Source: NetGalley - so many thanks to the publisher!TL;DR: Plot: Each had a solid plot, nothing felt too over the top of murky. Each was solid and contained.Characters: Fun and unique, I can't wait to actually return to some of these.Setting: Varied and fun - the best by far were his stories of his childhood... Continue Reading →
Thoughts: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
Source: Netgalley- MANY, many thanks to the publisherTL;DR: A beautiful but gruesome horror book about a mermaid and plague doctor who stumble upon a village of children and their twisted Saints. Loved this, beautiful but NOT for the faint of heart. Plot: A short travel story that leads to a mysterious village with creepy children... Continue Reading →
Thoughts: The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Steve Brusatte
Source: Netgalley - SO LONG AGO, I'M SO SORRY! But Thank you so much!TL;DR: I adored it. This is a highly recommend one for other armchair scientists such as myself who loves dinos and dino-adjacent topics. Readability: This is incredibly readable, the language and style is simple and friendlyStructure: Sectioned into large eras of time... Continue Reading →
Thoughts: The Scarlet Circus by Jane Yolen
Source: Netgalley - Thank you to the publisher!!TL;DR: A short collection of shorts all around the idea of love that feel very much fairy tale like and classic in style. Plot: Each story is incredibly short with traditional almost fairy tale plots - save the village from the dragon, the princess, etc.Characters: I sadly won't... Continue Reading →
Thoughts: The Mimicking of Known Success by Malka Older
Source: Netgalley, thank you very much Tor!TL;DR: A unique and very refreshing take on the Holmesian mystery genre, on Jupiter! Plot: An intriguing mystery of a missing man, that is compounded with a side of murder and thievery!Setting: Set on elaborate rings around Jupiter it was hard to picture in the larger scale, but the... Continue Reading →
Thoughts: Dead Country by Max Gladstone
Source: NetGalley & the Publisher - Thank you!TL;DR: An incredibly intense but beautifully written first book in a new series with some old favorite characters - Cannot recommend it enough! Plot: What feels like an easy plot becomes more complicated till it ties into our characters past in some ingenious ways.Characters: Very flawed, very interesting... Continue Reading →
Thoughts: The Best of our Past, The Worst of Our Future by Christi Nogle
Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!TL;DR: A fantastically strong collection, there were of course misses but mostly wins! Plot: Nearly every story had a good clear plot, some of the more experimental ones were harder to find but on the whole these were great.Characters: The characters were in general not the focus but... Continue Reading →
Thoughts: City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer
Source: NetGalley via the Publisher - thank you!TL;DR: Miss this. So heavy handed it suffocated any chance at a good story. Plot: A deeply anxious and panic riddled young girl gets tangled between two ridiculous 'plots'. It's so thin and unbelievable it's hard to describe.Characters: Embodiment of panic and fear and embodiment of awkward 'truly... Continue Reading →
The Terraformers by AnnaLee Newitz
Source: Netgalley, many thanks to the pubsliher!!TL; DR: Not for me. The characters in this were flatter than cardboard. I sincerely loved the ideas here but I couldn't handle those characters. Plot: The plot in this felt like it had some really 'important things' to say but was lost in the noiseCharacters: Pick up a... Continue Reading →
Thoughts: Song of Silver, Flame like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao
Source: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!TL;DR: If you enjoy non-stop YA fantasy this is the one for you. I really enjoyed a lot of this but found the pace way to fast. Plot: So fast it actually felt unrelenting. There was almost no rest time between 'events' - the biggest flaw of the... Continue Reading →