Review: Vicious

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Definitely darker than I was expecting, but a lot of fun!

It's a fresh take on Heroes vs Villains and it asks a lot of moral questions in amongst revenge-y plotting and superpower action. Victor and Eli are our Hero and Villain, but which is which? All we know is that they were once friends, now they're enemies, and both are intent on taking down the other.

Initially, I enjoyed the base in science. It grounds fantasy in reality and allows you greater belief in what's happening, which is a lot more fun. It's kind of like X-Men, only the X-Men are corrupt and soulless, and a lot of people die around them.

The story does jump back and forth through time so we get the origin stories mixed in with the present, and it helps to keep the story interesting, though it wasn't quite as addictive as I'd anticipated. I thought I'd smash through it in a day but it was easy to put down, so it took me three (Then again, maybe that's also part restlessness on account of being stuck indoors all week).

I enjoyed the cast of characters immensely and loved them all, though of course I have a soft spot for Victor. I also like that he was NOT a hero. These characters are all shades of grey so prepare to have your own morals questioned.

The story did seem to drag a little but there was always something happening so I can't put my finger on why. I think I just wanted more, whereas this never seemed to properly climax. I think I wanted less talk and plotting and calmness and more savagery and action. But Eli and Victor are very chill about their evil-doings.

This was a great read that took a familiar trope and twisted it around so that you're constantly questioning your own moral choices. I liked that there was so much grey, and that I was able to really get to know and love these characters.

Nothing particularly exceptional for fantasy lovers, but excellent, intriguing material for those interested in heroes and villains. Great characters, plenty of darkness and a touch of superpowers thrown in for fun.

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Review: You

You by Caroline Kepnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holey smokes what the fkn cheese was that??!?!

I mean.

WOW.

This was a thousand times more disturbing than I ever anticipated.

This is vulgar and kinky and creepy and whatever your definition of 'messed up' is, this book is a billion times worse than messed up. It's horny as hell and filled with depravity and is so very, very disturbing.


...


SUPER ADDICTIVE, though.

I'm off to take that scalding shower now.

***

Pre-Read Thoughts 08/18

Was tossing up whether to read this book or not, clicked on a spoiler tag and had the end spoiled for me. Totally my own fault but that was enough to send this to the 'never gonna happen' shelf because now there's basically no point. Mixed reviews on here though so I'm not too broken up about it.

***

Edit 5/2/20: I forgot the spoiler I read! Hooray! Now I can read it fresh and finally understand why everyone is obsessed with the tv show. :D

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Review: The Sin Eater

The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not gonna lie, this was a disappointment for me.

I think my problem was my preconceived notions. 'Sin-eating' to me sounded a heck of a lot like fantasy, so that's what I expected. Turns out this was once an actual thing that once happened?! So that's entirely on me but it really coloured my experience of this novel.

For those who have not yet encountered the concept of sin eating, it's basically a medieval spiritual practice, where someone eats symbolic food to absolve a person of their sins before they die. Not fantasy. Just a person eating food. Speaking of food, check out the egg on my face.

So the plot basically involves a girl who becomes a sin eater, then proceeds to tell dying people what food she will eat for them, and then revisit when they die to eat said foods. Only, in the course of her Reciting and Eating, she discovers a Dastardly Plot which of course she must unravel because she's the only one privy to everyone's deepest darkest secrets.

It may not come as a surprise that a lot of people die in this book.

The whole embellished concept of sin eating is what drives this novel, so I got a bit bored with all of the talking about food and the eating of food. The sins were fun but rarely expanded on. Whereas the lists of foods were endless (there's literally a list at the front so you know what foods are for what sins, but then the story goes ahead and tells you anyway). It's like the author took a sketch of a scene from history that was only a faint outline and has darkened the lines then gone to town with markers and colouring pencils. It's a richly detailed slice of this world so I suspect historical fiction lovers are going to enjoy that immensely.

Next you've got the fact that sin eaters are considered outcasts, so that's what really tugs the heart strings here (and is maybe also a reason I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped - I hate reading about suffering). I mean, she's doing these religious nutters a pretty solid favour by taking all their sins as her own, but they shun her and treat her terribly. I found it quite heartbreaking because even when she finds a slice of kindness here and there, the overwhelming sense is that things are just not destined to go well for this girl.

