the_book_tale's reviews
158 reviews

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

Thank you to the author and the publisher for an audiobook ARC!

The premise of the novel is unlike anything I’ve ever read: two friends, an angel and a demon, travel to America to save a girl from their Shtetl. 

Plot:

The pacing of the plot was perfect. It stayed consistent throughout the novel, never going too slow or speeding through sections. While the plot was relatively simple, the proper amount of foreshadowing was placed in each twist. It was possible to see them coming if you paid attention, but a few little twists did get me. The simplicity of the plot is great for younger and older YA readers though it was a tad simplistic for my taste. 

The Angel and the Demon:

The way in which the Angel and Ash, the Demon, we’re described is unique to any other work of fiction I’ve read. Their physical descriptions were interesting, but what really caught my attention were the ways in which they weren’t human. The Angel is genderless, often being referred to as it by Ash, and, at the beginning of the book, doesn’t even have a name. While it gains a name during the events of the book, it is still genderless. I have never read or seen another piece of media where a characters gender is discussed in such a way, but I loved it! Angels aren’t human. It makes perfect sense that they would not think about gender in the same way as human. It was also fun to learn how the Angel’s mind worked. The book mentioned that the Angel could not defy tasks set before it and could only hold a few thoughts in its mind at a time. It also could not learn to speak any languages besides Hebrew and Aramaic. Ash, the Demon, was also interesting. In the book, not all demons have the same abilities or strength of power. It also seems that many of the powers demons hold are not innate but are learned. Ash is not capable of many powers his brothers are capable of and is even less powerful than the Christian demons he encounters. The world building introduced through the two characters was amazing. I wish hope the author writes more books set in the same world and expands on what has already been built up. 

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my experience with When the Angels Left the Old Country. As a reader with an odd fascination of stories involving angels and demons I knew I was going to enjoy the story, but I was blown away by how unique it was. Definitely worth a read!

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

Lightlark by Alex Aster

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

⭐️⭐️

Lightlark may have the worst world building of any novel I’ve ever read. I tried, I really tried, to enjoy this book, but I couldn’t because the world building was so confusing. Let me break my opinion of Lightlark:

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𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝙱𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐:

I don’t even know where to begin… the world building was either completely nonexistent or constantly altered with no explanation. To sum up the basic world best I can: Wildlings have nature power, Sunlings have sun power, Starlings have star power, Skylings have sky power, Moonlings have moon power, and Nightshades have night power; they are all cursed and have 100 days to interpret prophecy and break a curse on an island. Except they don’t actually have to use the prophecy to break the curses as there are two items that can also break the curses… or wait do they? I’m not sure at this point. And each ruler is powerful and have certain abilities that change constantly and are never clearly defined (also Isla doesn’t have abilities — oh wait yes she does — also Oro has all of them because he’s special [why is he special? I guess I’ll never know]). The island they are on appears only once every one hundred years. The people on the island are trapped their between it’s appearances… yet they have a fully functioning economy, have access to fruits and vegetables that shouldn’t be able to grow in the climate, and have weird-ass, super nice buildings. Oh, and the curses are wickedly cruel as they are fitted to each realm. Each realm has one curse (except Wildling which has two because). Some of the realms, like Wildling and Starling, have curses so terrible their realm is crippled, but others, Skylings and Moonlings, have curses so light they are barely impactful. Honestly, I can’t get into the world building any more or I will spiral into paragraphs of rambling. 

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𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜:

The characters — oh god, the characters. For me, the most important aspect of any novel is the characters. And in Lightlark I hated every single one of them except for maybe Oro and that could be because his personality was his being personality-less. Isla is the definition of not-like-other-girls. She thinks she’s weak but she, as a nineteen year old, can easily beat 500 generals in combat. She also is so beautiful men fall down and worship her. She also is an amazing singer. She also moves like a shadow. Just, here, read an actual quote from the book (I can’t believe this is an actual quote): ”You move like a shadow,” Celeste continued. “You strategize like a general. You can blend in anywhere — I’ve seen you.”. Isla is absolutely perfect in every way. She did have two flaws: being innocent in social/ romantic/ sexual situations and being powerless. Yet, by the end of the novel it turns out she is neither innocent in romantic/ sexual situations or powerless. In fact, she has two men in love with her, one of which she had sex with many times, and is more powerful than anyone else. 

For my sake, let’s move away from Isla and discuss the romantic interests. Grim was a disgusting, creepy man who was obviously inspired by The Darkling. Like the Darkling, he did something unbelievable heinous to his live interest, yet, I have a strong feeling the author is going to redeem him in some way (Bardugo made The Darkling a villain for a reason! He was a manipulative monster. So is Grim. He is not complex, unlike the Darkling, and is simply disgusting). Oro was the less obvious love interest and it actually took me a while to figure out that he was meant to be one at all. Honestly, between Grim and Oro say Oro one-hundred percent. He at least had the decency to treat her like a person with thoughts and feelings. He also had some level of character development which is more than I can say for any other character in the book including Isla. 

