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10000bees's reviews
326 reviews
The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Kind of mixed feelings about this one, partially due to having beef with how it's marketed, but I'll get into that later. It's a cozy contemporary fantasy with some romance. It's kind of gives sitcom vibes, though it wasn't very funny (not that it was trying to be, I just don't know how else to describe it). I would not call it a romantasy at all. The heart of this story is about taking care of magical creatures, and I really loved that part of it. You can tell the author has a real love for conservation efforts, and the discussion and critiques about the roles zoos play in it were very well done. Aila's anxiety rep felt very authentic, but she was also very immature to the point where she didn't make for an enjoyable protagonist to follow. At most, I pictured her as like 22 and straight out of college, not 28 like she's supposed to be. The plot was fitting for a cozy story, which is to say it was a little on the slow side, but I expected as much. Overall, I think if you like lighthearted and cozy fantasy, you might like it more than me.
Here's my problem with the marketing which involves light spoilers: It doesn't *lie* in the synopsis, but there's a pretty glaring exclusion: a man (*gasp*). Listen, I love wlw just as much as the next person, but for the amount of page time spent with this other supposed romantic interest absolutely warrants a mention in the synopsis, and the fact that he is completely skipped over gave no reason to care about him at all. And the whole time I was waiting for Aila to get over herself to have a real conversation with Luciana to get their romance going, which happened way later than I expected. Luciana doesn't even get much page time until the second half. Now, that's not really a problem that I have with the book. In a vacuum where I didn't read the synopsis before picking it up, I don't think I would be complaining about it. But I did, and I know others do, and it just feels weird to me to only market a sapphic relationship when the main character is bi, you know?
Here's my problem with the marketing which involves light spoilers: It doesn't *lie* in the synopsis, but there's a pretty glaring exclusion: a man (*gasp*). Listen, I love wlw just as much as the next person, but for the amount of page time spent with this other supposed romantic interest absolutely warrants a mention in the synopsis, and the fact that he is completely skipped over gave no reason to care about him at all. And the whole time I was waiting for Aila to get over herself to have a real conversation with Luciana to get their romance going, which happened way later than I expected. Luciana doesn't even get much page time until the second half. Now, that's not really a problem that I have with the book. In a vacuum where I didn't read the synopsis before picking it up, I don't think I would be complaining about it. But I did, and I know others do, and it just feels weird to me to only market a sapphic relationship when the main character is bi, you know?
The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
adventurous
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
This one hit a little bit of middle book slump, but I still love the magic system and world. A lot of time is spent exploring the political ramifications of the upheaval at the end of book 1, and while I definitely appreciated it, the way it was tackled felt a little repetitive. The character development for all the POV characters felt very natural and realistic, though I did find myself wishing for just a little more frank communication. Overall, it was an engaging read, and I'll definitely finish the series soon. If for nothing else, for Mephi. I love him.
Heavenbreaker by Sara Wolf
adventurous
dark
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
3.0
Red Tower, look me in the eye and listen to me. Get someone on your team who has experience and is good at editing fantasy and sci-fi. You cannot just handwave everything speculative and say "it's okay, because it's not real! duh!! and put more romance in there!" Get someone on the team who is not in the business just to earn money but who wants to help publish great books.
This book has the bones of something really cool but is missing the little details that could make it great. As it stands, it's a somewhat serviceable new adult sci-fi. The world building leaves a lot to be desired. Things don't make sense if you take a few seconds to think about it or aren't explained very clearly. The writing, especially at the beginning, is very repetitive to the point where I felt like I was being talked down to. And it is not a sci-fi romantasy or whatever they're calling it. It should not be marketed as a romance at all. The little sexual tension that occurs is poorly handled. It could have been a good slow burn, but nay... romance sells!! Also, the audiobook narrator mispronounced a few words.
While I do have these qualms, I didn't hate it. A lot of that was because it has one of my personal favorite tropes (weird mind melding and a hint of hive mind ) and because it was kind of compelling in the way a trainwreck is. I wish I could say it would be a good book for someone who is looking to read more sci-fi, but I think it's handled messily enough that it could be confusing and leave someone put off by the genre. So, I'm not sure who the audience is. I guess people who like collecting beautiful books.
This book has the bones of something really cool but is missing the little details that could make it great. As it stands, it's a somewhat serviceable new adult sci-fi. The world building leaves a lot to be desired. Things don't make sense if you take a few seconds to think about it or aren't explained very clearly. The writing, especially at the beginning, is very repetitive to the point where I felt like I was being talked down to. And it is not a sci-fi romantasy or whatever they're calling it. It should not be marketed as a romance at all. The little sexual tension that occurs is poorly handled. It could have been a good slow burn, but nay... romance sells!! Also, the audiobook narrator mispronounced a few words.
