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10000bees's reviews
326 reviews
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Filing this one under It Was A Book, because that's the extent of my feelings towards it. It had individual aspects that I liked, but none so much that it really grabbed me. The main plot was backed with a lot of history between secondary characters, a lot of history from warring and conquered countries, and a lot of folklore. It's all crammed between a murder mystery, which is crammed in a quest to find a magical spring. There's so much going on that I should have been engaged, but I simply wasn't.
It might have been because the main character was not a part of that tight friend group and actively disliked most of them. I struggled to tell two of the side characters apart, and every time we had to learn a tidbit about their shared history, I was just left wondering why we should care. Imagine sitting at a table with people you resent who all went to the same high school and they're all reminiscing about all the fun they had together. Personally, I'm checking out of that conversation. No thanks!
It might have been because the main character was not a part of that tight friend group and actively disliked most of them. I struggled to tell two of the side characters apart, and every time we had to learn a tidbit about their shared history, I was just left wondering why we should care. Imagine sitting at a table with people you resent who all went to the same high school and they're all reminiscing about all the fun they had together. Personally, I'm checking out of that conversation. No thanks!
The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap
dark
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? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley/Kensington for the e-ARC!
It's a gothic gay dark academia! What more could I want? A little bit as it turns out, but I'll get to that.
This story follows James on his journey to becoming a doctor against his family's wishes. Along the way, he meets Nye and becomes willingly tangled up in the business of snatching bodies from fresh graves. It's gritty, gross business, but it pays well.
James is, I'm not going to lie, a bit of a boring character to follow, especially at the beginning. He's not a bad character and I did enjoy seeing his morals rearrange as he gets into the business, but I found myself more interested in Nye, to be honest. And the gentry stuff always loses me, but that's a personal preference.
The writing was very good. It was pretentious throughout and occasionally overwritten, but I think it was appropriate since James was the one telling the story. The atmosphere was nice and gothic, with plenty of gore and guts. As someone who works in a hospital laboratory and often sees blood and body parts (so many amputated toes...) I wasn't bothered at all. But if you don't like hearing about autopsies, maybe pass on this one?
The plot was on the meandering side. It didn't drag, but there's a lot going on in the synopsis and it takes a while to get to some of the points (Burke and Hare, mostly). The romance was a little quick to spark but sweet (and all fade to black, if that information matters to you). The mystery part really wasn't a mystery, and it wasn't particularly thrilling either. More like it was there and gone, like an extended cameo that I wasn't very impressed by because I'm not a true crime girlie. It might do more for someone else.
So it's not really a mystery, not a thriller, and only partially a romance, but it's definitely a historical dark academia.
It's a gothic gay dark academia! What more could I want? A little bit as it turns out, but I'll get to that.
This story follows James on his journey to becoming a doctor against his family's wishes. Along the way, he meets Nye and becomes willingly tangled up in the business of snatching bodies from fresh graves. It's gritty, gross business, but it pays well.
James is, I'm not going to lie, a bit of a boring character to follow, especially at the beginning. He's not a bad character and I did enjoy seeing his morals rearrange as he gets into the business, but I found myself more interested in Nye, to be honest. And the gentry stuff always loses me, but that's a personal preference.
The writing was very good. It was pretentious throughout and occasionally overwritten, but I think it was appropriate since James was the one telling the story. The atmosphere was nice and gothic, with plenty of gore and guts. As someone who works in a hospital laboratory and often sees blood and body parts (so many amputated toes...) I wasn't bothered at all. But if you don't like hearing about autopsies, maybe pass on this one?
The plot was on the meandering side. It didn't drag, but there's a lot going on in the synopsis and it takes a while to get to some of the points (Burke and Hare, mostly). The romance was a little quick to spark but sweet (and all fade to black, if that information matters to you). The mystery part really wasn't a mystery, and it wasn't particularly thrilling either. More like it was there and gone, like an extended cameo that I wasn't very impressed by because I'm not a true crime girlie. It might do more for someone else.
