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marimoose's reviews
1400 reviews
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.0
I have completely forgotten how utterly wild the end of this book was. I am also now mildly traumatized again, and if I didn't already plan a mushroom dish for this coming week, I would forego it entirely.
This book still held up its star raring like before, though I do think it was definitely more creepy and more disturbing reading it in print than listening to it at 2x the speed on audiobook. Also, the way this book is emulating life atm is uncanny. Pity we can't just burn our problems away with a bit of fire and feminine rage. Just saying.
This book still held up its star raring like before, though I do think it was definitely more creepy and more disturbing reading it in print than listening to it at 2x the speed on audiobook. Also, the way this book is emulating life atm is uncanny. Pity we can't just burn our problems away with a bit of fire and feminine rage. Just saying.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
challenging
informative
reflective
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
3.75
Okay this book had a lot of physics that went way over my head, but the overall premise--and philosophical output--was absolutely wild. I had to look up the three-body problem (mostly because while the book did explain it a bit, I like being to conceptualize in text form) because it was a fascinating concept, and my inner math kid leapt at the chance to read about it. The book itself had a lot of buildup to get through, so it was a slow process to get to the interesting parts. I can't say I remember most of the characters mentioned in the book (Ye, Wang, and Da Shi were the ones that clearly stood out), as I felt most of them represented just a general faction of beliefs about humanity and alien life. And boy, this book definitely touched on A LOT of philosophical and scientific outlooks regarding humanity in a historical and futuristic context. Also, I feel like a lot of this buildup hints towards a long game, and oh man, it's gonna get even wilder moving forward.
Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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? No
4.5
I love that the start of this book was Halloween night, and I am actually finishing this on Halloween night. There's poetry in reading about two murderers in love 😂.
This was another banger of a dark romantic comedy. I said what I said! I knew going in that it'd give me the hate to love trope and I was already eager to read about the enigmatic assassin that is Lachlan Kane after his introduction in Butcher and Blackbird. But damn, we got forced proximity AND arranged marriage on top of that too? Did Brynne Weaver bless us with this trifecta? Why yes. Yes she did.
And unsurprisingly, I ate it all up. Lark has a lot of damage behind her usually cheerful facade, and I support all her wrongs (because fuck all those guys to hell). And I support all of Lachlan's wrongs that help support Lark's wrongs. Because these two are absolutely adorable. Freaks, but still adorable.
To be fair, I did find the beginning to be slow, and it took maybe the 50% mark for me to get fully invested in the story. I thought the overall plot outside of the romance--the mystery behind the killings, the reveal of the big bad, etc--felt a bit rushed. Unlike L&L's predecessor, we already did have an idea who the true antagonist was, which took away the suspense that was still fairly prevalent in B&B up until the story's climactic breaking point. Instead, it felt like a forced conflict that carried over from B&B. I did love that there was no third act breakup, and the spice? Once again, the spice was top notch.
Also, tattooed Lachlan Kane cursing profusely (or reading smut out loud) in his Irish accent with his glasses on. That's it. That's living rent-free in my head forever.
This was another banger of a dark romantic comedy. I said what I said! I knew going in that it'd give me the hate to love trope and I was already eager to read about the enigmatic assassin that is Lachlan Kane after his introduction in Butcher and Blackbird. But damn, we got forced proximity AND arranged marriage on top of that too? Did Brynne Weaver bless us with this trifecta? Why yes. Yes she did.
And unsurprisingly, I ate it all up. Lark has a lot of damage behind her usually cheerful facade, and I support all her wrongs (because fuck all those guys to hell). And I support all of Lachlan's wrongs that help support Lark's wrongs. Because these two are absolutely adorable. Freaks, but still adorable.
To be fair, I did find the beginning to be slow, and it took maybe the 50% mark for me to get fully invested in the story. I thought the overall plot outside of the romance--the mystery behind the killings, the reveal of the big bad, etc--felt a bit rushed. Unlike L&L's predecessor, we already did have an idea who the true antagonist was, which took away the suspense that was still fairly prevalent in B&B up until the story's climactic breaking point. Instead, it felt like a forced conflict that carried over from B&B. I did love that there was no third act breakup, and the spice? Once again, the spice was top notch.
