sad and wholesome fun that leads to the grandest of finales.
This volume follows the super-siblings and their unknowing parents into dark territory, as the kids super-powered actions out their mother in hospital for almost the entirety of the book. The children feel this deeply, blaming themselves, each other - fear, anger and sadness snap at their heels.
Midway there is a rather touching Thanksgiving story, where the children try to cheer up their father, themselves and some of the very lonely characters they've met along the way. Katie - the youngest of the siblings - endangers her mother's life with a kind but badly-thought gesture that is breathtakingly stupid, highlighting how very young and how very powerful she is.
Past this, intergalactic affairs heat up with the return of the Snarks, and Katie's self-hatred of the pain her powers have caused others (she really is a stand-out character) lead to dramas that seared on my mind for decades, down to individual panels. Finally I get to the resolution, and it didn't disappoint!
Nostalgic though this was for me, it stands up well - good superhero shenanigans for tweens, especially well grounded in family drama and love and empathy.
It's couched in good messages, almost a little saccharin but not quite. Certainly you'll be safe in the knowledge that anything dangerous and outrageous the Power Pack siblings do, they'll point out in dialogue that it's not for unpowered children to try!
This volume follows the super-siblings and their unknowing parents into dark territory, as the kids super-powered actions out their mother in hospital for almost the entirety of the book. The children feel this deeply, blaming themselves, each other - fear, anger and sadness snap at their heels.
Midway there is a rather touching Thanksgiving story, where the children try to cheer up their father, themselves and some of the very lonely characters they've met along the way. Katie - the youngest of the siblings - endangers her mother's life with a kind but badly-thought gesture that is breathtakingly stupid, highlighting how very young and how very powerful she is.
Past this, intergalactic affairs heat up with the return of the Snarks, and Katie's self-hatred of the pain her powers have caused others (she really is a stand-out character) lead to dramas that seared on my mind for decades, down to individual panels. Finally I get to the resolution, and it didn't disappoint!
Nostalgic though this was for me, it stands up well - good superhero shenanigans for tweens, especially well grounded in family drama and love and empathy.
It's couched in good messages, almost a little saccharin but not quite. Certainly you'll be safe in the knowledge that anything dangerous and outrageous the Power Pack siblings do, they'll point out in dialogue that it's not for unpowered children to try!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hugely compelling page-turner!
A murder mystery set in a small near-utopian agraian village of less than 200 people plus three scientists and an AI that speaks in their minds - the last remnants of our society.
Everyone's memory of the night of an unprecedented murder has been wiped, and the murder is causing the deadly fog to roll in - unless the murder is solved in a few short days the AI won't be able to put the barriers back up to save the island.
Luckily, one of the villagers has never found their place in their rural life due to an uncontrollable urge to ask awkward questions, and she will do anything to save her family and village - making her the perfect detective in a world that has always spurned her skills.
It's a brilliant setting for an enthralling book that keeps up the pace, but still has time to build characters with depth and feeling, places you can picture in your mind and a society worth saving - everything a reader needs to make them desperate to keep turning pages to see if this beautiful world and it's people will survive.
Honestly, despite some of the hardships and controls and secrets that keep this island from being a full Eden of leisure, it's a place I'd love to be. I'd happily read prequels of this book where nothing happens but experiencing their lives!
Touching, mysterious, packed with twists and exciting revelations, heartfelt relationships (and a few egoists) - and a whodunnit to boot complete with map! - I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time. Highly recommend!
One thing of note - as the AI can read everyone's thoughts, the book is basically narrated by the AI. That may sound a little kooky, but the book flows perfectly normally, it's just that occasionally the book refers to itself and talks directly to the reader - an endearing and perfectly charming touch!
A murder mystery set in a small near-utopian agraian village of less than 200 people plus three scientists and an AI that speaks in their minds - the last remnants of our society.
Everyone's memory of the night of an unprecedented murder has been wiped, and the murder is causing the deadly fog to roll in - unless the murder is solved in a few short days the AI won't be able to put the barriers back up to save the island.
Luckily, one of the villagers has never found their place in their rural life due to an uncontrollable urge to ask awkward questions, and she will do anything to save her family and village - making her the perfect detective in a world that has always spurned her skills.
It's a brilliant setting for an enthralling book that keeps up the pace, but still has time to build characters with depth and feeling, places you can picture in your mind and a society worth saving - everything a reader needs to make them desperate to keep turning pages to see if this beautiful world and it's people will survive.
Honestly, despite some of the hardships and controls and secrets that keep this island from being a full Eden of leisure, it's a place I'd love to be. I'd happily read prequels of this book where nothing happens but experiencing their lives!
Touching, mysterious, packed with twists and exciting revelations, heartfelt relationships (and a few egoists) - and a whodunnit to boot complete with map! - I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time. Highly recommend!