The story is gloomy and slow, but also coarse and vulgar. The language was so beautiful at times but then it would shock me with it's bluntness and uncouth references. Also the adjective 'fugging' had me feeling mighty awkward. Was this an actual term once upon a time or was the author trying to swear in a novel manner? It's likely the former but it felt like the latter which contributed to the writing sitting poorly for me. Overall, I found that the writing contrasted too harshly - it was like the story was a queen and every now and then a beggar would come and kick her in the shins and then move off again. You kinda bask in this beautiful language then suddenly there's a reference to someone's 'cunny' and you're wrinkling your nose in displeasure.

There is of course an actual story to keep things moving along, and it involves a mystery surrounding the royal family and all their sins. I enjoyed it, but it unravelled too slow at the start for me and then too fast at the end. The characters beyond the main protagonist weren't fleshed out quite to my liking, and there's more focus on her and her fellow outcasts than those involved in the Plot. So while the mystery kept me reading, it wasn't anything too intriguing and felt more like an excuse to show off the main character. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not really for me. I am a lover of action, that's for sure.

The vivid details of this one is what will draw readers in, but the mystery lovers will likely be disappointed by the pace. The concept of the sin eater and the religious/spiritual practice itself is rather fascinating, so will appeal to lovers of historical fiction and those with a taste for the unusual. And sinners will get a kick out of deciding what foods might have been eaten on their behalf, back in the day.

Stewed gurnards, anyone?

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Review: Challenge Accepted!

Challenge Accepted! by Celeste Barber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

WHAT A QUEEN.

She's a funny lady, sure, but this book also shows that she's down to earth, genuine, honest and just trying to give life her best shot, like the rest of us.

I loved it. I loved the honesty, but also that - and bear with me on this - it's not a book that's trying too hard to be funny?

She's a comedian, sure, but this is a biography - not a sketch. It's her life, and it's told with honesty. Of course there's her own brand of humour lacing the stories to make them more fun, but it's not over the top outrageous; instead it's dialled back so that her story can actually be told.

It was the more honest moments that I think I enjoyed the most - her blunt delivery of her own #metoo stories, and her opinion on feminism, and women supporting women. How her Instagram started, and of course the dirty deets on her relationship with #hothusband.

I think part of the reason she is loved by so many is because she's just an average Aussie lady. That doesn't mean she isn't wonderful, or achieving amazing things, etc. Rather, it means that every other person who considers themselves average can be inspired to be wonderful and achieve amazing things.

This is the story of a woman with a dream, who set out to achieve it and never let anyone stand in her way. She backed herself, stood up for what she believed in, and blocked out the negativity trying to bring her down. She found her own light and now it's a gift that lights the world.

It's not bellyache-from-laughing funny, but it is witty, insightful and enlightening. A truly enjoyable read that I would recommend to people looking for inspiration with a good dose of humour.

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Review: The Unspoken Name

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY GOD THIS WAS GOOD.

I haven't read a new fantasy this exciting in a long time. Mostly, I think I fell in love because it was so different. I had no fkn clue what was going to happen.

Blurb keywords:
Death cult. Old magic. Sacrifice. Powerful mage. Spy. Assassin. Reclaim. All debts become due.

Honestly, how could you not be sold after that???

Csorwe is our protagonist and she's a total badass. She's also loyal AF to Sethennai, the mage who saved her life. (And if the names are scaring you, don't stress - there's a handy pronunciation guide in the front.) She's tough as nails and easy to root for and I really admired her loyalty. Her journey throughout the novel was fascinating.

Rather than one epic tale, this is more like a series of episodes, with goals constantly changing. It made the whole novel unpredictable which was fantastic and highly addictive. I enjoyed the fortress arc the best, but I do have a soft spot for snakes (so yes, the series name gets me a bit excited for what's to come). The landscape was constantly changing, and new characters being regularly introduced. But it was never overwhelming, and everything slotted into the story so nicely.

