Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia OwensMy rating: 4 of 5 starsCautious 4 starsWell written and engaging. I found myself turning pages earnestly, and I loved the ecological beauty present in the story. I loved the themes of loneliness and isolation and the quiet exploration of trauma, the damage it does to us through generations.Structurally, …
Category: 4 star
THE CHIMERA CODE by Wayne Santos
The Chimera Code by Wayne Santos My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this novel (received a free copy from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review). Santos sometimes bills himself as a straight-up action guy whose books are full of explosions, but that's doing himself a disservice. Although Chimera Code is …
DEAD ASTRONAUTS by Jeff Vandermeer
Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer My rating: 4 of 5 stars The cover of this book (I won't call it a novel) must have a mention. It's gorgeous to see in person, it's gorgeous to see in pictures, it's gorgeous to touch. Note above that I feel I can't call it a novel. The book …
TELEPATHIST by John Brunner
Telepathist by John Brunner My rating: 4 of 5 stars #shortreview for Instagram: I finished reading the Telepathist this morning. It was a sad and rather brutal novel, about a man whose physical deformities enable him to develop powerful mental capabilities (telepathy, in this case). There's some dystopian-esque spy stuff going on in the background …
GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn My rating: 4 of 5 stars It was perhaps a mistake to embark on a novel which is, one way or another, centered on a tumultuous marriage, particularly when your own marriage is somewhat tumultuous. Still, I suppose it speaks to the relatability of the novel that, despite its bizarre …
Troika by Adam Pelzman
Thanks to Essa for the recommendation!
The Outside by Ada Hoffmann
I received an ARC of this Angry Robot book via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My opinions are my own 🙂
A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read GoT about fifteen years ago, and my feelings on it have evolved over the years. For me, Game of Thrones is like a bad-boy romance you had in your teens: exciting, thrilling, and edgy at the time, but a …
Planetfall by Emma Newman
Planetfall by Emma Newman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Planetfall came to me well-recommended from a number of sources (two CPs, and my agent) so I was keen to give it a try. Overall a very enjoyable book, and one I read at a fast pace. The mix of nuanced interiority, bizarre setting, and …
The Outcast Hours by Mahvesh Murad
The Outcast Hours by Mahvesh Murad My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nota bene: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, via Netgalley. All my opinions are my own 🙂 How does one review a short story collection? Specifically, a large anthology with a wide selection of authors …
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read this in about three hours (what can I say, I'm fast and already know the plot, having seen the show.) It certainly fascinating and enjoyable, and the dialogue fantastic, but I'm spoiled a bit from the show, which I think had …
String City, by Graham Edwards
String City by Graham Edwards My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley, in exchange for an unbiased review. Straight off the bat: I LOVE the world-building for this book. As a writer myself, world-building is an area of weakness for me, and I always get a …
You Should Come With Me Now, by M. John Harrison
You Should Come With Me Now: Stories of Ghosts by M. John Harrison My rating: 4 of 5 stars Swinging back to leave a review for this book, although I finished it a few months back. I think this is a must-have for fans of genre-bending literary short fiction. The writing is stunning, in a …
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Review: The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer
The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation / Authority / Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Fascinating NB: Review is for the trilogy overall. On an individual basis, I'd probably give Annihilation 5 stars, Authority 4 stars, and Acceptance 4.5 stars. ### Short review: As fascinating as it was frustrating; as triumphant as …
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Metronome, by Olive Langmead
Metronome by Oliver Langmead My rating: 4 of 5 stars Relative to the wider population of fantasy books available, literary fantasy is in short supply. Partly this is down to readership; most readers prefer a touch of literary at most, but many more don't seek that sort of discussion within their novels (which is, of …
The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton
The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton My rating: 4 of 5 stars Clever and detailed, not to mention elegantly written, but ultimately the narrative is constrained by the very strictures it sets out to explore and (I felt) a little lacking in emotional depth, despite being in first person. I have a pretty high tolerance …
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky My rating: 4 of 5 stars I found this surprisingly good. Surprising because I tend towards the soft and literary end of SFF, and also because I bloody hate spiders. So much hate. I looked up the author and was not at all surprised to see his roleplay interests. …
Dark Eden, by Chris Beckett
Dark Eden by Chris Beckett My rating: 4 of 5 stars Like a lot of reviewers, I'm not sure how I feel about Dark Eden. It didn't bore me, which is always a good thing - the question is whether the total sum reactions are positive or negative. In the end I came down with …
sunyi dean 