So it's not really a mystery, not a thriller, and only partially a romance, but it's definitely a historical dark academia.
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a perfect book to listen to while on a long drive, because it never dragged and there were no boring points. The perspectives switched at the perfect times and it really made my drive fly by. It also meant I was completely unprepared for the reveal at the halfway point. Completely flabbergasted, I tell you. And it seriously elevated my enjoyment.
And, while I had fun listening to this and was glad that I did, for it to really resonate with me I think I just prefer more nuance from a story. It was a Good For Her revenge story and not much else. Which is fine and fun! But that's what held it back from a higher rating.
And, while I had fun listening to this and was glad that I did, for it to really resonate with me I think I just prefer more nuance from a story. It was a Good For Her revenge story and not much else. Which is fine and fun! But that's what held it back from a higher rating.
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
informative
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? Yes
4.0
Another fantastic book from Boulley. She is fantastic at using a coming-of-age mystery as a vessel for teaching. In this case, it's about NAGPRA, but also MMIW and Ojibwe culture of course. Every page is brimming with so passion for her community. You can really tell that is the root of these books and why she writes them.
The quotes she pulled to break up each section were absolutely perfect to drive the visceral emotional reaction she was looking for. I definitely want to look more into the sources she used. It's a very educational book in general, but there are points when explaining about NAGPRA and the laws about returning Native remains and objects when it gets to be a little dry, favoring education over flowery prose. I didn't really mind it because it was a good introduction.
Perry was a great character to follow and one I think a lot of kids will resonate with. She doesn't have everything all figured out and most of the time she'd rather be goofing off than being the main character. But she handles the curveballs well and shows serious growth by the end of the story. This is one I wish had been available when I was a kid.
The quotes she pulled to break up each section were absolutely perfect to drive the visceral emotional reaction she was looking for. I definitely want to look more into the sources she used. It's a very educational book in general, but there are points when explaining about NAGPRA and the laws about returning Native remains and objects when it gets to be a little dry, favoring education over flowery prose. I didn't really mind it because it was a good introduction.
Perry was a great character to follow and one I think a lot of kids will resonate with. She doesn't have everything all figured out and most of the time she'd rather be goofing off than being the main character. But she handles the curveballs well and shows serious growth by the end of the story. This is one I wish had been available when I was a kid.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
But in his search for a meaningful death, he invariably searches for meaning in life. Martyr! weaves together stories about addiction, sobriety, grief, art, history, and love to show how it all makes Cyrus who he is. This was a fantastic book, and I think it would be even better on a reread some day.
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
This book was undeniably beautiful. There were whole passages that I read and read again and highlighted so I can read them again in the future. The story itself is a fluid collection of vignettes about Cyrus and his family and the deaths that led to his obsession with martyrs. It's all tied together by his trip to new york to talk to an artist making her slow death from cancer into an art exhibit itself.
If the mortal sin of the suicide is greed, to hoard stillness and calm for yourself while dispersing your riotous internal pain among all those who survive you, then the mortal sin of the martyr must be pride, the vanity, the hubris to believe not only that your death could mean more than your living, but that your death could mean more than death itself—which, because it is inevitable, means nothing.
But in his search for a meaningful death, he invariably searches for meaning in life. Martyr! weaves together stories about addiction, sobriety, grief, art, history, and love to show how it all makes Cyrus who he is. This was a fantastic book, and I think it would be even better on a reread some day.
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
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
2.0
This is a book I should have DNF'd, but I decided to push through because I didn't have anything else checked out from libby, so here we are. I feel sad rating this book so low because I was excited for it. Witchy sapphic cottage core? It sounds soo good, but the truth is that I was simply bored. Everything felt so predictable and one dimensional and poorly balanced that it felt like slop. Sweet slop. Honey-esque slop, I suppose.
It wanted to be cozy, but wasn't cozy enough. It wanted to be romantic, but there wasn't any chemistry. It wanted to have a flawed main character, but her flaws (mostly being judgmental to other women) came and went so suddenly that her comments just felt out of pocket. It wanted to have an intense, heart-wrenching ending but it went from no plot to all plot and I couldn't care about it at the end because I didn't care about anything before it. It was just messy and incomplete and should have been edited more.
