January 2020 Reads
I didn’t get as much reading done as I’d have liked, but when do I ever?
I really liked T. Kingfisher’s “The Twisted Ones.” Or, I liked the first half of it, anyway. The conclusion felt like a bit of a letdown, but it was still good and creepy. Read if you like Southern Gothic, a complete lack of romance, Eldritch horrors, alternate dimensions, cute dogs, and sassy senior citizens. 4/5 stars.
I didn’t think I was gonna like Naomi Novik’s “His Majesty's Dragon,” because I don’t like historical fiction, and I really don’t like war books (ESPECIALLY war books that suck England’s dick), but I forgot for a second that Naomi NOVIK is the author, and I’d gladly read her grocery lists. It’s the French revolution of the late 1700s, except both sides are using dragons for aerial combat. Read if you like dragon biology, alternate universes with (a little bit) more gender equality and sex positivity, and some tender dragon/human bromances. 4/5 stars.
I WANTED to love Maggie Stiefvater’s “Call Down the Hawk.” I’ve loved Maggie’s work since I was 15 (I’m 26 now). I’ve met her several times, and even took a class from her. But over the past few years, I’ve noticed a drop in the quality of her work. (Maybe I’m just outgrowing her style?) I was really disappointed with CDTH. It was extremely rushed; overrun with a million subplots and brand new characters. It was too overwhelming. If she’d slowed the hell down and kept her focus on one-two major plots, I would’ve had a better time reading this, and could maybe have grown to like some of the new characters. 2/5 stars.
I also reread the first two books of Dan Wells's 6.5-book John Cleaver series. I LOVE this series, and think it’s one of my favorite horror series out there (even though it’s YA, which is usually… Not great with horror). It’s not the BEST when it comes to dealing with mental illness (not all people diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (sociopaths) are serial killers in the making, Dan), but it’s clear the author does give a damn, and is at least making some effort with his research. It gets better as the series goes on, anyway. A teenager with APD pours his violent urges into hunting demons, instead of other people. Read if you enjoy legit scary scenes, gore, embalming, demons, neurodivergent protagonists, and brains over brawn scheming. The series averages 4/5 stars from me (#2 and #5 are 5/5 stars, tho).
I really liked T. Kingfisher’s “The Twisted Ones.” Or, I liked the first half of it, anyway. The conclusion felt like a bit of a letdown, but it was still good and creepy. Read if you like Southern Gothic, a complete lack of romance, Eldritch horrors, alternate dimensions, cute dogs, and sassy senior citizens. 4/5 stars.
I didn’t think I was gonna like Naomi Novik’s “His Majesty's Dragon,” because I don’t like historical fiction, and I really don’t like war books (ESPECIALLY war books that suck England’s dick), but I forgot for a second that Naomi NOVIK is the author, and I’d gladly read her grocery lists. It’s the French revolution of the late 1700s, except both sides are using dragons for aerial combat. Read if you like dragon biology, alternate universes with (a little bit) more gender equality and sex positivity, and some tender dragon/human bromances. 4/5 stars.
I WANTED to love Maggie Stiefvater’s “Call Down the Hawk.” I’ve loved Maggie’s work since I was 15 (I’m 26 now). I’ve met her several times, and even took a class from her. But over the past few years, I’ve noticed a drop in the quality of her work. (Maybe I’m just outgrowing her style?) I was really disappointed with CDTH. It was extremely rushed; overrun with a million subplots and brand new characters. It was too overwhelming. If she’d slowed the hell down and kept her focus on one-two major plots, I would’ve had a better time reading this, and could maybe have grown to like some of the new characters. 2/5 stars.
I also reread the first two books of Dan Wells's 6.5-book John Cleaver series. I LOVE this series, and think it’s one of my favorite horror series out there (even though it’s YA, which is usually… Not great with horror). It’s not the BEST when it comes to dealing with mental illness (not all people diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder (sociopaths) are serial killers in the making, Dan), but it’s clear the author does give a damn, and is at least making some effort with his research. It gets better as the series goes on, anyway. A teenager with APD pours his violent urges into hunting demons, instead of other people. Read if you enjoy legit scary scenes, gore, embalming, demons, neurodivergent protagonists, and brains over brawn scheming. The series averages 4/5 stars from me (#2 and #5 are 5/5 stars, tho).
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