Take a photo of a barcode or cover
This was a cute volume, very slice of life in a way. But I found the main character's "quirks" leaning way too much into anxiety without it actually being treated as such, and honestly it was rough being so worried and anxious in her head the entire time. So. Nice, but not for me.
DNF @ 39%, shocking myself more than anything. I really LOVED The Grace of Kings, but Wall of Storms feels like it took everything I enjoyed about the first book and just...made it longer and more boring than it needed to be.
I'm not expecting a great action epic - I enjoyed the political maneuvering and the character relationships built up in the first book - but I also don't care to read pages of characters discussing various politics and philosophies. Like, look. My Bachelor's degree is in Philosophy. I love that shit. But not the way it's presented here.
Also, the kids all seem to be very full on caricatures. Maybe that changes later as they're developed, but right now they're so...they're boring! It's all so cliched and boring!
Man, I really thought I'd be continuing on with a series I could called a new favorite. Maybe I'll give this another try in a couple of years.
I'm not expecting a great action epic - I enjoyed the political maneuvering and the character relationships built up in the first book - but I also don't care to read pages of characters discussing various politics and philosophies. Like, look. My Bachelor's degree is in Philosophy. I love that shit. But not the way it's presented here.
Also, the kids all seem to be very full on caricatures. Maybe that changes later as they're developed, but right now they're so...they're boring! It's all so cliched and boring!
Man, I really thought I'd be continuing on with a series I could called a new favorite. Maybe I'll give this another try in a couple of years.
Lone Women is an interesting take on the horror genre, following a very little known aspect of homesteading history. Victor LaValle's author's notes at the end of this explain how he stumbled across the concept of lone women homesteading in Montana, and I found that fascinating. I love when authors find little tidbits of history that are not well known, and create stories inspired by that.
We begin this story with a great hook: Adelaide is leaving her farm where here parents are left dead, and she's dragging a heavy trunk with her all the way from California to northern Montana. What's in the trunk? Why did her parents die? What is she running from? These questions all drove the plot forward for me, and I was having a great time.
As Adelaide settles on her plot of land in Montana and begins to meet other lone women and people from the small town nearby, the pace and forward momentum of the story shifted and slowed down for me. I did like that we got more perspectives and the story widened to a greater view of how Adelaide's arrival kicks off a series of events (as things do in horror novels) that lead to a big ending. Each lone woman had an interesting story behind her, and LaValle manages to work in a TON of commentary with all the residents of the small town. Truly, he has a lot to say and pack into this story and he deftly weaves it all together into a storyline that by the last 40% is barreling forward at a pace that didn't let up.
I think the pacing was the main issue for me here, and eventually the spread of character POVs as the story barrels toward its climax. I wish things could have been a little tighter and focused on a few less people so that we got more of Adelaide. The way Adelaide's story wraps up kind of baffled me because so much was happening and it felt like her story - she starts this book and is ostensibly the main character - was background to everything else.
Overall, this really was a decent horror novel and had some good chills - both inhuman and human. The setting is fantastic, and the way LaValle weaves in various themes into his story feels seamless. I'd say this is also a good read for people who are a little too scared of most horror; this does have some creepy elements and a bit of gore, but ends up being pretty tame in terms of hardcore gore or scares. Definitely worth checking out if anything about the story or setting interests you!
We begin this story with a great hook: Adelaide is leaving her farm where here parents are left dead, and she's dragging a heavy trunk with her all the way from California to northern Montana. What's in the trunk? Why did her parents die? What is she running from? These questions all drove the plot forward for me, and I was having a great time.
As Adelaide settles on her plot of land in Montana and begins to meet other lone women and people from the small town nearby, the pace and forward momentum of the story shifted and slowed down for me. I did like that we got more perspectives and the story widened to a greater view of how Adelaide's arrival kicks off a series of events (as things do in horror novels) that lead to a big ending. Each lone woman had an interesting story behind her, and LaValle manages to work in a TON of commentary with all the residents of the small town. Truly, he has a lot to say and pack into this story and he deftly weaves it all together into a storyline that by the last 40% is barreling forward at a pace that didn't let up.
