chloefrizzle's Reviews (993)

Wow, this book has a lot of worldbuilding. Aggressively steampunk.

Somewhat less ambitious than the first book, and therefore more successful.

Ward: *Pretends to be stupid*
Ward: Nobody trusts me, everyone underestimates me!

Ward: "I'll kill my uncle!"
Ward: why does everyone think that I'll kill my uncle?

Oreg: *Pranks Ward, pouts*
Ward: how dare Oreg not just communicate with me. I'll be even more spiteful back at him. and not tell him my real plans.
Ward: why doesn't Oreg trust me? How dare.

Oreg: "I trust you, Ward."
Ward: He's definitely lying.

And with the fourth book in the series, it's been knocked out of the park once again. It functions as a tidy and fast paced adventure, but also gives more breadcrumbs to the series-wide mysteries.

This series follows Joseph Bridgeman, an ametuar time traveller. In this book, Joseph is part of the time-travel-police. However, his missions are just as messy as when he was freelance.

I thought I knew what I was getting into with this book. I've read the prequels, and I'm accustomed to the wild quest through time. I was wrong, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. And the plot twists in this book knocked my socks off!

If you're looking for a complicated, hard scifi were you can figure out the rules, this series isn't for you. It's soft time travel, with new rules and exceptions to old rules being introduced as you go. If you're looking for an adventure, this book has got you covered.

A video review including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, at https://youtube.com/chloefrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

Asil's story, Dating Terrors, was perfect.

This book reads like a collection of interconnected short stories. Each chapter, we are jumping POV to a different denizen of the city with fingers in different pies. As the book continues, the stories become more interconnected and we get repeats of the same characters.

(Yes, I know that what I'm describing is just a multi-POV novel. However, it really does feel like each chapter is a short story, and I think that's the correct expectation to have. If you're expecting a novel, you're probably going to be disappointed. If you're expecting a collecting of highly interconnected short stories, you might just have a great time.)
I would expect fans of Malazan to have a blast with this book.

City of Last Chances is a portrait of a magical and political city. It's a melting pot of cultures, including freshly-arrived invaders. There are districts under different curses, and bars that have portals to other realms in the back. It's a story about impossible quests, cultural identity, duty, and faith.

This book made me laugh several times. It's delightfully witty.

In the beginning, I really struggled with this book. The disconnect between each chapter/short story made it impossible for me to engage with the plot. However, I then made a decision that changed it all around. I chose a character, and searched the ebook for chapters featuring that character. I read those chapters, following a somewhat cohesive plotline that circled that character. And then I chose another character, until I had crossed all of the chapters off the list. If you're not loving the book, I would recommend trying out this reading order.

Here's some of my suggested characters to follow. Just start with whomever you're most intrigued by.
HELLGRAM (Jem's Reasons for Leaving, The Hospitality of the Varatsins, Ruslav in the Teeth, Breaking Things, Hellgram's War, Unity and Division, Resurrections).
YASNIC (Yasnic's Relationship With God, Nihilostes Loses A Convert, Conservations About God, Price of Rope, Drinking Alone, The Apostate, Port to Nowhere, Another Round).
RUSLAV (Ruslav in Love Again, Ruslav's Master's Voice, Jem's Reasons for Leaving, Hospitality of the Varatsins, Ruslav in the Teeth, Nihilostes Loses A Convert, Chains, Price of Rope, Wings, The Bitter Sisters, The Dousing, Resurrections, Another Round).

A video review including this book will appear on my channel in the coming weeks, at https://youtube.com/chloefrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

This is exactly my kind of thriller. Focused on the psychology and relationships, without being too slow. A mystery to figure out, without a surplus of impossible red herrings.

This book follows Blythe, a teenage girl that loves following the rules. Blythe witnesses her friend have a mental breakdown and attack a teacher. The next day, she's met with memory loss and gaslighting at every turn.
Blythe and her band of (dysfunctional) friends investigate, but surprises lurk at every turn. It seems like everyone has a skeleton in their closet, no one is fully trustworthy, and every relationship is one reveal away from toppling.
For Blythe, she's in situations where it might be worth it to break the rules, if it means getting to the bottom of this web.

In the beginning, I loved this book because of the characters. Blythe and her best friend have recently had a mysterious falling out, and I was curious to see what it was. As the plot unfolded, it hooked me and kept me in its clutches until the very end. This book weaved together the relationships and the thrilling attacks perfectly.

This book deals poignantly with themes of what shapes a person (their memories, how others treat them).

A review video including this book will appear on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, at https://www.youtube.com/chloefrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Tundra books for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

Even better than the first. I feel like the characters were more proactive.

Alas, many side quests.

I love this book. This is the first romance novel that I've enjoyed, and I treasure it for that.