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voxvenati's reviews
155 reviews
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
Fucking incredible. Truly like nothing I’ve ever read before.
The amount of world building Hawkins flawlessly crammed (affectionate) into this book is immense. I’ve read trilogies that do less with what they have than what was accomplished in this book.
God, I loved Steve, Carolyn, Erwin. I loved Naga. Even Father by the end, really.
Book was brutal, with pretty graphic death and gore, but not really a horror in the way I was expecting. Still, delicious.
In conclusion, just wow. Check the trigger warnings if you need to, but I highly recommend this. Read a library copy, but I’m going to have to go buy one for annotating now. Fuck.
The amount of world building Hawkins flawlessly crammed (affectionate) into this book is immense. I’ve read trilogies that do less with what they have than what was accomplished in this book.
God, I loved Steve, Carolyn, Erwin. I loved Naga. Even Father by the end, really.
Book was brutal, with pretty graphic death and gore, but not really a horror in the way I was expecting. Still, delicious.
In conclusion, just wow. Check the trigger warnings if you need to, but I highly recommend this. Read a library copy, but I’m going to have to go buy one for annotating now. Fuck.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
mysterious
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
4.0
This was a refreshing experience. It was tense, gruesome (at times), and full of heart.
Two things I was not really expecting going in, that there was quite a lot of: basketball and animal death - specificallylots of dogs and elk .
I was not a huge fan of the pacing. Front bit was good, middle dragged, end was good. Perhaps contributing to this, the early parts of the book set up like it was going to be something like four short stories tied together by this vengeful entity, but the second half of the book was not split up. It was all one story at that point.
Quite a lot of descriptions of gore, some really tense scenes, but just didn’t hit that scary vibe. Unfortunate it couldn’t hit all three points, but I did like SGJ’s style. It flowed quite naturally.
I liked the entity. I thought she was neat. I wish I had been more on her side, but I just liked some of the characters too much to agree with her.
Really solid read despite me not knowing or caring about basketball. Not scary, but a little graphic, so maybe check trigger warnings if you use them.
Two things I was not really expecting going in, that there was quite a lot of: basketball and animal death - specifically
I was not a huge fan of the pacing. Front bit was good, middle dragged, end was good. Perhaps contributing to this, the early parts of the book set up like it was going to be something like four short stories tied together by this vengeful entity, but the second half of the book was not split up. It was all one story at that point.
Quite a lot of descriptions of gore, some really tense scenes, but just didn’t hit that scary vibe. Unfortunate it couldn’t hit all three points, but I did like SGJ’s style. It flowed quite naturally.
I liked the entity. I thought she was neat. I wish I had been more on her side, but I just liked some of the characters too much to agree with her.
Really solid read despite me not knowing or caring about basketball. Not scary, but a little graphic, so maybe check trigger warnings if you use them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Gore, Racism, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 3 by Ryoko Kui
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I don’t love the water floor of the dungeon, but god, the frog suits make me laugh every time.
Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 2 by Ryoko Kui
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The way this makes me laugh out loud. I love them. Extra love to my best boy, Chilchuck.
Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui
adventurous
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love the art, I love the cozy vibe, I love the characters. The plot doesn’t pick up til later on, so a lower rating for vol. 1.
We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III
dark
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.25
Tense little novella with one or two great moments.
The good: the enclosed space as a concept, the ambiguous nature of it all, the descent into madness, a sense of strangeness, and of coursethe man-dog-thing. Also, just the supernatural elements in general. Wasn’t expecting that, hallucinated or otherwise. The concept was great, but those story elements could have been pushed further.
The bad: I hated the little brother. He didn’t feel like a real younger brother in the way he spoke or was annoying, and it detracted from my enjoyment. The pacing/escalation felt off. My favorite scene from the spoiler above felt like the peak of what we get. I wanted more of that, but the events that followed were less weird and felt like a deescalation. I also wanted more answers. Any answers. Last gripe - they absolutely could have used that toilet tank lid to bust through those American paper walls or even the particle board door.Also, the mom cuts through the door in the end anyway! I know no one in this family can think, but Christ.
Short and has its issues, but worth it.
The good: the enclosed space as a concept, the ambiguous nature of it all, the descent into madness, a sense of strangeness, and of course
The bad: I hated the little brother. He didn’t feel like a real younger brother in the way he spoke or was annoying, and it detracted from my enjoyment. The pacing/escalation felt off. My favorite scene from the spoiler above felt like the peak of what we get. I wanted more of that, but the events that followed were less weird and felt like a deescalation. I also wanted more answers. Any answers. Last gripe - they absolutely could have used that toilet tank lid to bust through those American paper walls or even the particle board door.
Short and has its issues, but worth it.
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Dreamy and very self aware.
This was more literary than I expected, and I wish it had skewed harder into thriller or horror elements, but I ended up loving this book anyway. Anisa and all of the supporting characters were flawed and deeply human. The food all sounded delicious, and I’m craving a cup of chai now. The humor tickled me.
