hmclint's reviews
13 reviews

Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

I was honestly confused most of the time, a lot of characters to keep track of and I think a lot of time specific references that I didn’t understand. Honestly most of her spy book aren’t as good as the murder mysteries 
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

A bit slow but I thought it was a good second to the first book and I am excited for the third to come out
A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I guessed the main twist/killer almost immediately but all the subplots were really interesting 
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I’ve always been a big Poe fan but somehow never read this one until I saw the show was inspired by it and wanted to read the story first. Classic gothic story (nothing inspiring hence the 4 star and not 5). I’m excited to watch the show!
Open Throat by Henry Hoke

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challenging reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Great book, couldn’t put it down once I started! It’s amazing how many themes are covered so quickly and handled well.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Not my usual type of book but read it for a book club and it felt good for the soul, the audio book has an excellent voice actor!
Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence

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adventurous 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

Just like the first book in the series I thought the action sequences were confusing to follow but the overall story and internal monologue of the main character drove the story very well, even though at times a bit slow, but it’s a lot to set up. I think it’s easy to tell it’s a man writing about the internal monologue of a young woman. 
Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I do love the progression of Matthew’s character after the first book and all of the new characters but with references to the first book. I didn’t like this one as much as the first one though, I think the two story lines were a bit much, especially when some revelations were fairly obvious considering how much they were referenced. The historical note in the epilogue really show how creative C.J. Samson is though and I’m excited to see how the story develops in the next book.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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

4.25

Read through the book quickly and really enjoyed it. I only nocked some points because I found the repetition of certain things annoying, even though it could be argued it was a reflection of the main character’s obliviousness.
Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie

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lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I didn’t dislike it as much as some people do in these reviews. I agree it rambles a bit and she did not write her spy novels as well as her full mysteries, but I found the rambling and loose threads organic to Tommy and Tuppence. There were also times where I did wonder if anyone bothered to edit before publishing.