I think the pacing was the main issue for me here, and eventually the spread of character POVs as the story barrels toward its climax. I wish things could have been a little tighter and focused on a few less people so that we got more of Adelaide. The way Adelaide's story wraps up kind of baffled me because so much was happening and it felt like her story - she starts this book and is ostensibly the main character - was background to everything else.
Overall, this really was a decent horror novel and had some good chills - both inhuman and human. The setting is fantastic, and the way LaValle weaves in various themes into his story feels seamless. I'd say this is also a good read for people who are a little too scared of most horror; this does have some creepy elements and a bit of gore, but ends up being pretty tame in terms of hardcore gore or scares. Definitely worth checking out if anything about the story or setting interests you!
K-pop fanfic draped over the bones of a K-drama and I ate it up like candy in one sitting.
I don't follow DC at all, so I know very little about Supergirl or what her characterization typically is. As I read this, I read it as presented. And as presented, I really enjoyed it.
Supergirl goes to another planet that is under a green moon so that she can actually get drunk - but she's waylaid by a young girl, Ruthye, hunting for the murderer of her father, and that murderer hurts Supergirl (and Krypto, that asshole!) and ends up taking her ship off planet. Thus begins a great journey as Supergirl and Ruthye travel the stars hunting down the villain Krem and having adventures along the way.
The story reads from Ruthye's perspective, which is both folksy and weirdly stilted. Her narrative is of her writing the story of her time with Supergirl, and it's her perspective that drives the emotional narrative. Supergirl does what she does, and I loved the view of her here. Because of what Krem is doing, they're basically witnesses to atrocities and mass murder sprees, and it wears Supergirl down time after time. The emotional weight she has to carry as she tries her best to help people who have already been hurt - that she couldn't prevent these massacres before they happen - is displayed really well.
I will say that midway through the book it does start to drag - especially the story where they end up on a planet with a green moon again and Supergirl is incredibly sick for the duration. It's supposed to be a story of strength for Ruthye, but it dragged.
Everly's art is fucking FANTASTIC. Something about it feels old and modern all at once, very timeless and dynamic and beautiful. Everyone from Supergirl to various aliens are lovingly drawn with emotions and depth. They feel like real characters on the page. The color work is gorgeous, very muted and understated but it works with Everly's style.
Supergirl goes to another planet that is under a green moon so that she can actually get drunk - but she's waylaid by a young girl, Ruthye, hunting for the murderer of her father, and that murderer hurts Supergirl (and Krypto, that asshole!) and ends up taking her ship off planet. Thus begins a great journey as Supergirl and Ruthye travel the stars hunting down the villain Krem and having adventures along the way.
The story reads from Ruthye's perspective, which is both folksy and weirdly stilted. Her narrative is of her writing the story of her time with Supergirl, and it's her perspective that drives the emotional narrative. Supergirl does what she does, and I loved the view of her here. Because of what Krem is doing, they're basically witnesses to atrocities and mass murder sprees, and it wears Supergirl down time after time. The emotional weight she has to carry as she tries her best to help people who have already been hurt - that she couldn't prevent these massacres before they happen - is displayed really well.
I will say that midway through the book it does start to drag - especially the story where they end up on a planet with a green moon again and Supergirl is incredibly sick for the duration. It's supposed to be a story of strength for Ruthye, but it dragged.
Everly's art is fucking FANTASTIC. Something about it feels old and modern all at once, very timeless and dynamic and beautiful. Everyone from Supergirl to various aliens are lovingly drawn with emotions and depth. They feel like real characters on the page. The color work is gorgeous, very muted and understated but it works with Everly's style.
DNF @ 12% on audio. I can see why people really enjoy this, but it's soooo not my thing. I wanted to give it a chance despite knowing I don't really vibe with historical fiction/novel of manners stories, even if they're fantasy. But! Not my thing, and that's okay. Happy I tried it, and happy to DNF now.
About as Emily Carroll as an Emily Carroll story can get. Black and white and red all over, beautiful and haunting.