The writing style was an interesting mix of sparse and lyrical - it creates atmosphere so well, but then at times I found myself re-reading passages because it seemed actions had been skipped over. However it still manages to draw you in and it's easy to be absorbed.

The characters are often questionable and not so easy to love but they are coloured thoroughly which makes them rather interesting to observe. Sethennai absolutely fascinated me because he's not like any wizard/mage/magician character I've come across before. I really wanted to understand him more.

This was such an original, dark, addictive fantasy adventure and I never stopped being amazed by how good it was. I'll be recommending this one to a lot of fantasy lovers this year, and definitely keen for the sequel!

With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC

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Review: You Are Not Alone

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ooooh what a thriller!

It's clever and different and though some twists were predictable I still wasn't sure where we were going to end up. So I just read it in a day so I didn't have to wait too long to find out. XD

Plot: Shay's a bit of a loser. No job, no relationship, no friends. So when the charismatic Moore sisters come into her orbit, she can't help but get swept up. That two such people would want to be her friend feels like a miracle. But perhaps there's something sinister in the sisters' motives ...

My favourite part of this book is that Shay is just so oblivious. I mean, she's smart - she records all kinds of fascinating data that gives her a wealth of random knowledge - but the Moore girls are trying to work out what she's up to, when in fact Shay seems to be up to nothing particularly suss at all. She just wants to be friends.

It's mysterious, and includes a few different viewpoints so that we get to know some of the other ladies involved, which allows clues and hints to filter through sporadically and with subtlety.

The thing that makes this book so successful is that Shay is someone a lot of people might relate to. She's lonely. She doesn't have a fulfilling job, she's not in a relationship like everyone around her seems to be, and the only person she considers a friend is far too busy being a Mum to really support or understand her. So when these brilliant Moore girls seem to want to be her friend, she latches on.

Loneliness is detrimental and its harm is often overlooked. That's the driving force behind the thrills here. Shay's desperation to be liked, and to feel valued, puts her in a position that we know is not going to end well for her.

So while it's a great thriller, tense and tight and unpredictable, I hope it also gets people thinking about friends they might be overlooking.

With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC

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Review: The Roo

The Roo by Alan Baxter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OH MY GOD YES

AVOID if you have an aversion to:
-Murderous kangaroos
-Carnage and mayhem
-Blood and gore
-Pointless, graphic violence
-Swearing
-Aussie slang
-Outback livin'

This is a book quite clearly written for the people. The larrakin language was so over the top I was laughing out loud and considered shelving this as 'comedy'. (Side note: 'Strine'?? Round these parts we call it 'Strayan'.) Make sure you read the forward.

There's a handful of typos and continuity errors, too many characters to keep track of, and a slightly too-drilled message about domestic violence - it's no work of literary genius. But it is just a lot of ridiculous, violent fun.

It's a psycho kangaroo hopping around murdering country bumpkins.

Just sit back and enjoy it.

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Dymocks 2020 Challenge Progress

Currently reading:
Challenge Accepted
Mao's Last Dancer

Progress: 6/26

• Australian Author: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte (AA)
• Indigenous Author: Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin & Ezekiel Kwaymullina (AA) Review Here
• From Top 101: TBA
• Kid's Top 51: TBA
• Dymocks 'Book of the Month': House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas (March)
• Re-read favourite book of all time: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
• Friend's recommendation: Mao's Last Dancer by Cunxin Li (AA)
• Featuring favourite country (France): Josephine's Garden by Stephanie Parkyn
• From TBR pile: North Star Guide Me Home by Jo Spurrier (AA)
• Award winner: Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (AA) Review Here
• Mystery/Thriller: One Last Child by Anni Taylor (AA) Review Here
• Memoir: A Sceptic's Search for Meaning by Mike Willesee (AA) Review Here
• Outside usual genre: Entranced by Nora Roberts
• Short stories: Saga Land by Richard Fidler & Kari Gislason (AA)
• Self Help/Motivation: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• Fairytale/Fable adaptation: Beauty in Thorns by Kate Forsyth (AA)
• Book 1 in Fantasy series: Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
• Teaches something new: The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
• Adapted to film/TV series: You by Caroline Kepnes
• Red cover: Cherry Pie by Leigh Redhead (AA)
• Colour in title: Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
• Read in a day: Weapon by Lynette Noni (AA) Review Here
• About books: The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury Review Here
• Makes me laugh: Challenge Accepted by Celeste Barber (AA)
• Published this year: Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (AA)
• Said I've read but haven't: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Review: Obsidio

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, that's that, then.

