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lausiusplau's reviews
158 reviews
The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
dark
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was EVERYTHING.
I’ve never been one for mysteries as I tend to find them too predictable and makes the overall experience… boring. Here, I completely forgot that there was something I should even be looking for! The atmosphere, the characters, the book as a whole creates it’s own pace and secrets where I found myself not wanting to solve the mistery myself but rather watch Sam and Dr. Moriarty do it.
The underlying topics like class struggle and misoginy made it all feel more real and round even tho we are talking about monsters.
I can’t wait to have it on my shelves (and make my friends buy it) when it comes out!
Thank you Bindery Books and NetGalley for this ARC!
I’ve never been one for mysteries as I tend to find them too predictable and makes the overall experience… boring. Here, I completely forgot that there was something I should even be looking for! The atmosphere, the characters, the book as a whole creates it’s own pace and secrets where I found myself not wanting to solve the mistery myself but rather watch Sam and Dr. Moriarty do it.
The underlying topics like class struggle and misoginy made it all feel more real and round even tho we are talking about monsters.
I can’t wait to have it on my shelves (and make my friends buy it) when it comes out!
Thank you Bindery Books and NetGalley for this ARC!
Metal from Heaven by August Clarke
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Where to begin.
I ADORED the premise and the sudden plot-twists. There’s a full spectrum of such different characters but somehow you find yourself remembering who is who (in my case i ALWAYS find that difficult and stressful). Also the political belief system is done so beautifully that you often feel inspired despite the harsh and tense situation they find themselves in.
Sadly I felt offput by the awkward pace of it and how slow everything moved (despite all the action involved). Also I think this is one of those books that could really use a map and/or a guide of each religion. I think it would bring more depth to the world and character building (if you really want to make religion a part of this I think it should be explained).
I think that this will be ABSOLUTELY someone’s favourite book. It was just not mine.
Thank you Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC!
I ADORED the premise and the sudden plot-twists. There’s a full spectrum of such different characters but somehow you find yourself remembering who is who (in my case i ALWAYS find that difficult and stressful). Also the political belief system is done so beautifully that you often feel inspired despite the harsh and tense situation they find themselves in.
Sadly I felt offput by the awkward pace of it and how slow everything moved (despite all the action involved). Also I think this is one of those books that could really use a map and/or a guide of each religion. I think it would bring more depth to the world and character building (if you really want to make religion a part of this I think it should be explained).
I think that this will be ABSOLUTELY someone’s favourite book. It was just not mine.
Thank you Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC!
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
not really a short-story fan but this has been fun!!
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
dark
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
2.5
From the beggining of the book I was LOST. It was “sold” to me as a dark academia, gothic retelling of Carmilla… you tell me WHERE do you see that.
For a gothic/ dark academia, the worldbuilding and atmosphere were barely scraped on, the romance between the two main characters was unnatural to say the least…
It didn’t make any sense at all. Like, you can’t build a character that’s full onto church and religion and goes to mass and confesses on a regular basis (such is their upbringing) and then have her read victorian porn as a reward and when they see someone they fancy inmediately have the hardest bdsm thoughts.
Also, this is a vampire story but there’s no exploration of what a vampire is/it’s lore in this world. It’s just “i’m a vampire and drink blood”.
The characters were not round or profound at all, I didn’t create any emotional bond nor did I care for them or what happened to them.
Kind of a bummer.
For a gothic/ dark academia, the worldbuilding and atmosphere were barely scraped on, the romance between the two main characters was unnatural to say the least…
It didn’t make any sense at all. Like, you can’t build a character that’s full onto church and religion and goes to mass and confesses on a regular basis (such is their upbringing) and then have her read victorian porn as a reward and when they see someone they fancy inmediately have the hardest bdsm thoughts.
The characters were not round or profound at all, I didn’t create any emotional bond nor did I care for them or what happened to them.
Kind of a bummer.
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0