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𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚡 / 𝙴𝚗𝚍:

Twist Avenue: Villain (which we didn’t know about until a few pages before this) explains all the twists by simply saying them in a villain speech. Multiple of the twists broke establish world rules (there were very few to begin with) and were generally poorly explained. That’s all I have the energy to say. 

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𝚆𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐:

Was deeply immature. I will say that Lightlark’s writing was not as bad as Shatter Me’s so there’s something… there’s something. A quick examples of the writing: 

“There was something grim beneath that grin, a faint shadow that might become monstrous in the dark.”

“She was light as a dandelion on her feet but strong as the steel of her blade with every advance. It was a part of her, a fifth limb, a beautiful , gleaming thing.”

“Her breath hitched. He felt her everything. She turned away before he could feel any more.”

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This was my last-ditch effort in ya. From now on the only ya books I will be reading ya books published by Leigh Bardugo. 

The Wehrwolf by Alma Katsu

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The Wehrwolf was the perfect book to begin October. It is the right amount of spooky, heart-wrenching, and fun. The premise was original and the way in which the characters feelings about WWII were expressed was excellently done. The mix of shame, national pride, and confusion were realistic to the situation. Honestly, I enjoyed the story so much I wished Alma Katsu had developed it more and made it a full length novel. The Wehrwolf felt like the bare bones of a novel. It was good as a novella but it would have been excellent as a novel.

Demon in the Wood Graphic Novel by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The Talisman by Peter Straub, Stephen King

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

 Spoilers!

I spent most of The Talisman in a state of confusion – this is not to say I was not entertained, because I was. Jack is honestly one of the most likable protagonists in any book I’ve ever read. He has no shades of gray; he is simply a good person doing something good. 

Starting from early on I did not love the characters I was meant to (I assume based on how they were written). Speedy/ Parker/ Parkus was not a person I liked. He is meant to be an adult figure helping Jack on his journey, but, to me, it felt that Speedy was using Jack to accomplish something without actually helping Jack in any definitive way. Yes, he points Jack in the right direction, but that is all he does. He doesn’t explain to Jack anything that he should know or give him any actually useful tips about The Territories. Another character I didn’t like was Wolf. I understand that Wolf was meant to be a fun, helpless sidekick to Jack, but I couldn’t help, but feel as if Jack’s journey would have been much easier and quicker if Wolf had never gotten involved. BUT, I loved Richard. Sure Richard started as an annoying character, but it is so easy to see where he is coming from. If a friend randomly showed up at your boarding school talking about how he can travel to another world wouldn't you think he was going insane? If you started seeing things you rationally know can’t be happening wouldn’t you think you were going insane? I would! When Richard does finally come around he is wonderful. He is basically dying of radiation poising, but he is doing everything he can to help Jack along his journey. The friendship between Jack and Richard is so wholesome. 

I really liked the beginning of the book. I felt so-so about the middle section, especially the parts with Wolf. I loved the last 100 pages. The tension ramps up to a breaking point and – oh boy – is it worth it. I can’t even describe what happens in the last 100 pages, but it was wonderful. It was so chaotic and yet so perfect. 

It hurts my heart that after everything Jack went through to save his mom she ends up dying anyway (in the Tommyknockers it is revealed that she dies in a car accident). 

I am undecided if I will read Black House any time soon.  

Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that expressed motherhood in such a way. As someone who is not a mother, often motherhood is talked about as something foreign that cannot be explained with words. Yet, Elsewhere did an absolutely beautiful job and describing motherhood in a way that was understandable to someone who is not a mother themselves. Motherhood was expressed in all its obsession, pain confusion, and glory. I truly have never read a book with such wonderful descriptions of motherhood. I assume that if I were a mother myself I would feel even closer to the book. 

Not only were the descriptions of motherhood wonderful, but all of the writing was too my personal taste. It was somehow both extremely descriptive and brief all at the same time. It gave weight to specific descriptions that deserved them, making the moments all the more beautiful, and held back certain descriptions with a purpose. The writing style reminded me greatly if Blue Ticket, another novel with feminist themes that also specifically focused on how it felt to be a mother versus being a childless woman. 

All the write questions were left unanswered. I know some people hate books that don’t wrap up all the loose ends, but I love loose ends. They allow the reader to interpret the book more personally. What happens to the women who disappear? Are they all like Ruth and Iris or is something else happening? 

Also (light spoilers), the description of the town and how Vera’s perception of it changed after time away hit so close to home. Anyone form a small town can probably relate. When you return after having been away there is a mix of love, hate, and nostalgia. Nothing is how you remember — it’s muddled and never how you want it to be. 

Anyone who loves feminist fiction (like me) should read Elsewhere. Honestly, I’ve never felt more understanding of mothers and motherhood. While I don’t feel any more convinced that motherhood is for me, I do feel more understanding to the mothers of the world. 