It wanted to be cozy, but wasn't cozy enough. It wanted to be romantic, but there wasn't any chemistry. It wanted to have a flawed main character, but her flaws (mostly being judgmental to other women) came and went so suddenly that her comments just felt out of pocket. It wanted to have an intense, heart-wrenching ending but it went from no plot to all plot and I couldn't care about it at the end because I didn't care about anything before it. It was just messy and incomplete and should have been edited more.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
dark
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? Yes
3.5
For the entire time I was reading this, I couldn't decide how I felt about it. And I am still not entirely sure. It was definitely a book, and it wasn't bad, but I feel a bit of nothingness about it. It might be because the tone was going for this sort of grand tale with an omniscient narrator and that didn't really land with me. Instead, it left me a little adrift in everyone's thoughts, unable to really grab to anyone for stability. I guess I liked Santangel the best, but that was mostly because he is a bundle of tropes that I love (morally gray and tortured men are my weakness I fear), but I still felt like I was held back from really falling into his perspective.
The plot and pacing were fine. I appreciate the story that was being told, but it didn't grab me the way I wanted.
The plot and pacing were fine. I appreciate the story that was being told, but it didn't grab me the way I wanted.
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy
adventurous
lighthearted
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 was simply delightful and had all my favorite things. I love a Quirky Little Guy and that's exactly what Leo was. What a beautiful disaster of a man. The combination of writing, tone, and concept just swept me up and carried me along. It was the perfect balance of cozy elements and an actual plot to keep me interested. The audiobook narrator was also the perfect choice and he really nailed the delivery. I would have liked a little more from Grimm, but I also appreciate having room to grow in the following books. Which I'll definitely be picking up btw.
Children of Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent
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? Yes
4.0
She really said let me not just pull on her heartstrings but completely demolish them. I really love these characters and the general plot that Broadbent has written, but this book could have easily been split in half. The Big War Section was really such a small piece and so much of it was just glanced over, which I understand because it would have been repetitive and boring, but if we could have had a *bit* more direction with it...
I really liked Aefa's section and how it broke things up, but I immediately knew why we were getting it. A lot of my complaints (if you can call them that) is that I could see the whole shape of the plot very early on. And that a lot of that heartache felt like it was written just for the pain. She said "oh, I'll write this because it will hurt" rather than making the most sense.
All that and I still very much enjoyed this read and most of that came down to my enjoyment of the characters. I just like how Broadbent writes them. I'll be finishing this series whenever my library gets the final audiobook.
I really liked Aefa's section and how it broke things up, but I immediately knew why we were getting it. A lot of my complaints (if you can call them that) is that I could see the whole shape of the plot very early on. And that a lot of that heartache felt like it was written just for the pain. She said "oh, I'll write this because it will hurt" rather than making the most sense.
All that and I still very much enjoyed this read and most of that came down to my enjoyment of the characters. I just like how Broadbent writes them. I'll be finishing this series whenever my library gets the final audiobook.
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart
adventurous
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
3.0
Once again, Stewart has made a really cool world with really cool implications. Unfortunately, I think there was some serious pacing issues that hindered my enjoyment. Not pacing of the plot (though that also wasn't amazing imo) but the speed at which the character relationships develop. Which was blindingly fast and frankly unrealistic. Characters went from being strangers to completely picking apart the root of each other's flaws within mere moments (or so it felt). For how much this first book was trying to cover, either the relationships needed to have more time to develop through more pages, or the characters needed to come to those conclusions on their own and the intensity of those relationships needed to be toned down.
I really did want to love this because the world is really cool and I appreciate a different take on climate disaster, but it simply left me wanting. I'm going to wait for reviews for the sequel before I decide to pick it up.
I really did want to love this because the world is really cool and I appreciate a different take on climate disaster, but it simply left me wanting. I'm going to wait for reviews for the sequel before I decide to pick it up.