neuroqueer's Reviews (442)

Overall: A
I was not expecting a book on bees to hit me in the feels but dammit it did. 

Educational and emotional...good job Mr. Hosler. 

Ran out of time on Spotify so just reading 

Overall: A-

The story follows Sadie, an unfortunate preteen who has been haunted by a ghost her whole life. The writer did a good job of capturing Sadie's feelings of longing and loneliness due to her forced isolation. Teh author also illustrated Sadie's guilt and grief for the death of her best friend. I was rooting for this poor girl. I found the plot is predictable and writing is simple but I'm not the target audience so that's expected. I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it for middle schoolers. 

Overall: C

I will start off saying that the writing in this is good. The dual timeline with Henry was intriguing (and he was probably the most decent character). The narrator did a good job. The choice of setting while not original was servicable. 

But my kingdom for interesting and likeable characters... Almost all characters was intolerable, underdeveloped or forgettable. Hannah got the most chapters out of everyone but I just really didn't care about her. After the reveal of something that she, her friend Cricket and her brother Mako did, (Yes, the two most unlikeable characters are named Cricket and Mako) all my tolerance of her flew out the window. 

This novel is overambitious and mixes various POVs, infidelity and murder. I don't think it handles the sensitive subject of rape well. It started off slow. The resolution sucked. 

I'm willing to try another Lisa Unger book because she does have writing chops. I hope this is a one off and the next one I try will be better. 

Overall: I'm actually flopping between B- and C+....

"William" is a  combination horror and sci-fi novella that was a quick listen due to length but felt like a long one due to the characters. 

The story does break up into different chapters based on the POV of the four human characters but focus is mainly on Henry.  He is a socially awkward agoraphobic robotics engineer. Out of all the characters, he is the most sympathetic. Lily is Henry's wife while Paige and Davis are her associates. The three of them can jump off the bridge. The end. 

...

Okay, I at least would say more than about Paige and Davis but not only were they cardboard cutouts, they were ANNOYING cardboard cutouts. Paige was the "snarky" best friend whose snark was just boring and unfunny. Davis is just there to fulfill one uninteresting purpose.

He is just the guy who is banging Henry's wife and doing a shit job of hiding it.

Lily is an ambitious pregnant software engineer. There is a large disconnect between her and Henry and at first, you might think it's the idea that she is getting tired of how altered her life is due to Henry's agoraphobia and reclusiveness. However you get farther into the book and nope. It's more than that. She was fine for her role. 

The story's premise is intriguing and the author does a great job of building suspense and adding drama as it progresses. The narrator did a good job at making each character sound distinct. This novella does have a twist that I did not see coming and changes how you end up viewing the story as a whole. But before that, some of the chapters were either rushed or taking too long to get to the point. 

I think I saw another review somewhere mention that this might have been better as either a short story or full length novel. I have to agree. I think more chapters are needed to get flesh out the characters a bit more (and make them a bit more palatable ???) I also so saw that someone will be adapting this to a film adaptation. As a story idea, yes this would translate well to the big screen. Directly translating this to the big screen? As much as I slagged off the characters, I can actually see it working. Mostly because we won't be in the vapid characters heads, the pacing will have to be different and perhaps the director/screenwriter/whoever can make the characters more tolerable.

Overall: A

Thrum is a novella that blends sci-fi, horror, and romance. The story follows Ami, the only survivor on her malfunctioning spaceship. She is a rescued by an alien named Dorian. The rest the story follows Ami trying to figure out what Dorian is and what caused her ship to break down and kill her teammates. 

I really liked the tense atmosphere created by the author. There is a sense of unease due to the incomprehensible machinations of the Dorian's alien ship and how it is affecting Ami. At same time, there is a sense of uncertainty as there never is a clear explanation of Dorian's motivations nor if Ami can rely on his word. The romance could be seen as forced and rushed but I could also see that occurring quickly when it's just you, your grief and one other person alone in the vastness of space. 

I enjoyed this novella a lot! 

Overall: B-

I liked Sanctuary but can admit that it is only a decent story. The few issues I had were:

1. The story relies heavily on Slavic mythos (with some references to other folklore and religions). I feel like reading would have been smoother if I had previously knowledge. The author includes a dictionary(?) at the end of the book to explain all the deities and creatures seen in the book. I feel mixed about this. There was probably a way to work in the mythology so it didn't feel like a lecture. However, that would probably turn the novella into a novel. 
2. Apparently the main character Roman is from other Ilona Andrews series. This is the first Ilona Andrews book that I have read. Like the Slavic mythos, I'm wondering if I would have a better experience or appreciation for the character if I read other works with him in it first. 
3. I like Roman regardless of my lack of previous Roman history (pun intended!). The reason for how he got to the position that he is in is shoved towards the end of the book and it feels forced.

Do I like it enough that I will read the next book? Maybe. But it wouldn't be high on my priority list.  I liked Roman, the settings, and the plot. I think it is creative and promising. At some point I may try other Ilona Andrews works. 

Overall: B+
Cranberry Cove is a good novella. 

I think the strengths of this book are the characterizations and the premise. Our main character is Hailey and she is an interesting character. She is a trans character and while we do get some insight on how she views her gender and people's reaction to her, it's not heavy handed or forced (there are characters in other stories that just pandering and this isn't one of them). It feels natural.  She and her partner Conner are mob enforcers that are called to investigate the assault of a mob boss's son at a haunted hotel. Very intriguing idea for a story. 

I found the beginning the confusing because I didn't know what was going on. This could be due to me just borrowing the book and not remembering the synopsis. I didn't find it confusing or messy afterwards once I got the gist of it. 

The writing was fine. The plot was good. I think the story is just missing something to take it up a notch. This is a horror book. There is something sinister happening at the hotel and bad things do go down. The focus feels moreso on how Hailey and Connor are dealing and contemplating the horror itself. That's not a bad thing at all. Just wasn't what I was expecting. 

I like the story and it's a quick read. It really piqued my interest in the author's other books.