One thing of note - as the AI can read everyone's thoughts, the book is basically narrated by the AI. That may sound a little kooky, but the book flows perfectly normally, it's just that occasionally the book refers to itself and talks directly to the reader - an endearing and perfectly charming touch!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The author says this is a fever-dream they've turned into a novella, and from this perspective it's a success - something abstract and strange and not entirely logical made into a coherent linear plot.
However I found it hard to engage with - while I can empathise with the characters they are unfortunately very broadly sketched, the situation they find themselves in is largely nonsensical at first (other than being dickish, what do the Ajungo gain from this deal?), and is even more nonsensical later when the truth is revealed, which rather ruins the twists that seem bold only until scrutinised.
The fantasy aspects in terms of people's powers are fine but are largely unearned (that it's a basic "heroes journey into the underworld and back" is all there is to justify it) and don't add anything to the story other than a convenient means to turn the tables, which is disappointing - there's no internal logic to it nor thematic reasons for it.
The writing style is fine - described as poetical and in fact quite economical, but if you removed the phrase "city of lies" you could probably reduce the page count of this already short book by 10.
However I found it hard to engage with - while I can empathise with the characters they are unfortunately very broadly sketched, the situation they find themselves in is largely nonsensical at first (other than being dickish, what do the Ajungo gain from this deal?), and is even more nonsensical later when the truth is revealed, which rather ruins the twists that seem bold only until scrutinised.
The fantasy aspects in terms of people's powers are fine but are largely unearned (that it's a basic "heroes journey into the underworld and back" is all there is to justify it) and don't add anything to the story other than a convenient means to turn the tables, which is disappointing - there's no internal logic to it nor thematic reasons for it.
The writing style is fine - described as poetical and in fact quite economical, but if you removed the phrase "city of lies" you could probably reduce the page count of this already short book by 10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Deja-vu to my last book review - this is another book that starts off 5 star rating as we see the fascinating world of the book through the eyes of a child, but when they hit adulthood the remaining two thirds of the book becomes tedious and dull.
This post-apocalyptic fantasy of hardship and magic is brilliant as we follow Onyesonwu growing up as an outcast trying to fit in to her adopted town, even volunteering to undergo a coming-of-age genital mutilation ceremony in a bid to bring less shame on her family (a tough read that chapter, but interestingly her family does NOT appreciate the gesture) and makes lifelong bonds through the shared horror of this experience. In time she also begins to exhibit amazing powers that scare and impress her, but finds a friend and - eventually, after much hardship - a mentor.
Unfortunately the book, brilliant until now, soon gives Onyesonwu a quest that sees her traverse the desert for chapter after chapter after chapter, doubting herself over and over. The end of the quest - and the book - was not worth the journey for me, but those early chapters are powerful.
This post-apocalyptic fantasy of hardship and magic is brilliant as we follow Onyesonwu growing up as an outcast trying to fit in to her adopted town, even volunteering to undergo a coming-of-age genital mutilation ceremony in a bid to bring less shame on her family (a tough read that chapter, but interestingly her family does NOT appreciate the gesture) and makes lifelong bonds through the shared horror of this experience. In time she also begins to exhibit amazing powers that scare and impress her, but finds a friend and - eventually, after much hardship - a mentor.
Unfortunately the book, brilliant until now, soon gives Onyesonwu a quest that sees her traverse the desert for chapter after chapter after chapter, doubting herself over and over. The end of the quest - and the book - was not worth the journey for me, but those early chapters are powerful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Xenophobia, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
2.0
Tough to give this book a rating as the first 150 pages are absolutely exceptional five star stuff (everything up to Moshe arriving in England) - but then it just becomes incredibly dull and ultimately extremely disappointing.
The book charts life for a reclusive foundling orphan boy Moshe in Jamaica with a strikingly unusual appearance. He befriends a girl - Arrrienne - on his first day at school, and they develop a very strange and special rapport and relationship. Following them through these early years in Jamaica is fascinating and beautiful, with mysterious portents for the future reinforced by the narrator (Arrri, looking back on their life).
Unfortunately these portents and claims of amazing times do not deliver - the adult years are strikingly banal in comparison to their magical and raw childhood. I honestly wish I'd stopped reading at the end of Part Two.
The book charts life for a reclusive foundling orphan boy Moshe in Jamaica with a strikingly unusual appearance. He befriends a girl - Arrrienne - on his first day at school, and they develop a very strange and special rapport and relationship. Following them through these early years in Jamaica is fascinating and beautiful, with mysterious portents for the future reinforced by the narrator (Arrri, looking back on their life).
Unfortunately these portents and claims of amazing times do not deliver - the adult years are strikingly banal in comparison to their magical and raw childhood. I honestly wish I'd stopped reading at the end of Part Two.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Blood