RIP

Honestly I wasn't expecting much from this series after reading book 1 but now I totally get it. The hype is real.

I need a minute here to process that whole sh*t storm light show though.

Good Things
✓ The collaboration of all of our heroes
✓ Realities of war
✓ The Duke
✓ Hanna kicking butt (again)
✓ Sh*t getting serious
✓ High emotional investment level

Bad Things
✘ Rhys seemed so mopey and whiny? Why do we like this guy?
✘ Death OH GOD WHYYYYYY (see point 2 of 'Good Things' list)
✘ Aidan is still a d*ck
✘ No aliens
✘ High emotional investment level

This is a war story, friends, and it ain't pretty.

The new heroes are Rhys and Asha and I just was not feeling them at all. Asha was great, but Rhys just seemed so sullen all the time and I just didn't get it? But thankfully this is the conclusion so we return to Kady, Ezra, Hanna and Nik a bit so I still got my cute couple quota filled.

There's no virus, and no aliens, but the evil and terror and danger is all still real and it's entirely human. Which makes it less fun and more heartbreaking.

I keep saying that Aidan is a d*ck, but you know what? So are humans.

The toll on my emotions was much greater, and while it wasn't as fun a romp as the last one, I appreciated that there was a lot of grey. This book makes it abundantly clear that no one really wins in a war. Everyone is fighting for what they believe. That damn near broke my heart.

It's definitely heavier which seems appropriate for a conclusion, and it's certainly epic. It brings together everything and finishes off the series spectacularly.

A brilliant, worthy end to a dynamic series.

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Review: Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 1

Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Look my heart is filled with so much love for the original Fruits Basket series that it's absolutely flooded right now.

FB gave me so many life lessons and crazy as it may sound, it really inspired me to try and be more thoughtful and kind to everyone. It made such a big impact on me.

Now I get to re-live that joy and love through a whole new series starring the same family a generation later and I have all the feels (pretty sure that's the technical term).

So this is an entirely biased review because I loved this before it even existed.

I will say, though, that if you haven't read the first series before you pick this up ... YOU'RE WASTING TIME GODDAMMIT.

5 hearts for the return of Furuba. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

(Story is legit like a 3.5 maybe but we're just getting warmed up, folks.)

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Review: Gemina

Gemina by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ohhhhh. NOW I get all the 'Lollipop Song' references.

Also, this one was so much better than the first book.

My biggest criticism of this book is the parts with black on black text. I literally needed a torch to read them and it was a pain in the arse. Other than that, this was some gooooood times.

Plot:
Boy: Nik
Girl: Hanna
Bad guy: Falk
Problem: Die Hard-style takeover as Falk and team are on a mission to eliminate evidence of everything that was botched in Book 1. Also there are alien things. And a song. About Lollipops. (If you know, you know.)

So here is one of my favourite action movies of all time brought to life on a space station in the future and featuring a badass female lead who excels at martial arts. It's like this book was written for me. I loved it. The plot is so dynamic and problems constantly arising to keep things interesting and the banter is still strong, despite this being once again in the format of briefing notes. I definitely feel that it was easier to get to know the characters in this one and I loved them all.

There's a lot going on and the format has us jumping around a lot, which keeps up the entertainment factor. Plus the fact that we're reading 'briefing notes' makes you kind of want to second guess everything. (And yes, I did notice some familiar names on those pages. I appreciate.)

I loved the variety and the drama and the sass and - yes, I'm a psychopath, I know - the VIOLENT DEATHS that were always going to occur with this many characters. So many unexpected moments. I dig it. I dig it a lot.

To sum up, way more impressed with this book vs book 1 and extra keen for the grand finale.

You bet your wormhole I wanna know how it ends.