Also, tattooed Lachlan Kane cursing profusely (or reading smut out loud) in his Irish accent with his glasses on. That's it. That's living rent-free in my head forever.
The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell
mysterious
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? No
1.0
I feel so betrayed by this book that I'm now taking it personally. It's being marketed as a murder mystery meets Great British Bake Off, and on paper this sounds SO GOOD. But it took 80% of the book to build up to a murder that was so anticlimactic.
Did I care about the murder by that point after learning about the really annoying character POVs I had to sit through? No. Lottie and Peter were pretty much the only characters I'd been invested in, up until Peter's "oh well, what the hell, life's unfair anyway" attitude pissed me right the eff off at the end of the book. I absolutely hated Hannah. This entire book took the charm of the bakeoff and tuned up the reality TV drama that I never cared about in reality TV shows in the first place. I was absolutely FINE not needing to know too much about the bakers' lives like that. And when they're pretty unlikable? Zero interest.
Did the end feel like a satisfying return on all that time building up character plot lines? No. We started off with a body in the beginning, but then we don't get back to it until all these POVs started muddling the waters with their unnecessary shenanigans. I also felt like the story itself was still unresolved and rushed, and seriously, did I just read that ending? Because that ending didn't even feel remotely satisfying.
Should this be considered some kind of whodunnit with a set of distinct characters? No. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. Knives Out is a whodunnit. The Glass Onion is a whodunnit. Every frigging iteration of Clue and most all of Agatha Christie's books are whodunnits. WITH ENGAGING, LIKABLE CHARACTERS. At this point in my rant I am also now feeling robbed of my time. I hate it here.
Did this audiobook just become one of my hate listens of the year? Well yes. The only reason there's one star here is because the food descriptions were good. Otherwise it would have been a straight up 0.
Did I care about the murder by that point after learning about the really annoying character POVs I had to sit through? No. Lottie and Peter were pretty much the only characters I'd been invested in, up until Peter's "oh well, what the hell, life's unfair anyway" attitude pissed me right the eff off at the end of the book. I absolutely hated Hannah. This entire book took the charm of the bakeoff and tuned up the reality TV drama that I never cared about in reality TV shows in the first place. I was absolutely FINE not needing to know too much about the bakers' lives like that. And when they're pretty unlikable? Zero interest.
Did the end feel like a satisfying return on all that time building up character plot lines? No. We started off with a body in the beginning, but then we don't get back to it until all these POVs started muddling the waters with their unnecessary shenanigans. I also felt like the story itself was still unresolved and rushed, and seriously, did I just read that ending? Because that ending didn't even feel remotely satisfying.
Should this be considered some kind of whodunnit with a set of distinct characters? No. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. Knives Out is a whodunnit. The Glass Onion is a whodunnit. Every frigging iteration of Clue and most all of Agatha Christie's books are whodunnits. WITH ENGAGING, LIKABLE CHARACTERS. At this point in my rant I am also now feeling robbed of my time. I hate it here.
Did this audiobook just become one of my hate listens of the year? Well yes. The only reason there's one star here is because the food descriptions were good. Otherwise it would have been a straight up 0.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
So I actually liked this as an epistolary novel, and the writing itself was just beautiful and poetic. I'm still just not sure what on earth was actually happening plotwise if that makes sense? As a love story between two agents on warring sides of a time war, it was adorable and a little sad, but I felt like because most of the story unfolds in letters, everything outside of that love story is useless background noise. That said, for the length that it was, I'd have to give kudos to the way the romance played out.
Dreadful: A Dark Retelling by Greer Rivers
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I think a lot of my expectations came from the fact that this was pushed as first and foremost a Sweeney Todd retelling. But then, it instead is mostly a Hamlet retelling which just happens to share characteristics of the Sweeney Todd tale. And honestly, we didn't need another Hamlet retelling. The Lion King was already peak Hamlet retelling.