The thriller elements:
It wasn’t that much of a twist that cannibalism was involved. I was hoping for something really novel, but it didn’t detract from the rest of the book in the end. I was really expecting Shiba’s mom to be a plot twist! She died when she was young…maybe she had been the first test subject. But no. I wish the thriller aspect had been pushed further.
Despite the cover, the dark themes aren’t pushed that far, and I would say it’s more literary than anything else. Great read, but go in for the plot and not the twist.
This was more literary than I expected, and I wish it had skewed harder into thriller or horror elements, but I ended up loving this book anyway. Anisa and all of the supporting characters were flawed and deeply human. The food all sounded delicious, and I’m craving a cup of chai now. The humor tickled me.
The thriller elements:
Despite the cover, the dark themes aren’t pushed that far, and I would say it’s more literary than anything else. Great read, but go in for the plot and not the twist.
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I’ve seen others comment that they had issues with the POV switching or formatting between Salome and the rest of the Hollywood plot, but I never found it to be distracting, and the biblical segments are kind of what I live for. I thought all the major characters - and quite a few of the minor characters - had plenty of time for the reader to get to know them.
The only part that fell a bit flat was the very end. Everything leading up to it was solid, but the ending felt like it was rushing to wrap everything up and give us a sort of epilogue to boot. Also just a heads up that it is the 50’s in America, so be prepared for racism and maybe take a look at the trigger warnings if you’re someone who needs/uses them.
In all, a delightful read for those interested in 1950’s Hollywood, juicy biblical retellings, or fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia in general.
All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As always, Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers with her new book.
There really is just something about how Silvia’s voice comes through in all of her works. No matter the genre, subject matter, or time period - it flows like only she can.
I’ve been out of the bible fandom for a while now, but I’m (still) a huge fan of biblical themes, motifs, and aesthetics. So this was kind of right up my alley. I especially relate to the author’s note:
There really is just something about how Silvia’s voice comes through in all of her works. No matter the genre, subject matter, or time period - it flows like only she can.
I’ve been out of the bible fandom for a while now, but I’m (still) a huge fan of biblical themes, motifs, and aesthetics. So this was kind of right up my alley. I especially relate to the author’s note:
I sought classical paintings with Biblical motifs that had gory or dramatic scenes. Judith was a favorite heroine of mine…
I’ve seen others comment that they had issues with the POV switching or formatting between Salome and the rest of the Hollywood plot, but I never found it to be distracting, and the biblical segments are kind of what I live for. I thought all the major characters - and quite a few of the minor characters - had plenty of time for the reader to get to know them.
The only part that fell a bit flat was the very end. Everything leading up to it was solid, but the ending felt like it was rushing to wrap everything up and give us a sort of epilogue to boot. Also just a heads up that it is the 50’s in America, so be prepared for racism and maybe take a look at the trigger warnings if you’re someone who needs/uses them.
In all, a delightful read for those interested in 1950’s Hollywood, juicy biblical retellings, or fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia in general.
All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
This book devastated me.
I did a good amount of crying in the last part of the book. The entire epilogue had me sobbing from start to finish. I found the tales and stories to be really beautiful and a nice occasional reprieve.
It was a little hard for me to get into this, though; that might be because of the flipping timelines that are so common to thrillers. It wasn’t until maybe ~40% in, when the mystery/thriller aspect to the book really took off, and the pace picked up, that I was able to lose myself to the story.
This is a heavy book influenced by a real epidemic and pulling from real struggles and events. It makes some of it hard to get through. It’s heartbreaking. It’s powerful. It’s absolutely worth the read.
I did a good amount of crying in the last part of the book. The entire epilogue had me sobbing from start to finish. I found the tales and stories to be really beautiful and a nice occasional reprieve.
It was a little hard for me to get into this, though; that might be because of the flipping timelines that are so common to thrillers. It wasn’t until maybe ~40% in, when the mystery/thriller aspect to the book really took off, and the pace picked up, that I was able to lose myself to the story.
This is a heavy book influenced by a real epidemic and pulling from real struggles and events. It makes some of it hard to get through. It’s heartbreaking. It’s powerful. It’s absolutely worth the read.
We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.75
I liked the journey of the story, but I’m not sure about the destination.
To start off with, this leans much more speculative than scifi. The scifi is extremely light. The dystopian elements were subtle, but they built up and I liked that.
The audiobook narrator was very good. That probably adds almost half a star just on its own.
Overall, it ended up being pretty light on plot. Things happen, world building happens, characters have arcs, but the plot itself was sparse at best. Also, I wish we got some sort of resolution to Crown’s story? It felt like we were set up for something but it never panned out.
There were plenty of heavy topics, and it was depressing throughout, but I think people interested in the synopsis should give it a shot.
To start off with, this leans much more speculative than scifi. The scifi is extremely light. The dystopian elements were subtle, but they built up and I liked that.
The audiobook narrator was very good. That probably adds almost half a star just on its own.
Overall, it ended up being pretty light on plot. Things happen, world building happens, characters have arcs, but the plot itself was sparse at best. Also, I wish we got some sort of resolution to Crown’s story? It felt like we were set up for something but it never panned out.
There were plenty of heavy topics, and it was depressing throughout, but I think people interested in the synopsis should give it a shot.