Tag Archives: 4.5 Stars

books, Horror, Reviews

The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

This is how vampires should be written about! If you like your Twilight type of glamourous vampires who glitter in sunlight, this book is definitely not for you. The vampires Joey describes here are monsters. They are cruel, they are hideous (unless they put the glamor on), and they have very questionable morals. They are also “alive” and interesting.

The author also accomplished a seemingly impossible feat – he showed us all the horrors that these vampires inflict upon unsuspecting humans… then made me care about the monsters. Because we get to know them. We get to know their stories and their interactions. Because they don’t usually “peel” the people they prey upon. Granted, it’s not because of some high moral imperative not to kill, but purely because of sense of self-preservation. Kill enough people, the authorities will notice and come investigate. They your underground home is crawling with cops and there is an angry mob topside ready to kill you with pitchforks and burn you. Not to mention that sunshine is deadly to these vampires.

Plus, the children are truly horrifying. I mean even in the beginning, when we don’t know anything about them, there is something profoundly unsettling about these little vampires. Something that makes your skin crawl. Kudos to the author for instilling this subtitle feeling of wrongness and slowly cranking up the intensity. I was truly horrified by the end of this book, especially considering the ending.

Also, this book is dark and unapologetic. Nothing is sugarcoated here. So if you are squeamish, you might want to skip some of the descriptions. When I said that these vampires were monsters, I wasn’t exaggerating. Theirs is a cruel world where the strong survive because they are willing to be ruthless and eliminate the competition, but also where a monster can find a broken family they can count on. That’s why the final betrayal in this book hurts so much, because Margaret’s group were family, as dysfunctional as that family was, and seeing their fate was heartbreaking. 

I am not usually into vampires, but I loved this book. I think I might checkout other book by this author, because I liked his “voice” and his style.

books, Fantasy, Reviews

Gutter Mage by J.S. Kelley

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 Stars: 4.5 out of 5

This was such a nice surprise of a book! It reads like urban fantasy… in a fantasy world instead of a slightly reimagined modern world. Since I love the urban fantasy vibe, this worked well for me. 

In order for me to enjoy a book, I need to either be swept away by the story, or fall in love (or hate) with the characters. Some rare gems manage to give me both, but I don’t particularly count on it when I start a book. As long as either one of those is present, I am along for the ride. Well, I’m happy to say that I got both with Gutter Mage. 

The worldbuilding is complex and expertly done. We are introduced to the world gradually, without unnecessary infodumps, but I never felt lost. The author gave me just enough information to understand what has happening and dolled out further revelations in measured doses. Which kept me interested and invested in the story. 

And the characters, oh the characters! I love Roz with all her flaws and jagged edges. I love how real she feels. She’d been through a very traumatic event and the damage it had done to her both physically and psychologically is still there. It defines a lot of her reactions and interactions with others. But Roz never uses it as an excuse for her shitty behavior, and that’s what I like about it. She doesn’t play the victim. She knows she is broken in many ways, but she is resolved to not let the past defeat her. 

The trauma of what she’d gone through prevents her from forming normal trusting relationships with others, because as soon as someone gets too close to her, she panics and does everything to push them away. So her relationship with Nye is even more important to her – he is her only friend. The person she trusts with everything. Implicitly and without question. So what happens later in the book is a punch in the gut for both Roz and the reader. 

I also loved the secondary characters who both helped and hindered Roz in her quest. I didn’t, however, love the main villain. He suffered from the biggest flaw of the villain world, in my opinion – he loved to monologue too much. Also, his motives for doing what he was doing weren’t entirely clear. Yes, he wanted to show the world that enslaving spirits was wrong, but what was the end game for him? He didn’t sound like someone ready to give up his unlife for an ideology without some kind of personal gain.

That quip aside, I really loved this book. It was an excellent introduction to this new world and characters. I really hope that more books will follow, because while the main story ark is resolved in this book, the ending leave a lot of questions and loose ends to be developed in future books. 

PS: I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Grim Dark, Horror, Reviews, Zombies

To Blackfyre Keep (The Seven Swords 4) by Anthony Ryan

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

I like this book a lot more than the previous 3, maybe because the storyline was pretty straightforward, but also because our (un)merry band of curse sword bearers got a lot more character development here. I admit that I hadn’t been particularly impressed when I had picked up the first book in the series, but this is getting better and better with each installment. 

The world is what fascinates me the most here. It’s complex and layered, with countries and regions that have a very distinct feeling. I enjoyed exploring them in each consecutive book. And the purpose of the seven cursed swords is more and more intriguing. 

I also liked how Guiome is evolving from book to book. He starts to care about people who journey with him and not just his quest anymore. He also got a dose of humility in this book when he discovered just how much he actually came to rely on the power of his cursed sword over the years. Curse as he may their arrangement, without the magic of the sword to keep him alive, he is just a man. Still strong and formidable, but ultimately killable. 

