kitvaria_sarene's reviews
2336 reviews

Shadebound by David Estes and GD Penman  is very different fantasy story.

I loved the magic, which isn't a hard magic system but more on the fluent side of things. I didn't mind this, as it fit well within the world and style of the story.

It was a bit too easy and "from zero to hero" for a full 5 star rating, but I still enjoyed the main character and her newly found best friend a lot.

Getting power from the shades of dead people was a fresh idea compared to a lot of books I read recently, and I will happily explore more in this world.

I liked most of the side characters as well, even though u didn't like them as a person at times. But even the aloof one was well written and therefore I was interested in his fate, despite wanting to shake him every so often.

There's a hunt of a sapphic attraction here, which was nice to read, and I'm curious where things will go in future books.

The Chalice War: Stone by David B. Coe

I accidentally got book two of this series first. I noticed quickly, and switched to the first one. As I already bought the second, I shall read on, otherwise I'd probably have dropped the series right after book one.

It's not horrible, or I wouldn't have finished it, but the characters just felt a bit flat.
Especially Kel, who I was really looking forward too, didn't really deliver.

We get to know her as a person with anxiety, but instead of anxiety representation, it seems more like a tech box ticked off. How convenient to just get "over" something you've had your whole life, why did no one ever tell me I could do that?

It seems that whatever happens, people just shrug and go on as if nothing ever happened. Life shattering, horrible things happened two weeks ago? Yeah, but today is today, so let's banter and be like on every other day of the year. And by that I don't mean not dwelling on it, I'm all for moving on, but it just doesn't seem to affect anyone at all.

I also didn't like the "he's so hot" moments. I especially avoid paranormal romance because that's not something I'm interested in, but this book has quite a bit of this. It doesn't have actual romance, just the ultra pretty magic humanoids and seduction.

What I did like was the world full of magic and myths. While this too could have been a bit deeper, I was intrigued and enjoyed learning more.

Sorrowland by Rivers Salomon is quite unique.

It is, I'd say, urban fantasy, set in a black community, which turns out to be a kind of religious cult.

The handles topics like racism and LGBTQIA discrimination, as well as other problems we face with society. I liked how the topics were just taken on straight forward, no big philosophical thoughts about it, but also not taken as a given. The main character just deals with what she has, and especially her attitude of "just keep going with what you can't change" while also never giving in to others expectations really worked well for me.

Contrasting living utterly wild in the woods, where she birthed twins all alone with coming back out to the "real world" was quite the reality check, and made for fascinating reading. I almost forgot this was not a fantasy world for a while, and then there's bikes and phones and trucks and I loved how it shook up my thinking.

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky was a fun and yet thoughtful read.

I am a big fan of non human characters, ever since I first encountered Mr. Data - and this book obviously has a ton of them!

The main character is a fancy valet, who goes on a quest to find new employment, after unintentionally killing his master. Only the world outside the manor is no longer as he expected, and finding humans to serve is quite the task, and an adventure.

Not that a robot would care for adventure, they just do as they are told, but what if there is no one to tell you?

I enjoyed this journey through a broken world, full of quirky and weird AIs, robots and accidental adventures.

While it is funny and entertaining, it also has quite a bit of depth, wondering what being human actually means, and what it needs to be self aware and have consciousness. It also sheds a light on human society and how we tend to break things instead of making them better.

I really enjoyed the mix and will miss my time with Uncharles and The Wink!

Mislaid in Parts Half-Unknown by Seannan McGuire is a quick bite I devoured in one afternoon.

Apparently it's part of a series of quick stories, it wasn't marked as a series on Everand, so this is the first one I read.

It definitely works as a stand alone, even if there are plenty of characters and the whole premise of kids walking through "doors" which we probably learned about in earlier installments. For me it was easy enough to follow and I didn't feel lost at any point.

I did like the characters, some of them quite a bit weird, and the way the different worlds were completely unique. From a shop to dinosaurs to Candyland of more fairytale like, none was like the other.

It all was just a bit too easy and quick for me to get as invested as I would have liked. But for a quick read between the big tomes, it's a great choice!

Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher is another wonderfully unique book that manages to be grim yet hopeful, dark yet super funny.

I call these cosy-dark and it's one of my favourite genres lately!

So much banter, adorably weird characters and adventure, I was super well entertained, even though I liked the plot in her other books more.

I just can't get enough of Kingfishers style, and already got the next one waiting for me!

On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony is the worst thing I've tried to read in years. Easily. 

I don't tend to rip books apart, and the 1* takes I've had are very few. But pardon my language, where is the fucking bleach for my ears and brain? 

What I'm leaving you with isn't the first instance in the book, but it's the one where I finally decided I just can't a anymore. *Yuck*

<blockquote>"Several Ewes sat on it-big, husky, well-padded young women, attractive in a violent way, with generous endowments wherever he looked.

They wore bright blue suits whose protective padding accented their female qualities enormously. To Zane it was really too much; even prize-winning milking goats lacked udders as massive as these appeared to be."</blockquote>

This led me to some googling and yeah, no, never ever. *Shudders*
Read at your own risk it's ugly
https://litreactor.com/columns/themes-of-pedophilia-in-the-works-of-piers-anthony

Square3 by Mira Grant is a very quick story I devoured in one afternoon.

At the start I didn't really know where it was going, but was easily drawn by the narrative voice.

The farther I got the less I knew what was actually going on, as everything I learned opened 5 new questions - but in the good way! It is thought provoking and fascinating to try to find out what happened to the world, and the characters.

Aside from teh setting, the characters were definitely my main draw, and I must say it didn't feel like a novella to me, but like a way longer novel, the way I got a feel for them and the world. This is in my eyes always the mark of a great short format, if it doesn't feel "short" but perfectly right.

Winter World by A.G. Riddle quickly had me hoked.

While I don't have any science background, it all felt realistic and believable to me, which was great after my last scifi, that had me roll my eyes a bit at certain parts.

The characters were easy to click with, and felt well rounded, not just the basic charicatures you often get in a crew type of setting.

I was easily hooked by the premise of the book, with the world going into "the long winter" all of a sudden, and we need to find out what happened to survive.
Humanity needs to start to work together to get past this, and they finally do! Or do they?

I did find the very end a bit wobbly, both in the scifi part (to avoid spoilers) as in the return to earth, but overall I really enjoyed the whole book and would happily recommend it.

It Always Snows on Mistletoe Square by Ali McNamara is a cute Christmas story with a good dash of "Christmas Magic". So if you don't like fantasy in your fiction, this is not for you.

I however enjoyed the bit of, lets call it time travel, and found it quite charming. And the same goes for some other unexplained and fantastical things.

I liked the main characters, and even though the story is a bit too convenient and happy go lucky at times, I enjoyed this book all the way through.