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lemonsqueez3y's reviews
13 reviews
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Great speculative sci-fi.
The plot elements of this book allow the author to play with the concept of time in a very fun way, and it was really interesting to watch the development of the characters in the two main plot lines develop over thousands of years.
I don't want to spoil too much, there are a lot of fun surprises tucked into this one that I think are better enjoyed organically, but this book had me reflecting on some very interesting sci-fi questions that I have never thought about before throughout.
The plot elements of this book allow the author to play with the concept of time in a very fun way, and it was really interesting to watch the development of the characters in the two main plot lines develop over thousands of years.
I don't want to spoil too much, there are a lot of fun surprises tucked into this one that I think are better enjoyed organically, but this book had me reflecting on some very interesting sci-fi questions that I have never thought about before throughout.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.0
Great sci-fi. The less you know about this book the better, in fact I think even the short passage on the back of the book reveals too much about the story. Each reveal hits so hard when you have NO idea what's coming.
A few other random disconnected thoughts about this book:
1. Some of the engineering /science descriptions were a bit confusing to me - if you feel the same, keep going. One of the things I appreciated about this book is that the author gives you some time to "figure out" how certain things work, but they're revealed to you more plainly in time. It was fun having the a-ha moment for some of these sections, but I was grateful in others that it was laid out more simply for others.
2. There's a scene in the third act of this book that is one of the tensest sci-fi scenes I can remember reading. I could literally feel my heart rate accelerating as I read it.
3. I would have definitely kept reading 500 more pages of this book. I was sad to see this one go.
A few other random disconnected thoughts about this book:
1. Some of the engineering /science descriptions were a bit confusing to me - if you feel the same, keep going. One of the things I appreciated about this book is that the author gives you some time to "figure out" how certain things work, but they're revealed to you more plainly in time. It was fun having the a-ha moment for some of these sections, but I was grateful in others that it was laid out more simply for others.
2. There's a scene in the third act of this book that is one of the tensest sci-fi scenes I can remember reading. I could literally feel my heart rate accelerating as I read it.
3. I would have definitely kept reading 500 more pages of this book. I was sad to see this one go.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I enjoyed reading this perfectly adequate thriller.
There are two subjective things at play here that brought down my score. First, this definitely is more on the espionage / heist side of things, and I definitely prefer my thrillers to be more on the psychological crime / horror side.
Second, I find some thrillers are like puzzles. The challenge to the reader is to put the pieces all together before the author comes and does it for you. If you look hard enough at it, you can probably get the general sense of what it looks like when it's done, but the joy is in figuring out how all the pieces come together.
Other thrillers are like optical illusions. You may look at it for hours seeing the same image, or suddenly see flickers of a different image, or be given the right hint and never be able to see it the first way you did ever again. If you ask yourself "what's the real image?", the answer is both.
I certainly have an appetite for both kinds, but I'm partial to the optical illusions. This book is a puzzle.
These are no fault of the book, but they affected my personal enjoyment.
Then there are a couple of other more objective critiques I have that take away points here.
1. I generally read these books with a pretty big suspension of disbelief but one of the big twists here felt even a little too convenient for my tastes - in fact I actually felt like the twist itself was just already a known quantity for the reader, and expected at some point for it to be a building block to a much bigger twist that never came. Instead the "twist" is delivered to the reader in such a way that made me say "well, yeah" and took some of the punch away from the climax of the book. I wouldn't even say I "guessed" this twist, it just felt like I had already read it 150 or so pages earlier.
2. There's quite a few little inconsistencies in the book - no gaping plot holes - but just a few too many metaphorical unlocked doors for me. There's a lot of characters, a lot of flashbacks, and quite a bit of geographical movement that has to take place in ~350 pages so I get cutting some corners, but if you're going to cut corners, you should be prepared for people to bump into the ones that aren't cut quite hard.
But against all of that, I still can't help myself from feeling like this is a pretty solid little thriller. I enjoyed reading it and never had a DNF urge at all.
As 3 stars as it gets.