Which, okay, fine. So it's a Hamlet retelling. And if that was the only issue I took with the book, then it wasn't too bad. But this was kind of dreadful by the end, and I think I know why most of these dark romances are not really doing their thing for me. They take themselves way too seriously, and the disturbingly dark background content and trauma dumping isn't exactly my cup of tea. And as far as characters go, the two main characters we're fairly forgettable after everything that's happened. Even the spice was fairly tame, compared to the previous books of the Tattered Curtains series. Overall, I just didn't get that invested. Which is a shame, considering I was here for the revenge-murder spree that Talia was getting herself into. I only wished there was much less Hamlet and more focus on the two characters actually holding a shop together where they bickered like a married couple and exacted sweet vengeance together to right the world and get rid of all the assholes in their neighborhood. Like Dexter but a more organized crime network sort of thing.
Um, okay, maybe not.
Which, okay, fine. So it's a Hamlet retelling. And if that was the only issue I took with the book, then it wasn't too bad. But this was kind of dreadful by the end, and I think I know why most of these dark romances are not really doing their thing for me. They take themselves way too seriously, and the disturbingly dark background content and trauma dumping isn't exactly my cup of tea. And as far as characters go, the two main characters we're fairly forgettable after everything that's happened. Even the spice was fairly tame, compared to the previous books of the Tattered Curtains series. Overall, I just didn't get that invested. Which is a shame, considering I was here for the revenge-murder spree that Talia was getting herself into. I only wished there was much less Hamlet and more focus on the two characters actually holding a shop together where they bickered like a married couple and exacted sweet vengeance together to right the world and get rid of all the assholes in their neighborhood. Like Dexter but a more organized crime network sort of thing.
Um, okay, maybe not.
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
What. How. Sabaa HOW do you expect me to review this book after the bomb drops at the end of this book?! HOW?
Also, all my therapy bills are headed your way. My gawd, the emotional damage I have been left with after what has happened to my favorite characters.
That said, it took me much longer to get through this book because I literally needed to stop reading every time Helene's chapters ended. This poor girl experienced SO MUCH and I was in tears--of anguish and rage--every time. I thought her POV was the most compelling and filled with a lot of turmoil, and hands down she was my favorite character to follow throughout. Elias' POV remains consistently the most interesting, so that kind of leaves Laia's, which was...a little on the meh side? I think a lot of that comes from the minor subplot of this weird love triangle Laia found herself in, and honestly, if there was gonna be some romance, I was actually hoping it'd come from Helene and Harper. Just saying.
I think Ember was a better read, but Torch is definitely setting things up onto an epic plot scale, now that the Nightbringer is finally in play. And omg, I cannot wait.
Also, all my therapy bills are headed your way. My gawd, the emotional damage I have been left with after what has happened to my favorite characters.
That said, it took me much longer to get through this book because I literally needed to stop reading every time Helene's chapters ended. This poor girl experienced SO MUCH and I was in tears--of anguish and rage--every time. I thought her POV was the most compelling and filled with a lot of turmoil, and hands down she was my favorite character to follow throughout. Elias' POV remains consistently the most interesting, so that kind of leaves Laia's, which was...a little on the meh side? I think a lot of that comes from the minor subplot of this weird love triangle Laia found herself in, and honestly, if there was gonna be some romance, I was actually hoping it'd come from Helene and Harper. Just saying.
I think Ember was a better read, but Torch is definitely setting things up onto an epic plot scale, now that the Nightbringer is finally in play. And omg, I cannot wait.
A Court of Mist and Fury (2 of 2) by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Not going to lie, chapter 54 still destroys me emotionally. And then, of course, the pieces of myself on the floor gets put back together the next chapter after. Because of course.
Still hands down my favorite of the series.
Still hands down my favorite of the series.
Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Dude. When have I not loved any of the contemporary Aliverse books so far? Because it doesn't stop today. If anything, I only wished this novella was an actual full-length novel about two video game designers spending a majority of the time fighting and fucking over their love of this fictional video game story. I always maintain that Ali's strength for me is her fleshing out her characters' manicness and the men who are DOWN BAD for all the unhinged miscommunication between them.