While I do have these qualms, I didn't hate it. A lot of that was because it has one of my personal favorite tropes (
Bard City Blues by Nathaniel Webb
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
3.5
What a charming little book. Strong writing, wonderful cast of characters, and a steady pace that made it a breeze to read. Gally was a nice character to follow, but Xolgoth was the real favorite here. No other gelatinous cube shall have my heart. I would have liked a little bit more screentime from the mystery before it was resovled, but the root of this story is about the friends that are made along the way, and I can't complain about those.
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso
adventurous
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
Thank you to NetGalley/Orbit for the e-arc!
Let me make one thing clear: this book is Really Cool. It's like Glass Onion plus fantasy Inception in a neat little time loop with a nice dose of sapphic yearning on top. The concept for the world and plot is just Cool, Man. Nothing was so inventive that it blew my mind, but it was put together in a way that kept me entertained. Part of that was due to the main character, Kembral, not having an overly-serious tone as she tells her story. She keeps things relatively light despite what she's experiencing and has a sense of self-awareness in her narration. Some people might not like that, but I did. Except when she was a bit too repetitive about being a new mom. I liked her and Rika's dynamic too, but some of the side characters felt a little like they were built to serve a purpose.
Repetition is actually one of my main complaints about the story. I think the author did a good job of keeping each loop fresh, but there's only so much that can be done when the whole point of time loops is to do the same thing again, you know? The ending does a good job of being satisfying enough to not need to read the rest of the series while also teeing up nicely for a sequel. This book might not stick with me forever, but it sure was fun.
Let me make one thing clear: this book is Really Cool. It's like Glass Onion plus fantasy Inception in a neat little time loop with a nice dose of sapphic yearning on top. The concept for the world and plot is just Cool, Man. Nothing was so inventive that it blew my mind, but it was put together in a way that kept me entertained. Part of that was due to the main character, Kembral, not having an overly-serious tone as she tells her story. She keeps things relatively light despite what she's experiencing and has a sense of self-awareness in her narration. Some people might not like that, but I did. Except when she was a bit too repetitive about being a new mom. I liked her and Rika's dynamic too, but some of the side characters felt a little like they were built to serve a purpose.
Repetition is actually one of my main complaints about the story. I think the author did a good job of keeping each loop fresh, but there's only so much that can be done when the whole point of time loops is to do the same thing again, you know? The ending does a good job of being satisfying enough to not need to read the rest of the series while also teeing up nicely for a sequel. This book might not stick with me forever, but it sure was fun.
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
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
I absolutely ate this book up, I won't lie. I love a simp of a man, Rue is just like me for real, and to be honest, it was just really hot. But the company takeover plot wasn't super well done imo. I struggled to believe that Rue and Florence were actually best friends and not just friendly coworkers, and it made the crux of conflict really weak. But that didn't stop me from enjoying my time reading this.
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
dark
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
This book suffers from doing too much and being unable to stick the landing, unfortunately. Super interesting concept and solid writing that got so bogged down by the breadth of what it was trying to cover that it just fizzled out into a nonending as an excuse to not actually resolve anything. Even though I guessed the twist at like the 45% mark, I was still vibing until about 60% when it started to struggle under its own weight. The audiobook was really good which I think helped my overall enjoyment too.
It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over by Anne de Marcken
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
An incredibly powerful and interesting way to explore grief. This is one that I want to reread one day and annotate because some lines were particularly devastating.
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
dark
mysterious
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
I had a feeling I'd love this book, and I did. It was campy but not unserious, perfectly straddling the line between. It's like laughing at a news headline because it seems so absurd, then reading the whole article and being crushed by the weight of realizing that it's not a joke and this is the world we live in. The monsters were very interesting and provided a lot of diversity in the types of horror on display. The worm scene had me cringing for real. But it's really about queer trauma and how to fully explore a queer character's complicated and traumatic past without sensationalizing it. Misha does it for his characters in his stories, and Chuck does it for Misha in this book. But it's REALLY about the horrors of AI and capitalism teaming up.
The audiobook was fantastic, and I really liked that other authors got cameos. Just as a little treat.
The audiobook was fantastic, and I really liked that other authors got cameos. Just as a little treat.
The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
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
My thoughts about this book are almost the exact same as the first, but in a good way. It's more of the same, with slightly more focus on the characters adjusting to their new roles and slightly less metaphysical city vs city battles. I think the audiobook is the way to go for this series because the narrator does a fantastic job. I could feel the crunch at the end as everything wrapped up a bit quicker than anticipated. It wasn't a bad ending, but it didn't feel like it got all the time it was supposed to get. Definitely a great and inventive duology that makes me excited to check out Jemisin's other works.