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anchovysaurus's reviews
246 reviews
Mosaic by Catherine McCarthy
dark
tense
4.0
Mosaic is a cosmic horror novella that incorporates one of Lovecraft's menacing entities. Lovecraft's name is also mentioned, and I'm not sure if this is meant to imply that the cosmic entities are real and that Lovecraft was aware of this. For some reason, this felt cheap, though I suspect its inclusion was meant to be a clever homage.
Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.5
Foul Days really had a lot going for it.
The worldbuilding? On point.
The supporting characters? Interesting.
The folklore? Exceptional.
It even delves into various aspects of xenophobia, like looking down on certain groups of people but still exploiting their cheap labour and advocating for marginalised groups instead of advocating with said groups.
The only aspect dragging this story down like cement shoes is Kosara, the main character. Kosara's one of the most incompetent protagonists I've ever encountered and, frankly, it's mindblowing how she's lived this long in her city.
Here's a list of events that made me question Kosara's competence:
•Kept underestimating the detective even though he saved her from an upir
The worldbuilding? On point.
The supporting characters? Interesting.
The folklore? Exceptional.
It even delves into various aspects of xenophobia, like looking down on certain groups of people but still exploiting their cheap labour and advocating for marginalised groups instead of advocating with said groups.
The only aspect dragging this story down like cement shoes is Kosara, the main character. Kosara's one of the most incompetent protagonists I've ever encountered and, frankly, it's mindblowing how she's lived this long in her city.
Here's a list of events that made me question Kosara's competence:
•
• Doesn't detect that the detective "reeks" of magic
• Doesn't deduce that one of her acquaintances works for the Tsar of Monsters
• Thought a veteran sailor was too "stupid" to transport her safely onboard his ship
• Drugged herself with a truth serum instead of her intended target
• Tried to intimidate the detective with a knife but only succeeded in cutting her finger
In future, I might still try some of the author's other works but only if Kosara isn't the main character.
• Drugged herself with a truth serum instead of her intended target
• Tried to intimidate the detective with a knife but only succeeded in cutting her finger
In future, I might still try some of the author's other works but only if Kosara isn't the main character.
Mouth by Joshua Hull
hopeful
3.0
It's wonderful that we get some chapters from Mouth's POV ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶
However, I'm not sure the author knew how to construct Abigail's character arc. She's mostly annoying but the reader is clearly meant to root for her, especially in the last third of the book. For most of the book, I wondered if eliminating her character and simply having the book focus on Rusty and Mouth's relationship would have made a better story.
However, I'm not sure the author knew how to construct Abigail's character arc. She's mostly annoying but the reader is clearly meant to root for her, especially in the last third of the book. For most of the book, I wondered if eliminating her character and simply having the book focus on Rusty and Mouth's relationship would have made a better story.
In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf
mysterious
3.0
While this book is meant to be the author's first adult novel, it very much reads as YA. This is most evident in the protagonist's interactions with her love interest and her denial when confronted with difficult emotions.
The Troop by Nick Cutter
dark
tense
4.25
I went into this thinking that The Troop wasn't for me and that I would probably DNF it.
I'm ecstatic to say that this is one of the best horror books I've ever read.
Horror books tend to suffer from an imbalance. Either the author focuses too much on the horror elements at the expense of a coherent plot and good characterisation, or the author focuses on human dynamics and the horror elements are secondary. The Troop has an excellent balance of horror combined with characters who are well fleshed out.
I thought this would be a story about a bio-engineered man-creature who slowly picks off a scoutmaster and his charges. I'm proud to have been proven wrong; the man dies off pretty early and the story unfolds naturally thereafter.
I'm ecstatic to say that this is one of the best horror books I've ever read.
Horror books tend to suffer from an imbalance. Either the author focuses too much on the horror elements at the expense of a coherent plot and good characterisation, or the author focuses on human dynamics and the horror elements are secondary. The Troop has an excellent balance of horror combined with characters who are well fleshed out.
I thought this would be a story about a bio-engineered man-creature who slowly picks off a scoutmaster and his charges. I'm proud to have been proven wrong; the man dies off pretty early and the story unfolds naturally thereafter.
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
2.75
After enjoying Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver, I decided to try this one out. Unfortunately, Dark Matter: A Ghost Story was a bit of a disappointment.
Our main character, Jack, is mostly unlikable. He's fatphobic and arrogant, despite his feelings of inferiority. He makes some smart moves that other characters in horror novels don't often do, but that's about where the good stuff ends.
This story just didn't have that atmosphere of dread bearing down on the reader. However, I'm glad to see how the author has grown as a horror writer between this book and Wakenhyrst.
Our main character, Jack, is mostly unlikable. He's fatphobic and arrogant, despite his feelings of inferiority. He makes some smart moves that other characters in horror novels don't often do, but that's about where the good stuff ends.
This story just didn't have that atmosphere of dread bearing down on the reader. However, I'm glad to see how the author has grown as a horror writer between this book and Wakenhyrst.