Which is probably why Two Can Play was marginally better than her previous novellas; in book form, it probably runs about 200 pages tops, which gives just enough time for the characters to marinate on the page long enough to get to know them. The background setup of a "company retreat" was actually clever, too (that forced proximity trope at large!!!) but even so, there's still hints that the characters lived and somewhat interacted with each other even outside the scope of the story.
Needless to say, I enjoyed this book. The tropes signature to Ali are still there, and I will continue to eat them up (like Jesse Andrews TEEHEE) and at the end of the day, I will still hold out my bowl in supplication to my romance goddess queen ans ask, "Please, madam, may I have some more?"
I did wish this wasn't just on audiobook format. My enjoyment of Ali Hazelwood has always been in book form. It gets too awkward listening to the narration sometimes. Hopefully there will be a paperback released later on.
Which is probably why Two Can Play was marginally better than her previous novellas; in book form, it probably runs about 200 pages tops, which gives just enough time for the characters to marinate on the page long enough to get to know them. The background setup of a "company retreat" was actually clever, too (that forced proximity trope at large!!!) but even so, there's still hints that the characters lived and somewhat interacted with each other even outside the scope of the story.
Needless to say, I enjoyed this book. The tropes signature to Ali are still there, and I will continue to eat them up (like Jesse Andrews TEEHEE) and at the end of the day, I will still hold out my bowl in supplication to my romance goddess queen ans ask, "Please, madam, may I have some more?"
I did wish this wasn't just on audiobook format. My enjoyment of Ali Hazelwood has always been in book form. It gets too awkward listening to the narration sometimes. Hopefully there will be a paperback released later on.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
Sometimes you just need to read a cozy little fantasy to make you smile and kick your feet. The Spellshop was exactly that for me!
To be fair, if I hadn't been in the mood for a slower-paced, low-risk fantasy, I'd probably be thinking differently about this book and giving it a lesser rating. That said, I saw this book as a brief vacation from the usual fantasies I tend to gravitate towards, and Kiela being the character she is helped as well. I mean, hermit librarian saving crates of books and holes up in a small island with just a spider plant and no plans of ever interacting with people? Sounds like my idea of a good time.
I enjoyed reading about the characters in Caltrey. I thought Kelia's meet cute with nosey neighbor Larran was adorable, and their relationship--albeit not spicy--was still something that made me smile every time.
That said, this book was fairly slow-going, even as a cozy fantasy, and it was difficult to gauge the passage of time between scenes. At times it felt like days had gone by, and others it seemed like the day just kept going. I wasn't sure how some of the relationships got cultivated between characters, and when there was meaningful exchange happening, it often got interrupted by blatant use of plot device. It was also a much longer story than I'd anticipated from a cozy fantasy, and I felt like this could have been much shorter and delivered the same atmosphere and message.
Anyway, I still enjoyed this, and I hope we get to see more of this world in some capacity. I'd be sad if I didn't get to see the merhorses or winged cats again!
Also, Caz and Meep need to be protected at all costs. AT ALL COSTS.
To be fair, if I hadn't been in the mood for a slower-paced, low-risk fantasy, I'd probably be thinking differently about this book and giving it a lesser rating. That said, I saw this book as a brief vacation from the usual fantasies I tend to gravitate towards, and Kiela being the character she is helped as well. I mean, hermit librarian saving crates of books and holes up in a small island with just a spider plant and no plans of ever interacting with people? Sounds like my idea of a good time.
I enjoyed reading about the characters in Caltrey. I thought Kelia's meet cute with nosey neighbor Larran was adorable, and their relationship--albeit not spicy--was still something that made me smile every time.
That said, this book was fairly slow-going, even as a cozy fantasy, and it was difficult to gauge the passage of time between scenes. At times it felt like days had gone by, and others it seemed like the day just kept going. I wasn't sure how some of the relationships got cultivated between characters, and when there was meaningful exchange happening, it often got interrupted by blatant use of plot device. It was also a much longer story than I'd anticipated from a cozy fantasy, and I felt like this could have been much shorter and delivered the same atmosphere and message.
Anyway, I still enjoyed this, and I hope we get to see more of this world in some capacity. I'd be sad if I didn't get to see the merhorses or winged cats again!
Also, Caz and Meep need to be protected at all costs. AT ALL COSTS.