What made The Tainted Cup so exceptional was the incredible world-building which felt entirely new. Here, that same world feels less shiny simply becaWhat made The Tainted Cup so exceptional was the incredible world-building which felt entirely new. Here, that same world feels less shiny simply because we’ve seen it before. And while the locked-room mystery is clever, the formula begins to wear thin: so many close calls and false starts.
The Tainted Cup was a breakout for me, despite not being a fan of murder mysteries. A Drop of Corruption doesn’t quite recapture the spark of discovery that made the first book so exceptional. That said, it’s still worth the read!
Maybe I’ve read too many time loop or time travel books, but this one seemed a little too predictable.
And things just kept happening that took me outMaybe I’ve read too many time loop or time travel books, but this one seemed a little too predictable.
And things just kept happening that took me out of the story (she’s two cars behind the person she’s following but thinks she hasn’t been spotted because he hasn’t checked his rearview mirror…which you wouldn’t be able to see two cars back).
But it was fast, and I liked this take on time loops....more
Sherlock Holmes and Watson if Holmes is a recluse living in a world of magic, contagion, and a corrupt plutocracy and Watson is her beleaguered assistSherlock Holmes and Watson if Holmes is a recluse living in a world of magic, contagion, and a corrupt plutocracy and Watson is her beleaguered assistant with an enhancement that gives him perfect recall but who is terribly embarrassed by his dyslexia
I don’t usually enjoy murder mysteries, but I loved the world building, the dynamic between the characters, the political intrigue, and how some things were cleverly foreshadowed while others were total surprises.
I loved the folklore and horror aspects of this, but I never really got into it the way I'd hoped to. I think it might've been the three different perI loved the folklore and horror aspects of this, but I never really got into it the way I'd hoped to. I think it might've been the three different perspectives (Treasure then, Ozomena then, Ozomena now) that made it hard to keep everything straight. I usually like shifting perspectives, and Treasure's and Ozomena's voices are so different that they were easy to keep straight, but something about this just didn't hold my interest and took me way longer to read than it should have.
I do plan to read more from this author in the future!
Everything that has ever begun in the history of this planet has started with one tiny change, invisible to the naked eye
Reminiscent of Emily St. John
Everything that has ever begun in the history of this planet has started with one tiny change, invisible to the naked eye
Reminiscent of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven with similar themes to Dave Eggers’s The Circle
I loved all of this. It takes you through the descent of society with a bit of mystery and intrigue, and the characters were interesting, even if they weren’t all sympathetic. I don’t mind a little heavy handedness in my apocalyptic cli-fi which is good because that was certainly present here.
This is my first Naomi Alderman book, and I’m looking forward to reading others.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Shuster! ...more
A little more exposition than I’m used to from Grant/McGuire, but this was still an enjoyable subversive take on the “magical girl” trope. I hope thisA little more exposition than I’m used to from Grant/McGuire, but this was still an enjoyable subversive take on the “magical girl” trope. I hope this is the first in a new series. ...more
I was sold on this one by the title alone; it's just fantastic. I hadn't read anything by Christy before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I love I was sold on this one by the title alone; it's just fantastic. I hadn't read anything by Christy before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I love time loop books, and I love apocalypse books, so I figured this would be a good one to try.
The world has stopped and is now filled with loopers: people who are stuck in time loops, reliving the same seconds, minutes or hours over and over again. The world has ended, and Coco is alone in NYC among the loopers until she discovers others like her who are not subject to loops.
This novel spans decades, tackles some big questions, but also dives deeply into the lives of Coco and others. It was really fast-paced except for a small section around the 2/3 part, but then it picked up again. I'd highly recommend this. It's innovative but also heart-wrenching.
Thank you to NetGalley and Jackson Dickert!...more
This is a strong 4 stars from me—at some points, I thought this could be a 5 star book.
Cassandra’s life is planned and predictable. Then she gets dumpThis is a strong 4 stars from me—at some points, I thought this could be a 5 star book.
Cassandra’s life is planned and predictable. Then she gets dumped by the guy she’s falling in love with and loses a job she hates, and even this isn’t too unusual for her: she’s never been in a relationship longer than four months and she’s been fired from every job she’s ever had. But something is different this time: this time, she time travels, and maybe this time, she can fix everything.
I thought this was heart-warming and enjoyable and a fun take on time travel (note: fantasy time travel rather than sci-fi time travel). The characters were interesting, and I cared about them. It was, like, a smidge too predictable, but I really enjoyed it. And I like that Smale wrote a neurodivergent heroine who was not a walking cliche.
In 2012, Lahiri moved her family to Rome and began reading and writing in Italian. These stories were written in Italian before being translated into In 2012, Lahiri moved her family to Rome and began reading and writing in Italian. These stories were written in Italian before being translated into English. Some of them were translated by Lahiri herself and others by Todd Portnowitz.
I found it really cool that, after achieving so much success in English, Lahiri would challenge herself to write in her adopted language.
These stories were quiet and poignant. Three stars rather than more because I don’t think any of them will really stick with me for a while. That said, I could see myself coming back to this one in the future and revisiting the rating then.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday!...more
Based on the premise, I was super excited about this one: time travel is a thing, and a company called Kairos has figured out how to use it to set peoBased on the premise, I was super excited about this one: time travel is a thing, and a company called Kairos has figured out how to use it to set people up on dates. Want a fling with a prince? Kairos can make that happen.
But I could not get over the execution. I think I was hate reading this by the end. I'm sorry--this one just wasn't for me.