So. I’m actually on track to reach my reading goal of the year. I never thought I’d manage 100 books and yet….. Okay no. Let’s not jinx it. I have started looking at how I’m going to do a best books of the year post because there are TOO many good books and I’m lost! Which brings me to the mini reviews of a bunch of good books I’ve read in October….
Space Carrier Avalon by Glynn Stewart *****
An engrossing fast paced scifi. It’s battlestar galatica-esque with an old ship on one last run before its decommissioned. Which means plenty of less than stellar things happening on board with a complacent crew and some new members trying to clean them up but then war breaks out and they have to face impossible odds. Honestly at this point I’ll read anything by Glynn Stewart. Is it the most original idea ever? no. But it’s an engaging space opera with awesome characters and exciting space battles that I couldn’t put down.
CW: two female characters face sexual violence and there is very binary language used throughout
Wilder Girls by Rory Power *****
There’s something about isolated islands and also about boarding schools that I love reading. Add in the fact that it’s an all girls school, sapphic and horror. And …this is a great book. Okay? I loved how the relationship progressed slowly and then all at once. I described it on Twitter as a cute f/f but with knife sharp edges and angry girls. Female friendship is at the forefront. There’s a plague that’s slowly turning the girls into monsters and amoral decisions aplenty. It felt like a 2008 YA Dystopian in the best way. Think the Hunger Games or The Maze Runner but more diverse.
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P Djeli Clark *****
An alternate history set in Cairo 1912, where the presence of Djinn has merged with technology and changed the world. It follows an official investigator for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities as he looks into a haunting on a tram car and has to be teamed up with a new rookie all while the suffragette movement is happening in the city. I loved the setting and the way the world was skewed by the supernatural. I also really loved the main character. A little bit bitter, a little bit proud, but clever and caring. A quick and interesting read.
The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht *****
A gay horror novella about an old mining town, a grudge and a monster who climbs out of the water to join the more monstrous human already there. I loved the setting, it was dark and cold and I could easily imagine it all happening around me. But I did feel like it didn’t go as deep and grab me as much as I wanted it to. I would have liked a bit more time in the characters thoughts and emotions to make it hit harder. Though it’s a quick read and I loved the unique and intriguing mythology of the monster and town, as well as the way the backstory was unfolded throughout.
An Offering of Plums by J Emery *****
A short story about a boy whose boyfriend tricks him into being an offering for a demon but the demon isn’t happy with it and scares them away. It’s super short but I did like how it showed Tristan struggling to get over the betrayal. I didn’t really feel how the demon’s and Tristan’s relationship developed but I think this is because it was so super short. I would have liked to see more of it.
Have you read any of these or want to? Let me know what you think!
Ever The Crafter 