Genre: Adult

I am obviously far from the target reader demographics this book is intended for but I still found it to be an pleasant, if not predictable read. It’s a comforting feel-good romance novel ironically focusing on a protag who believes love is dead after being betrayed and taken advantage of by a insensitive ex/aspiring author. I’m not a typical fan of the romance novel genre so take my opinions with a grain of salt, but I picked this up based on intriguing synopsis and the extended pun on “romance is dead.” Also the concept of a ghostwriter having to write a novel while in the presence of a ghost of her editor, genius. Despite my initial excitement for the book’s concept and plot, majority of the time I wished the novel dug a little deeper (get it-) into the themes of coping with loss, healing from betrayal (both romantically and socially) and returning to one’s roots. I acknowledge the primary purpose of this book is the romance, but during some of the quieter moments it often showed signs of being something more profound and touching making it all the more frustrating when it settles for skimming the surface of these…

This is a chaotic novel and not in an exciting bombastic way; rather a mess that feels made up on the fly. Described as a violent and unpredictable noir, the unpredictable part is the only aspect that hit the mark for me (and that’s not a good thing as you soon will see). Perhaps I have high standards as a crime/mystery thriller is one of my favorite genres to read, but the tone of the book didn’t work for me. It jockeys between trying to be a darker grisly man on the run story and a buddy cop/anti-hero slapstick comedy and doesn’t do a particularly good job in either direction. The plot is also nonsensical with things happening with no rhyme or reason and it has a habit of throwing in random flashbacks that derail whatever story is happening in the present instead of seamlessly transitioning back and forth with context. After the first 100 pages or so I stopped reading this as a mystery/crime investigation and as a “what ridiculous things from left field are they going to throw at the wall next”. How a soldier’s training allows a retired veteran to kill someone by impaling them with a…

Note: The following original review for this book is old and does not meet current review standards. A fully rewritten review is planned. A classic I never got around to reading during school, as others have praised the concepts and themes hold up remarkably well. Some aspects such as the controlling history and the narrative can even be seen today in the form of “Fake News” or social media trends and hypes. I found the first 2/3 of the book to be a dry and uninteresting read where I was speed-reading to get through it (the tone and characters were not to my taste) and there’s some questionable takes on how women are portrayed (though again, this is written in the 1950’s which is to be expected to a certain degree) but thinks got a bit more interesting at a particular tuning point near the end of the book. It’s portrayal of Stockholm syndrome was interesting and complex (which is even more impressive considering the term and definition of Stockholm syndrome wouldn’t be discovered for another 20 yrs) and you never know where things will go as is the norm for George Orwell novels (apart from leaving a rather pointed statement…

Note: The following original review for this book is old and does not meet current review standards. A fully rewritten review is planned. An incredibly ambitious novel with wonderful writing that is also incredibly niche. Erin Morgenstern certainly has a set style as I found this novel shares many of the same strengths and drawbacks as The Night Circus amplified. Beautiful and otherworldly visuals combined with a multiple layers of symbolisms, unfortunately the novel’s plot is slow, complex and vague. Are you interested in a passionate queer romance story? How about multiple factions with cult-like tendencies? Multiverse-style dimensions or dreams within dreams with a clear resolution? A fantasy adventure across land and sea to reach a final goal? An engrossing page turner? If you answered yes to any of the above, the Starless Sea is not for you. There are so many compelling elements that have mass appeal, but the delivery will likely alienate all but the most patient readers who appreciate the essence of literature. The chapters are also broken up jumping between the primary narrative focusing on several main characters and short fables, stories or exerts that seemingly have no connection to the main story or each other. Each…

I was a big fan of the Artemis Fowl series growing up and was interested to see how Eoin Colfer’s adult novels would fare in comparison. At a first glance Highfire reads unlike any of his childrens/YA novels with it’s namesake booze-drinking, adulterating dragon (with as the book would describe, very large balls which can be retracted… yes you read that right), Southern bayou slang, and a host of questionably gray characters. Not only that but the teenage human protag Everett “Squib” could be see as the polar opposite of Artemis Fowl being a school-averse, bayou exploring swamp kid with a history of getting into adolescent trouble. For anyone who has read Colfer’s other works, the colorful language and crude humor can be jarring (I personally found it highly entertaining, you can just imagine Colfer letting loose with giddy excitement with how much crass language and surpassingly violent descriptions are featured). However once the characters are introduced, I could see some of Colfer’s signature strengths and expected elements coming through. While having completely different personalities, Artemis Fowl and Squib share the same element of growing up without a fatherly learning figure and finding it within a older sassy or prickly…