“I imagine that when I die, if they cut me open and peel back my flesh they will find my bones overgrown with moss and vines, and in the cathedral of my rib cage they will find our town in all its detail…”

In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I will read any novel Rory Power writes. While In a Garden Burning Gold is very different from her previous books, it is still very good. The world building was unique and interesting. It took me a hot second to understand how the governing system worked, but once I grasped it the prices fell into place. I’ve never read any other fantasy where the magic system was set up in such a way. Having it be based in lineage while also having the ability to steal said magic by ending a line— it definitely makes for a tense plot. It was also enjoyable to discover how the magic system worked along with the characters. I love a misunderstood magic system. The plot, also, did not lack twists or turns. I never knew what was going to happen. My only complaint stems from the sections of the book where the writing felt stinted, as if multiple pages of writing had been condensed into a paragraph. I think certain scenes/ sections of the book could have been greatly increased in length. This would have makes the book absolutely amazing. In a Garden Burning Gold should have been 500-600 pages long instead of 400. Still, I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I hope In an Orchard Grown from Ash and The World Ends Here are published soon. 

“Michali was looking at her like she was more than a saint, when really she wasn’t even that. She was only Rhea. Only shellfish, only scared, only someone’s daughter.”

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Dream State by Martin Ott

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

1.0

Thank you to the author for the ARC copy. 

I felt very conflicted reviewing Dream State. I don’t like leaving negative reviews on books that have very few rating and were written by an author that isn’t well known , because I don’t want to be responsible for someone choosing to not read the book. In this case however, I feel that it is right to leave a review, because my issue with the book do not stem from personal taste, but from fundamental flaws in the writing. 

To begin I would like to discuss the sexist undertones throughout the novel. It felt as though no women in the book ever had thoughts about anything other than men. All of their words, actions, and inner monologues all centered around men. This really turned me off as women’s lives are actually not centered around men and we do actually have thoughts that aren’t about men. To show that this isn’t all my head I would like to quote some lines from the book:

“How did a women with a porn star’s name and a capitalist’s heart end up with her in the same boat, nipples pointing at the invisible broken moon?”

“Heidi unhooked her bathing suit top and began to tie off his wrist with a tourniquet.”

“Her anger only deepened when she spotted Maxine, the stranger in their midst, leaning suggestively against the counter waiting for water to boil, arms crossed beneath her breasts.”

“Women knew their own power. He was certain Stacy was flirting with the new head honcho. Gibraltar shot Kara a what are you going to do about this look and seemed to be enjoying the attention.”

As you can probably tell from the passages, there is also a lot of women on women hate — and pretty much all of it stemmed from jealousy due to being with/ flirting with men 🫠. Women’s lives do not, in fact, revolve completely around men, surprisingly enough. 

I could talk about the sexist undertones and my issues with the women in the book for a lengthy amount of time so I am simply going to move on.

My second issue was the amount of characters. In a long novel it is possible to have 30 characters that are developed enough for the reader to know who they are. In a 180 page novel it is not. There were only around 7 characters that I could actually keep track of. New characters or people who had been mentioned in passing once kept popping up and I had no idea who they were and what they were doing. It made the book very confusing.

My third issue was the rational behind everyone being unable to sleep. The moon was hit by space debris or a meteor. This would definitely mess up the earth, but it wouldn’t stop everyone from sleeping. I researched online, and if the moon disappeared completely they length of days would shorten. I’m sure this would mess with peoples sleep schedule, but it wouldn’t stop them from sleeping altogether. In the book the moon didn’t even disappear completely. I brushed this aside with the thought they probably couldn’t sleep due to some supernatural reason. All of the characters also started to lose their minds after not sleeping for 1 or 2 days. Except at the end all of the characters were suddenly able to sleep because they adjusted to the new orbit? This confused me greatly. 

I don’t really have anything to say about the writing in general. It was not my personal cup of tea as it was extremely fast paced and was not overly descriptive, but I know some people enjoy writing like that. 

If you read this long review thank you for listening to my opinions. Of course this is subjective to me, but many of the issues in the book I could not get past no matter how hard I tried, especially the issues with the women.

This is the info I found about the effect missing the moon would have if you are interested:

“This means that the earth would not slow, which then means that the hours of our days would change. Suddenly, without the moon, our days would last between 6 and 12 hours, rather than the 24 hours we experience now. If our days became this short, then we would have significantly more days in our calendar year. Instead of 365 days in a year, we would have over a thousand… Scientists suggest that without the moon, tides would be 1/3 of the size they are now. High tides would be much smaller than they are now, and low tides would be even lower.”

“Earth’s oceans would have much smaller tides - about one-third the size of what they are now. Tides churn up material in the oceans, which allows coastal ecosystems to thrive. Animals in these environments – crabs, mussels, starfish, snails – rely on the tides for survival… Additionally, tidal movements help stabilise Earth’s climate. Ocean currents are driven by the tides, which distribute warmer water around the globe and influences the global climate. Temperatures could potentially be more extreme on the Earth without this influence… A missing Moon could cause a lot of confusion for animals all over the world. Predators rely on both the darkness of night and a small amount of moonlight to effectively hunt. Without any light at night, prey would likely thrive because predators would have a harder time spotting them. Just like the tides, this could cause a drastic change in ecosystem, and potentially lead to the extinction of certain predatory animals.”