daezarkian's reviews
294 reviews

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The Raven's Gift by Don Rearden

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Red Queen by Christina Henry

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The House of Dust by Noah Broyles

challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Redwood Asylum: A Paranormal Horror by L.A. Detwiler

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Goblin by Josh Malerman

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Zombie Bake-Off by Stephen Graham Jones

dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The Lodge by Chris Coppel

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

NOTE: I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I'm a little torn on this one.  

On the one hand, the notion of the haunted lodge story is quite appealing, and some of the author's descriptive passages are perfect in conjuring some incredibly tense and well-crafted sequences of suspense and terror.  You absolutely feel the deathly cold of the setting and the claustrophobic horror evoked during several memorable sequences where characters are stuck in small spaces with...something.  There are also scenes of great humor (I love the duct tape in the kitchen gag), and if gory ends to hapless characters is your thing, "The Lodge" has violence aplenty.  Some of the character deaths are downright cringeworthy, and one particular flashback sequence involving an auto wreck is jaw-dropping for its sheer audacious brutality.

Unfortunately, the character development in the novel is spotty, even with the strangely inserted "origin story" asides.  Some characters fare quite well, but several seem more like caricatures, and the heavy-handed manner in which their backgrounds are presented is unnecessarily distracting.  Also, the dialogue is at times extremely unrealistic.

The biggest issue with this book is the ending (or, more specifically, the big narrative twist leading up to the climax), which, while creative, has some glaring issues, the biggest of which is that it comes so out of left field it's all but impossible to swallow (even in a supernatural tale such as this).  The twist is, admittedly, unpredictable, but in this case that's not necessarily a benefit to the story, and while I have a feeling the backstories are supposed to present the grounds for the "big reveal" it still comes across as unnecessarily jarring and clumsily done.

Still, those criticisms aside, this was an enjoyable read, and serves its purpose as a spooky (and often grotesque) adventure in a frigid and remote setting.  

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Dark Hollow by Brian Keene

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5