nixter's reviews
171 reviews

Angels Before Man by rafael nicolás

dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.0

I can see why so many people have been raving about this book and giving it five stars. The writing and imagery is gorgeous. I would have loved to have seen more of the world building. Additionally, it would have been nice to get a more in depth look at some of the side characters and flesh them out some, but what we got of the other angels, I quite enjoyed. I love the spin on the fall of Satan and like seeing how everything unfolds, but I wish the pacing was more consistent. The first half could be tedious at times, and not much happened while the second half came out the gate swinging. I would have loved to have the entire corruption and decline spread out more instead of condensed into the last 30%. Overall, this was beautiful and thought provoking, and I’ll definitely continue the series. 

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

it’s really hard to summarize what made this enjoyable. It was unique, clever, whimsical, emotional, and funny. The cast of characters was entertaining, and I eventually grew to understand each of them and their motivations. However, what made this less than a 5 star read is how confused I was for half of the book. The sheer amount of characters itself if dizzying, but just how the story is told and unfolds doesn’t make sense for a good portion of the book. If you can push through the first half, you’ll be rewarded in the second half, I promise. I know that sounds like a crazy ask but it’s intentionally like that. This was my first Olivie Blake book, and I must say, I’m impressed. 

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

dark lighthearted 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

3.0

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

dark informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

While I don’t align with the author on every single identity and space I occupy, our experiences are very similar in a way that has truly resonated for me while reading this. I think it’s very important to explore race, gender, and sexuality and the way they interact with one another. He doesn’t shy away from some of the more heartbreaking aspects of that journey but also highlights a lot of the joyous moments as well, often noting how they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive. He makes it known that these are his experiences and his alone. So, his journey and search for self will not directly match anyone else, but he wants this to be as helpful as it can be to someone who might need it. Finally, I like how open ended it is. He’s very accepting of the fact that he is not the most he will ever be and his life, ideas, and feelings are still evolving constantly — and that’s okay. Honestly I thought the whole thing was just gorgeously written and was something I could relate to. 

Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really wanted to enjoy this book. ‘This Poison Heart’ by the same author was a 5 star read for me, but the sequel and now this book haven’t hit the way I wanted them to. I will start off by what I enjoyed. I always like a retelling that mixes up what we know about a story. It was refreshing to see the changes made to the original Snow White. She also included other well known fairytales and added her own spin to them as well, which was cute. 

That being said, the plot never truly picked up for me. The pacing threw me off the entire book, and even just getting into it was a slow start, personally. I understand that this is a YA novel, but something about the writing style made it seem even younger than the target audience — almost middle grade. That’s not a bad thing necessarily, as I still very much enjoy certain middle grade books… but not when I’m expecting to read something a little more advanced. 

The characters themselves were either annoying or underdeveloped and one dimensional. The main character was impulsive in a way that made her stupid and a danger to everyone around her. The supposed adults in the book were barely any better and seemed very childish to me. I did really like some of the members of a family we meet a little ways into the story. They were lovely. But overall, I just didn’t build a connection to anyone for real, and I especially didn’t understand the love match that was supposed to have been made. It felt forced and honestly, quite unnecessary. They did nothing to deserve their romance in my opinion. 

Continuing on, I didn’t comprehend the magic system at ALL. I have nothing much to add onto this but anyone that had magic in this story, I didn’t get the extent of their powers and needed a better explanation of what they can do. 

Like I said at the beginning of all this, I am disappointed at how this unfolded for me because I really wanted to get into more of Bayron’s books, but as I have only enjoyed one of the three I’ve read from her, I feel like her stories may not be for me. I do think a young teenager would greatly enjoy this kind of storytelling though, and would recommend it for someone between 11 and 14. 

Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis

dark emotional reflective 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

Overall, this book was really fun. I enjoyed the premise and most of the execution. I would’ve loved to save this for an October tbr just from the vibes alone. Some of the story became a little muddled and convoluted to me. By the end, I understood what was happening but, there were ways to clean it up a bit first sure. A few of the background characters blended together and didn’t have distinct personalities, but there were some standouts I really enjoyed. I’m excited to further expand into horror / thriller genres, especially if they’re centered around queer/bipoc characters. So, I think this was a good way to continue my path forward. 

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

dark reflective 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

This was so beautifully written and creative. I was immersed almost immediately. Though it’s a fantasy, the way Rivers Solomon is able to use these mer-creatures as a way of exploring inter generational Black trauma and healing is very real. The only reason it’s not a 5 star is because there were one or two times where I was confused about who was speaking or from whose perspective I was reading the story, and that confusion took me out of it even if I was able to recalibrate and figure it out shortly after. 

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.

The exposition and world building at the beginning was just too much for me to comprehend and retain. I struggled from the jump. Maybe I’ll come back to it, but it was just a lot to take in, especially since it’s multi POV. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

From the start, I was really intrigued by the book off cover alone. Throughout the whole book, the writing style was amazing and drew me in, even if I didn’t necessarily care about what was being said at every point. The novel had a very strong start, in my opinion, that set up the atmosphere and the pieces really well. Unfortunately, the pacing and plot started to falter as I went on. I still enjoyed the book by the end, just not as much as I thought I was going to on the first 75 pages. I wish there were more horror elements to the book, and it felt like so much of it was exposition that kept going until about the 60% mark. What was initially intriguing at the beginning started to become dull and repetitive and confusing because there were a few times when I was like “okay, but what now?” 

The story itself had the pieces to be great. It has elements of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out”, which was interesting, but the execution fell a little flat for me. Still, I was ready to give it a 4 star. However, there is a very unnecessary romance plot thrown in that I simply don’t understand. Not only do I not comprehend the pairing, but it seems rushed and just an add-on for the people who need their books to have romance in it. I didn’t even like one of the people in the couple. All this to say, I still enjoyed the book and finished it in a day. I would still recommend it for certain audiences, but with how high my expectations were at the beginning paired with what actually happened, I cannot give this more than 3 stars. 

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

reflective slow-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? Yes

2.0

I think the length of this book was my biggest obstacle because it would’ve thrived as a short story or novella. The pacing was all wrong with so much uneventful storytelling happening in between beats of action. If it was condensed, I would’ve had a much better time and wouldn’t have fought myself to pick it up. Seeing that it was a horror, I expected more horror elements, which is not what I got. I’m new to the genre, so that could just be something I need to become more educated on. However, nothing about this gave horror. Without spoiling the plot, I also struggled slightly with the motivations of the two main characters and their connection. Honestly, without the pacing issues, I was ready to give this a 3 star review, but I simply can’t overlook how long it took me to read this book due to the dread I felt every time I even thought about diving back into it.