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icarusabides's reviews
574 reviews
What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I need a series of these short stories, or preferably novellas, of Maryse and Vasyl travelling through America at the turn of the 20th century running their medium hustle all the while encountering genuine supernatural entities and circumstances
The framework of the story is a pretty standard murder mystery with a supernatural twist but Nghi Vo enhances that simple premise through their engaging writing and the little touches that flesh out the world so well for a short story. The little touches of magic scattered through the story, such as the charms placed on fireflies and the imps used for spying creates a picture of a wider world ripe for exploration.
Unfortunately due to this being part of an amazon commissioned series there is likely to be no such further exploration which is saddening.
The framework of the story is a pretty standard murder mystery with a supernatural twist but Nghi Vo enhances that simple premise through their engaging writing and the little touches that flesh out the world so well for a short story. The little touches of magic scattered through the story, such as the charms placed on fireflies and the imps used for spying creates a picture of a wider world ripe for exploration.
Unfortunately due to this being part of an amazon commissioned series there is likely to be no such further exploration which is saddening.
Patience and Not-Forsaken by Alix E. Harrow
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
Thematically there's something reminiscent of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in this short story with the look into mirror worlds and possible faerie lands. The prose is good but at no point was I particularly invested in the character beyond the surface level which left nothing to really hook me into the fates of Patience or Not Forsaken.
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Incredible, I haven't read anything quite like it before. The writing is great and there's some great prose from Alix E Harrow throughout that makes for a throughly engaging and thrilling read that makes this short story feel so incredibly fleshed out.
Had it ended half way through it still would have been a really good read anyway but it then goes on to become brilliant thanks to an interesting premise that works so well to hook the reader and elevates the story even more so.
Had it ended half way through it still would have been a really good read anyway but it then goes on to become brilliant thanks to an interesting premise that works so well to hook the reader and elevates the story even more so.
Persephone by Lev Grossman
mysterious
medium-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
1.0
Ooft, a hasty prologue to a knock off X-Men story complete with Magneto esque gun manipulation.
What starts off as any run of the mill teen high school story in a sleepy town with some very unrealistic teen dialogue quickly shifts into a story of unexplained events, secret doors, and government conspiracy that seems intent to leave the reader confused before a pretty poor attempt at a climatic ending.
What starts off as any run of the mill teen high school story in a sleepy town with some very unrealistic teen dialogue quickly shifts into a story of unexplained events, secret doors, and government conspiracy that seems intent to leave the reader confused before a pretty poor attempt at a climatic ending.
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Min Zemerin's Plan by Katherine Addison
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Bit of an odd duck this short story. It's well written but fails to actually stand on its own independent of the main plot from The Witness for the Dead as it mostly just serves to flesh out a tiny portion of that book rather than serving any real purpose of its own.
It does have a somewhat touching ending which is nice but having to pick up the rather complex naming conventions from this world in the space of a short story is a little difficult.
Overall it's alright but an odd choice for making into a short story in the first place
It does have a somewhat touching ending which is nice but having to pick up the rather complex naming conventions from this world in the space of a short story is a little difficult.
Overall it's alright but an odd choice for making into a short story in the first place
Mort by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
funny
reflective
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
3.5
Death is always wonderful in the Discworld books, even during the briefest of cameos, and so it's no surprise that they're the absolute highlight of this book.
However, given the nature of Death the character they're often explored through other people in the books and so when it comes to the Death series (such as it is) the supporting characters and their storylines are of the utmost importance and unfortunately I've always found Mort to be quite bland as character which is a bit of a let down given the fascinating circumstance he's been placed in - namely that of what happens to a person burdened with the charge of taking on the duties of Death.
There's also the fact he spends the majority of the book risking damaging reality because he saw a pretty girl for five minutes, but then again he is a teenager so perhaps that part is accurate enough if not particularly enjoyable.
However, given the nature of Death the character they're often explored through other people in the books and so when it comes to the Death series (such as it is) the supporting characters and their storylines are of the utmost importance and unfortunately I've always found Mort to be quite bland as character which is a bit of a let down given the fascinating circumstance he's been placed in - namely that of what happens to a person burdened with the charge of taking on the duties of Death.
There's also the fact he spends the majority of the book risking damaging reality because he saw a pretty girl for five minutes, but then again he is a teenager so perhaps that part is accurate enough if not particularly enjoyable.
The Garden by Tomi Adeyemi
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
A light enough read that's more concerned with evoking a sense of mystique than providing answers to the deeper meaning being hinted but overall it's just too vague and lacking for anything to really engage with.
Dead Lions: Slough House Thriller 2 by Mick Herron
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Dead Lions takes far too long to get the plot going as it seeks to obscure the mystery at its heart a bit too much and ultimately hangs far too much on its eventual reveal being a satisfying conclusion. It's also fairly overwritten which for the most part is just slightly annoying but it also unfortunately kills the pacing in what should be the more tense driven moments of the book once the plot finally starts to come together.