There are two subjective things at play here that brought down my score. First, this definitely is more on the espionage / heist side of things, and I definitely prefer my thrillers to be more on the psychological crime / horror side.
Second, I find some thrillers are like puzzles. The challenge to the reader is to put the pieces all together before the author comes and does it for you. If you look hard enough at it, you can probably get the general sense of what it looks like when it's done, but the joy is in figuring out how all the pieces come together.
Other thrillers are like optical illusions. You may look at it for hours seeing the same image, or suddenly see flickers of a different image, or be given the right hint and never be able to see it the first way you did ever again. If you ask yourself "what's the real image?", the answer is both.
I certainly have an appetite for both kinds, but I'm partial to the optical illusions. This book is a puzzle.
These are no fault of the book, but they affected my personal enjoyment.
Then there are a couple of other more objective critiques I have that take away points here.
1. I generally read these books with a pretty big suspension of disbelief but one of the big twists here felt even a little too convenient for my tastes - in fact I actually felt like the twist itself was just already a known quantity for the reader, and expected at some point for it to be a building block to a much bigger twist that never came. Instead the "twist" is delivered to the reader in such a way that made me say "well, yeah" and took some of the punch away from the climax of the book. I wouldn't even say I "guessed" this twist, it just felt like I had already read it 150 or so pages earlier.
2. There's quite a few little inconsistencies in the book - no gaping plot holes - but just a few too many metaphorical unlocked doors for me. There's a lot of characters, a lot of flashbacks, and quite a bit of geographical movement that has to take place in ~350 pages so I get cutting some corners, but if you're going to cut corners, you should be prepared for people to bump into the ones that aren't cut quite hard.
But against all of that, I still can't help myself from feeling like this is a pretty solid little thriller. I enjoyed reading it and never had a DNF urge at all.
As 3 stars as it gets.
Look Closer by David Ellis
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A gold standard thriller, a hallmark of excellence in the genre.
Juggling perspectives from a half dozen different characters across three different timelines hitting you with twist after twist; this is a can't-put-down rollercoaster from beginning to end.
Other reviewers have suggested going into this book blind and I couldn't agree more. Even trying to describe why this book is such a success borders on revealing too many of its secrets.
Outstanding!
Juggling perspectives from a half dozen different characters across three different timelines hitting you with twist after twist; this is a can't-put-down rollercoaster from beginning to end.
Other reviewers have suggested going into this book blind and I couldn't agree more. Even trying to describe why this book is such a success borders on revealing too many of its secrets.
Outstanding!
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.0
A fun but messy pop-horror/thriller read. The first 70% or so of this book is great, the author is masterful at creating tension and intrigue, but ultimately opens up a few too many different threads to put it all back together.
The book is still a fun read that can be knocked out in a single sitting, but I couldn't help but feel a little let down as the climax of the book basically plays out as an action sequence rather than any type of actual resolution to the mystery and uncertainty the earlier parts of the book lays out.
Side note: this book is extremely similar to video games like Control and Alan Wake, so much so that I would have not been surprised to find out that it's an explicit homage or fanfic for either. I'm a fan of those games, and I think that led me to liking this book even more than I otherwise would have.
Overall, recommended if you're looking for a light, eerie, quick horror read or enjoy psychological, paranormal, alternate reality horrors or thrillers.
The book is still a fun read that can be knocked out in a single sitting, but I couldn't help but feel a little let down as the climax of the book basically plays out as an action sequence rather than any type of actual resolution to the mystery and uncertainty the earlier parts of the book lays out.
Side note: this book is extremely similar to video games like Control and Alan Wake, so much so that I would have not been surprised to find out that it's an explicit homage or fanfic for either. I'm a fan of those games, and I think that led me to liking this book even more than I otherwise would have.
Overall, recommended if you're looking for a light, eerie, quick horror read or enjoy psychological, paranormal, alternate reality horrors or thrillers.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Quick thriller that you can knock out in an afternoon. A bit heavy on the tropes and easy to see where it's going, but a fun ride to get there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A tight, fun psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. Read this in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. I was impressed at how well each of the story threads were wrapped up here.