I am also very sad for Seeker if what is hinted about her daughter is true. It would destroy her if she finally catches up to her child only to discover that she is just a shell inhabited by a demon. Having to kill that demon would probably shred her soul as well.

I’m also happy we learned a bit about why the druid decided to join our band of adventurers. And he was a lot less annoying (and a lot more helpful) in this story.

And of course the addition of a new traveling companion, the Cursed Knight. I can’t wait to see how that plays out in the next book.

Yes, I am loving this series better and better with each book and I can’t wait to pick up the next one once it comes out.

PS: I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Reviews

The Red Palace by June Hur

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5

I am a big fan of Korean dramas in general and saiguk, or costumed period dramas in particular. I also love fiction books set in cultures other than European Middle ages. So this book was right up my alley.

I lived the rich world the author describes here, and as I watched a lot of period dramas, I could picture all the costumes and locations with perfect clarity, which only added to my delight with this book.

It doesn’t hurt that the protagonist is very likeable as well. She is honest and good-hearted, but also full of flaws and insecurities. Life was hard for women in Joseon Korea, especially illegitimate daughters of noblemen who barely acknowledge them. I loved Hyeon’s determination to make a life for herself and how hard she works to achieve it.

Granted, at first her motivation is misguided – she wants to prove to her father that she is someone worth loving. Frankly, if her father doesn’t love her now, nothing will change that. And he even proves my point by recklessly wreaking her life in the middle of the book, just because she wouldn’t obey him.

I was glad to see Hyeon’s journey in this book. Her coming into her own strength and finally discovering what she wants to do with her life. What makes her happy. Her finally stopping to chase for her father’s approval.

I also loved the low key love story developing between her and Robin. Their collaboration that evolved into mutual respect and trust, then affection. I even liked that the ending isn’t a typical “and they got married and lived happily ever after”. There is a lot more to Hyeon than just settling into the role of a housewife.

If I have one complaint it’s that the intrigue itself felt a bit simplistic. I guessed the plot twists before we arrived to them. But that definitely didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

This is a fast and delightful read, and I would definitely recommend it.

PS: I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

books, Reviews, science fiction, Space opera, Uncategorized

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

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Stars: 4.5 out of 5.

“Loved loved loved it!” were my thoughts when I finished this book as I ran around my living room excitedly, happy that I got the chance to read this excellent book before it was officially published (thanks for the ARC, Netgalley.)

This is one of those rare books that managers to portray strong female characters without making them bitchy, slutty, or catty, and without having them hate on any other females around them and lust over anything with a dick that walks into their line of sight. Unfortunately, I have read a lot of authors who think that this is what a “strong female character” is supposed to be.

I have also read, or tried to read and failed horribly, a lot of feminist and “break the patriarchy” novels that assume that to be a strong woman, you need to hate on anything that has a Y chromosome. I’m very glad that it is not the case with Persephone Station. Men are mentioned in this world, but their presence is not important to the story. And I am very glad that the main villain in this is also a woman. Too often we see this trope when a strong female protagonist has to go against a grotesque caricature of a male villain that is painted as such a horrible human being that you have to wonder how his mother didn’t smother him in his crib.

Here we have a smothering of female, male, non-binary, and genderfluid characters that all have flaws and motivations and are all portrayed as believable human (and alien) beings. And I love the fact that they fit perfectly in this world the author created. That human, alien, or artificial, they are all perfectly three-dimensional.

I also loved the strong friendships portrayed in this book. The crew of Kurosawa is a group of broken misfits that love each other and support each other like family. I admit that I cried when Kurosawa crashed, because this ship had the Firefly vibes with the same warmth of a found home and family.

So after all this gushing praise, why didn’t I give it a full 5 stars? I have a couple minor gripes about the story.

Firstly, I think the Emissaries could have been developed slightly better. I mean, at one point Vicinia says that their colony isn’t sustainable without imports from the human settlement… And I wondered why? They are native to Persephone. They lived on that planet way before it was colonized… so this statement makes absolutely no sense. So yes, I would have loved to see a little more of the planet and native Emissary settlements other than the one we saw and that was specifically adapted for humans.

My second gripe is with the ending. I don’t want to put any spoilers, but the solution to all their problems seemed very deus ex machina to me, and it literally was. It felt a little bit too simple and anticlimactic to me after the very tense and nerve-wracking events that lead to it.

These two points non-withstanding, I loved this book. I would definitely read the sequel if one is in the works, because I think this world has potential to become a series. There are still many stories to explore. Who is Zhang? What will Kennedy do now? What will happen with Persephone now that the existence of the Emissaries is known? How are Rosie doing?