Reviews and Comments

I struggled with how every character seemed flat as a sheet and with about as much personality. All the voices sounded the same. I also found the viewpoint character to be an odd choice - wouldn't the daughter have been better to give us interiority instead of the bizarre choice of pigeon grams and bugging? It sounds cool when I type it, but without character depth, it was just another strange choice. All of this made the actual story hard to care about, despite it being a solid plot. Also, no one was queer, which sucked - just saying. I don't know. The whole thing felt upside down and askew, and I had to work to finish it. I recently read a short story of hers that had emotional interiority, so the way she wrote this was clearly a choice and not just her "style."

There's a strong story here. I rarely read urban fantasy, esp if there's a love angle, but this one caught my eye and I don't regret giving it a go. The main character's deep flaws and heartfelt struggles to deal with them were the best part (after the hot angel). Kyoko M's strong suit is her dialogue and people-knowing, and I'd love to see her push out of the UF arena into more serious lit. I think she'd shine.

I loved this, and I plan to get the rest of the collection. I read a chapter each morning - just enough information without becoming dry or overwhelming. I learned quite a bit, and often felt the need to share what I'd learned with others because it was so fascinating. The footnotes were also worth looking through, and I loved the included art.

It's weird, but in the kind of way that kept me turning pages to try and figure out wth was happening. There's an odd exchange between characters super early, and that hook - so nonchalantly dropped - isn't resolved and revealed until almost the very end. It's very satisfying. I don't know if the jumping around will bother some people? It's a lot, but if you can roll with it, it does all come together. I did get a little teary about one relationship, so I can say the characters are deeply explored and feel like real people. This one was a lot of fun, and I think it would make a great movie.

So, there were some really sharp lines, interesting intrigue, and then it just turned into a slog. I'm sure this is great if you're a lit professor or something, but I'm not. I just wanted a good book to read, not a homework assignment. My favorite scene was the dime-a-dance place, and it had absolutely zero to do with anything else in the story, but it had the most emotion.

It was okay. I'm not quite sure what he was going for with this one. It felt like it wanted to be too many things. I disliked the protagonist, and he never redeemed himself or grew interesting in my dislike of him. The joy and delight I could have taken from all the nods and asides to beloved children's fiction never materialized. It all felt clompy. Tchaikovsky is an instabuy author for me, so this was kind of disappointing. The premise was strong, but the actual story felt shallow and dull.

I found it a good read, but I really disliked the main character. She didn't seem to have any redeeming quality? She's clearly a villain, and that's a great story - the whole making of a villain who thinks they're the hero - but, it's not my thing. Too stressful. I felt it was a little over the top at times with the bad things that happen, and I wanted a map. Otherwise, reads fast and immersively, and everyone feels fairly real and I cared about them.

This one fell short for me, despite the lovely prose and the fascinating main character. I never felt connected emotionally, and so I lost out on much of what was intended. I also didn't understand the ending (major plot hole? or just me being dense?). This felt more like a novella, and I really wish there'd been more to it - both deeper emotionally and more developed plot-wise.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. There's just enough tension/conflict to keep me engaged, but not so much that I felt stressed for the character. It read really fast; I finished it in an evening. I appreciated how smartly Baldree wove in the world-building so that environment felt enormous without long exposition - this is my favorite way an author gives me setting. I can't say I really felt the romance angle, but this was a minor distraction. Some of the characters are so well done, that I found myself wanting to do fan art. This is rare for me, and I think a fairly high indicator of how lovable they were. (looking at you, Thimble)

Weird and entertaining, but I was often frustrated by the lack of any real ending to the pieces. These all seem to the written in the most modern of lit styling - surreality coupled with a false depth that feels humorous or profound depending on your mood and temperament. Just as I would accept the premise and become engrossed in the character or plot, the story would just...stop. It feels a bit lazy, honestly. Having said that, what is written here is fascinating in its weirdness. I like it the same way I like Sabrina Orah Mark's work - these stories are less melancholic and fairy tale-ish than hers, but retain that same wtf-ery. I think it's good to stretch our expectations of reality through stories this way, esp in a time when it's hard to be surprised by things.

This is less about the characters or the plot, and more about the philosophies and science. My favorite parts were actually the fictional book excerpts between chapters, and I may need to read the books he acknowledges as helping him shape the ideas presented in the book. This strikes me as a political thriller (without the thrill part) focused on connection, communication, and choice. Which, I suppose is a way of saying the book is about consciousness. Despite how dry that might sound, I actually enjoyed the book. I finished it fairly quickly; it reads smoothly and compellingly despite (or maybe because of?) the too-even tone, in my opinion. Pacing occasionally felt bogged down by setting, and there were some spots where the dialogues were clearly an info dump vehicle, but I found the info interesting so I didn't mind too much. The plot resolution was sudden and felt abrupt, but since the book wasn't so much about the story, I guess I didn't mind? I was actually just grateful it resolved, as I was fearful about a cliffhanger as the page count dwindled.