the view between villages

32. trying out this book blogger business!

[rynreads91]

a sorceress comes to call by t. kingfisher

I have honestly never actually read a Brothers Grimm story, but I found this retelling was quite good without the background knowledge! I enjoyed every page and every character so much. The women were kickass, and even the men (Squire aside, sorry dude but you are DENSE). I'm definitely glad to have picked this one up! Now I have to read more by T. Kingfisher, as this was my first one!

[rynreads91]

the near witch by v.e. schwab

I rated this four stars mostly because it's YA and I know that YA can be 5 stars, but it did feel a bit too juvenile at times. However, I absolutely adored Lexi and the Thorne sisters. All the women in this book were top notch. So we start by learning the legend of the Near Witch followed by Lexi seeing someone out on the moors surrounding the village of Near. The next evening, children start going missing and people are all too ready to blame it on this stranger that people have caught glimpses of, but Lexi is not convinced. It's a fun story as she unravels the mystery of the missing children and grows closer to the stranger. Definitely a good little spooky read for fall!

[rynreads91]

gallant by v.e. schwab

This was a bit of a slog to get through, which is quite surprising to me for a V.E. Schwab book. I found the story was decent enough, but I just was a bit bored by it. The imagery, however, was beautiful as always. The end felt anti-climactic and the twists were predictable. I still kind of enjoyed it, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it.

We follow Olivia Prior, who has grown up in a girls' orphanage (disguised as a school). She suddenly receives a letter from an uncle she didn't know she had, inviting her to stay at the family estate, Gallant. Important to note that Olivia has always been able to see ghouls, though she is unsure of why.

When she arrives at Gallant, she discovers that her uncle did not send the letter, but someone did, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. A tale with ghouls, parallel universes, and a family who must protect the world by keeping the ghouls out--a great read for the young. For adults? Maybe not so much.

3/5 stars

[rynreads91]

acceptance by jeff vandermeer review

Five stars is honestly not enough. This is a six star read for me. I loved every moment of it and it’s honestly so eerie and weird and wonderful. The amount of tabs I have in this book…insane. Spoilers below!

I loved each and every POV for this. I used separate tab colors for each one. I love how we do get to find out about the OG biologist, that she lived a long life albeit a lonely one on the island. I love how we get to follow Saul, the lighthouse keeper, and peep that gay rep. I adored Ghost Bird's POV the most, I think, or maybe it was tied between her and Gloria/Cynthia/the psychologist.

The way Gloria grew up on the Forgotten Coast actually did kind of surprise me, and I loved how we got to see her machinations and motivations behind entering Area X. This was so incredible and added such depth...but honestly fuck Lowry. I think we can all agree on that.

Another recommendation for those okay with horror and scifi and body horror!

[rynreads91]

absolution by jeff vandermeer review

I want to thank @fsgbooks and NetGalley for the ARC of Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer to read before it's released!

I rated this five stars, and honestly, it's almost a six star read for me. But jesus, Lowry, what the actual fuck? (Spoilers below)

I loved Old Jim's POV. I loved his heartbreak and how angry he was at the replacement Cass, who he does come to love. I loved Cass, too, or the fake one anyway, for not really pushing Jim to love her but just to work with her. Just to adhere to their mission from Central. Fuck Jack and Jackie, though, like jesus christ. I loved his thoughts on the OG expedition of biologists into the Forgotten Coast/Dead Town. I loved the descriptions of everything; as usual, VanderMeer has a way with words.

And then...then we get to Lowry. And fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. I???? Hate this guy. Hated him with every fiber of my being, but for some reason, kept hearing my friend Brandon's voice in my head as I read his POV. And I love my friend Brandon, he's like a brother to me. I...the cannibalism...I read that section at like midnight and was so incredibly grossed out, but not grossed out enough to put it down and finish it later. It just kind of spurred me on.

I was SO GLAD to see Karen/Cass back at the end and then she kills Lowry which I was like "THANK FUCK". But it was so good. I enjoyed this. It felt like an ending to the series. So. If you liked the first three, I think you might enjoy this one. It might not be a five star for you, might not even be a four star, but I think it sheds light on the before times, on the early Southern Reach, and that was interesting to me.

[positive-polls]

Who would be your ideal romantic endgame for Rory Gilmore?

Dean

Jess

Logan

Paris

A character not listed here

I'd rather she end up single

Voting ended onOct 16, 2024

[clown-guitar]

feels so wrong that itll be 2025 soon. fake year. science fiction year

[rynreads91]

authority by jeff vandermeer review

Yet another mind fuck from Jeff VanderMeer but I mean that in the best way. Like he literally just has such a way with phrasing and twists and suspense. (spoilers below)

I loved the character of Control, loved how Ghost Bird comes back only not as herself, and the way she twists the conversations around Control while he's interrogating her. How he thinks he has full "control" of the situation from the moment he steps foot into the Southern Reach but really has no control at all.

I adored this from start to finish. I don't like to think that I put 5 stars on everything I read, but goddamn, this was so good that it deserved it. The way the psychologist comes back--the way she was the former director of the Southern Reach--and everything gets fucked up so that he and Ghost Bird have to enter Area X? Excellent. Just excellent.

Another recommendation for those not squeamish on horror.

[rynreads91]

a darker shade of magic by v.e. schwab

Apologies to my friends who received many incoherent DMs about this book. This is my first V.E. Schwab book and honestly, I cannot wait to read more. The whole premise is just great, and I loved all of the characters, including the Dane twins. Kell is my boy and Lila is my girl and I will defend them with my dying breath. I'm not sure what to compare this to given I haven't read many fiction books in a few years, but it's giving urban fantasy maybe? Also the magic system is wonderful. I really cannot recommend this enough to people.

[rynreads91]

annihilation by jeff vandermeer review

I had initially given this 4 stars but after sitting with it a while, it’s definitely a 5 star read for me. I mean, what a mind fuck in the best possible way. I want to read ten more like it. The biologist was such an interesting character; her inner thoughts about everything in Area X and her observations were amazing. I loved this book and even now, more than 10 days later, I can’t get it out of my head.

I think what really sold this book for me was not just the biologist's inner dialogue, but the descriptions of Area X. VanderMeer does an excellent job with creating the atmosphere so that you feel like you're in the book with the characters. I could very clearly picture the landscape, the lighthouse, the tower.

I am likely one of the few who, in today's world, have not seen the movie, so I went into this with zero preconceived ideas of how it was going to go or what the plot was. That's best with this type of novel, I think.

Anyway, I recommend this if you're into horror sci-fi and not too squeamish about body horror.

[rynreads91]

listen, if murderbot has no fans, i am dead