Reviews by unsuccessfulbookclub

916 reviews by:

unsuccessfulbookclub

Taken to Voraxia

Elizabeth Stephens

3.5

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

Kingdom of Ash

Sarah J. Maas

4.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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: Yes

Inextricably Tied

Aveda Vice

4.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

Zone One

Colson Whitehead

4.25

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Look, I was as surprised as you probably are that Colson Whitehead wrote not only a plague novel but a *zombie* plague novel, and it was just exactly how I thought it would be: weird, tense, sad, darkly funny and worth your time.

Zone One is literary fiction about a zombie plague. It’s gruesome and gross but also deep and very well written. It takes lots of narrative risks, with only three chapters (insert nervous laughter) and a nonlinear timeline. Whitehead loads the prose up with words you’ve probably never heard outside of SAT prep, but mostly as ways to denigrate Connecticut. It’s simultaneously thoughtful commentary on our world and a terrifying story about one guy living through an apocalypse.

👍🏻Recommended! Fans of Severance (the book), literary fiction, zombies, Otessa Moshfegh, Chuck Palahniuk and other Colson Whitehead books. This is a horror story at its core so check the CW

Content Warnings

The Dragon's Bride

Katee Robert

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

Undercover Bromance

Lyssa Kay Adams

4.25

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

You ever read a book that you loved a lot but also hated just a little bit?

I absolutely loved the main storyline in Undercover Bromance. And the characters (except Royce 😤)! And the FEELINGS! The main characters take down a sexual harassing f*ckhead and it is SO SATISFYING. And exciting! And emotional!

✨BUT✨

I need to air some grievances re: Lyssa’s word choices, as follows:

You think “folds” is bad? How about “pink parts”? No. Just…no.

Referring to a character’s erection as his “you-know-what” after a VERY open door seggs scene? No.

Using “vagina” when you mean “vulva” or any other slang word for that? Please ma’am. I beg you. Do not.

Using lines from the national anthem during a seggs scene? ABSOLUTELY MOTHERCLUCKING NOT.

Besides these egregious word choices, I looooooved this book. I liked it *more* than Bromance Book Club. Liv? Top notch. Mack? AH-mazing. Main story? Incredible.

👍🏻Recommended. I don’t know how Ms Adams does it, but she writes books so good that I don’t mind the “pink parts.” (Okay okay I MIND, just you know, not enough to make memes about it. Yet.)