Both novels I finished this week were long, complicated, and deliciously good, proving once again that quality outweighs quantity every single time.
FINISHED SINCE THE LAST UPDATE:
Goddess bless the Stoker family. Bram’s Dracula story is a gift that keeps on giving. There is nothing I did not love about this collaboration between Dacre Stoker and J. D. Barker. As a prequel, it has everything I love about the original Dracula story without messing with it. As a stand-alone, it is cleverly and convincingly portrayed to be the real story behind the story with the reasons for the 102 missing pages of Bram’s original manuscript abundantly clear. Creepy, intense, gory in the right places, great characters – it is the perfect blend of storytelling elements. Plus, like his previous novel, the Stoker family authorizes this prequel. I am most definitely a fan!
Robert Jackson Bennett became an author to watch with his stunning City of Stairs trilogy. With his newest series, he entered my automatic read list. Mr. Bennett’s world-building is superb, and his stories are intense and complicated and exciting in all the best ways. However, it is with his characters where he truly shines, and Sanchia is one of the best heroines I have read in a while. She is feisty, fierce, more than a little capable, and intensely vulnerable. You cannot help but fall a little in love with her, even though she would probably punch you in the throat for doing so. Her supporting cast is equally impressive, and I am excited to see where their stories take them. Mr. Bennett’s stories are not the types for quick reading. Instead, I savored every sentence and will now wait patiently for the rest of the series.
DID NOT FINISH:
Nothing
CURRENT READ:
CURRENT LISTEN:
NEXT UP:
I am trying to take my advice and stop being so structured with what I read. I will get through my backlog of review copies eventually. It hurts no one if I read them out of publication order.
So, what are you reading?
Yay for relaxing your reading list! I definitely have backlog anxiety (hello toddler and 1 year of unpublished book reviews) but in the grand scheme of life – it’s ok.
Exactly. I am trying to take a more relaxed approach in general to this blog of mine. While the rigid structure works well, it only works if I can stay ahead of reviews. As I get busier, staying ahead on scheduled reviews proves to be more difficult. Plus, the busier I get, the less writing a long review appeals to me. It is time for me to realize it is only causing anxiety for me. I doubt the publishing houses care. You have to wonder just what their e-galley to review ratio is.