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Review: The Mercies

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

F**k this book and what it did to my heart.

Two points of note:
1. This was not what I was expecting.
2. This book held me captivated from start to finish.

I honestly thought this was going to have real witchcraft but it's firmly on the solid land of Historical Fiction. We're in 1620 Norway, visiting a tiny commune in Vardo following an unexpected storm that's wiped out the majority of the male population. The women have to fend for themselves as best they can, before an outsider comes to take control.

I genuinely thought this was a book set on a fictional island that was inhabited solely by women - something more akin to the Amazons (I'm not the greatest at blurb comprehension, I'll admit). I was ready for some badass ladies finding their power. But this is all snow and ice and backwards ways and dark, dark times. It was super depressing.

This entire story is gloomy and overcast, and the author does such an incredible job of transporting us to this historical village of ice and snow with a storm hanging over its head. I knew very early on this was not going to be a happy story.

Add to that the fact that this story is inspired by true events and it's enough to make your blood run cold.

I was fully entrenched in this world while reading, and I felt so much for the characters. I connected completely and felt their pain as my own. By the end of it I was nearly crying from all the hardship. And I'm not really a crier.

This is a heart-wrenching story about the evil of ignorance. About how following blindly can have tragic consequences. And about how contagious fear is, and how detrimental that fear becomes. How grateful I am to live in a world that's moved past these evils, but how terrified I am to see the same ignorance and fear causing different tragedies around the world four hundred years later.

I'll likely be recommending this one to a lot of people. If I hadn't been lured in by wrong impressions I would not have picked this up, and that would have been a real loss, because this is such an incredible read. It's not particularly happy but it's fascinating and atmospheric and creates a true connection to these women and what they experience.

A highly worthy read.

With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC.

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Review: The Secrets of Strangers

The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Paranormal Homicide: The Skinners Incident

Paranormal Homicide: The Skinners Incident by Joseph Wright
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

SWEET JEEZUZ.

Where do I even begin with how terrible this book is?

I'm going to apologise right now to the author, because I'm not gonna be softening the blows here.

I mean, this is one of those things that might be GOOD simply because it's SO BAD.

I can't deny how immense my amusement was reading god-awful paragraphs of violence and gore and nonsense (see notes and highlights for examples).

The plot is basically a bunch of people dying under mysterious (supernatural) circumstances. It was hard to see how everything was related at first, and it was all pretty damn messy. People disappearing then turning up dead, mutilated bodies being found, psychic visions ... the plot was messier than that guy who had been skinned in chunks. There's a poor snake that is considered a suspect briefly because one dude is found with claw marks inside his throat?! I mean, how ...?!! *sigh*

There's also this bizarre overuse of full names? Everyone is so formal and full names are used on a regular basis. Erin Cross is almost never referred to as Erin, or Kyle's mother, or even 'she'. And I STILL couldn't keep track of who everyone was. But, to be fair, I skimmed a LOT. It was necessary. Unlike half of this book's words.

We've got play-by-play of pretty much every scene, and it's boring details. A lot of superfluous stuff and endless sentences with poor grammar. The style jumps around a bit which would be okay if it was done cleverly or even just clean but instead it adds to the messiness of the overall story.

The supernatural element is intriguing because the villain is so bizarre, but the psychic visions and the 'she just had a hunch/feeling/knowing' etc were ridiculous and painful.

Then you've got your basic continuity errors (eg: 'a single tear rolled down her face' followed closely by, 'she wiped the tears from her eyes') and pointless repetition (eg: 'she closed her laptop shut' ... 'grabbed her closed laptop' ... 'with her laptop under her arm' all in the same paragraph) and paragraphs of meaningless drivel and it's basically crying out for an editor. I had to choose between laughing or crying over this mess.

There's a unique monster here, but the story itself needs a lot of work to be readable. Then again, maybe I'm just still bitter about that one time I wrote a story that started with, 'They called him the Cat Skinner ...' which basically went downhill from there and my English teacher only gave me a C for it. THAT WAS LITERARY GOLD GODDAMMIT AND THIS GUY TOTALLY STOLE MY IDEA.

But, hey. Judge for yourselves, friends.

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