Squidapus read this in a day sooooo yeah. A non-magic sister gets called to a magic school her sister teaches at to solve a murder. It very early in separates itself from being a variation on Harry Potter and takes a more down to earth but still fantastical setting. He really really enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters as it was very complicated and relatable. Squidapus understands the ending may not satisfy readers but he liked it.

This was a very well written book that Squidapus really didn't like. He thought it was going to be a fantasy about searching for a girl's brother in the land of the fae; but it was actually about a really obsessive sibling relationship and Christian theology. To explain why exactly he didn't like this book so much would be a spoiler. The good parts and unique idea of Arcadia didn't win out over just...whatever this book was trying to do.

Another exciting journey for the crew of the Keiko! The characters are still wonderful and the author includes even more representation. And man the crew just can't catch a break; nothing ever goes right for them. Which might actually be the thing that bothered Squidapus about this book. He has no idea where the crew can go from here after all the consequences at the end. And if this is the final Keiko adventure, it leaves a bad taste in his beak

Squidapus doesn't think this is a bad book so he would still recommend it to others; it just didn't connect with him like some people. A recounting of a young boy's life during one summer with good weird Uncle and new friends, though he'll be faced by the reality of the world that draws all kids into adults. Squidapus has almost no nostalgia for youth even when seen through an even-handed lens. The writing is good but he just wasn't invested

Another fun book in a fascinating world that Squidapus always wants to know more about. Basically a risk assessor at a magical firm has to figure out problems that are arising right before a big company merger. I will say Squidapus liked the previous one better but this was still good. The main character wasn't as strong and the plot was obvious a mile away with an ending that wrapped up a little too well for a story about sacrifices. Really fun.

Squidapus liked this more than All the Birds. Great sci fi about two women living in the razor thin area between scorching sun and killing ice. Squidapus feels like a lot of sci fi lately haven't tackled transhumanism in a satisfying way if at all. Sophie and Mouth can be frustrating characters but it all services the ideas of letting go to improve oneself on small and large scales. Fantastic book EVEN IF IT ENDED LIKE THAT HOW DARE IT JUST E-

There was something going on in this book that was over Squidapus' head. It had a fantastic premise but the main character rarely moved events along and often just watched others act while complaining. Towards the end the tension ramps up fantastically as more and more comes to light, written wonderfully in alternating chapters from the past and present. But then the ending just happens and Squidapus wasn't sure if he missed a greater meaning

Next up is Squidapus' first full novel from Victor Lavalle. He read and enjoyed a number of Lavalle's novellas and shorts so he's interested in how his full length hold up! Guess we'll see!

Squidapus found this an enjoyable read. He likes stories where the supernatural or fantastic are brought down or interacted with in very real world ways. There were some stumbles here and there were either stuff happened to move the plot instead of being organic or where a solution was something that wasn't foreshadowed but everyone said was obvious (multiple times actually). Even then they didn't detract from wanting to keep reading til the end

From sci fi to sci...fantasy? Who knows! But he's been interested in this one a long time!

Squidapus thought this book was incredible. It was fascinating watching a non-human sentience arise. Sci fi authors don't take advantage of using non-human characters enough. Squidapus was actually rooting against the humans the entire book. It also has to be one of the coolest sci fi books he's read, and not in a shallow aesthetic way but with all the creative mirroring of human society and touching on themes misogynist nerds might retain

Alrighty, we've read some great fantasy lately so it's time to undertake this behemoth of a sci fi novel! Squidapus has heard some good things about this book and author so let's see if it's true!

So yeah, apparently Squidapus has been missing out on a fun author. This combination fantasy of Gods and necromancy and also murder mystery and court procedural was great. It had a fantastic ability to create a world and populate it with it's own history and terminology that didn't leave you confused. There were no pages of exposition or awkward stilted dialogue but Squidapus never had trouble following along. And a rarity, a satisfying ending!

Squidapus actually started this and finished Spinning Silver a while back but I was so busy I couldn't post for him. It looks like Gladstone was one of those prolific and popular authors he had never read who actually weaves an enjoyable story. He'll probably finish it tomorrow!

Oh man, Squidapus liked this a heck of a lot and way more than Uprooted. An amalgamation of folklore and fairy tales into something wholly unique in execution. A story about women being underestimated in a society that doesn't give them many choices or respect. The fantasy was so well thought out and the plot intricately wove varied plot points into a week connected whole. Any minor quibbles Squidapus had were thrown aside by some great writing.

Alright y'all, after seeing 1000 people post about Sanderson and Maas I grabbed these two books for Squidapus as the first books by these well lauded authors that he'll read. If they aren't up to his...admittedly loose standards, I'll be the one covered in ink.

Real talk, Squidapus is only really reading this for his book club. He'll give her another chance cause there were parts of Uprooted he enjoyed but overall he didn't care for it. So here's hoping!

A good sequel to Wake, where Rhett and his posse go after an evil railroad tycoon. As much as Squidapus enjoys these books and especially appreciates their diversity and representation, he still has annoyances with them. For one, Rhett is a bit of a jerk. And not an endearing one. He has his reasons but it makes him frustrating to follow. It also has what Squidapus calls Buffy syndrome; the confrontation with the big bad is quick and disappointing

Well, we found the sequel to Wake of Vultures for a fiver at the store so since the first book was fresh in our minds we decided to strike while the iron was hot. It'll be interesting to see if it can maintain.

Squidapus found the book very engaging with a prose that came exceptionally close to the panicked thoughts one has when dealing with suicide. He's also reaffirmed that when review outlets say something is funny or "uproariously humorous" what they really mean is you might occasionally smirk once or twice. A very good character driven story that was still enjoyable even though Squidapus doesn't value family in the same way and related more to Elf.

Woof. That one hit a little too close.

Time for a bit of a departure. Squidapus has been reading nothing but sci fi and fantasy so he figured an interlude would be nice. A book that deals heavily with suicide and the feelings that drive you to it. It caught his eye so we picked it up ages ago. Guess it's time to finally read it!

Squidapus thought this book was very inconsistent; there are some great bits in there like the characters and the idea central to how the doomsday device works. But the author couldn't decide if this was a character study or a Hollywood movie. So a lot of the pacing and tone was all over the place. He'd have characters tell pages long stories that weren't important. Wasted talent because there's some great writing and characterization in there

Here's one for you; a man accidentally starts a doomsday device from the 50s and a secret agent tries to stop it while fighting a cornucopia of villainous characters. Squidapus is interested in trying this new author!

Another great book in this series! Squidapus really loves how the characterization Senlin got in the first book is quintupled as the point of view changes to all the members of his crew. The tower is still a fascinating setting and we meet some great new characters like the Sphinx as well as get some pretty big developments and revelations. Watching these characters change and grow in they're adventure is what really makes these novels. So good!

Squidapus is so excited we lucked out and found the sequel to Senlin Ascends at the used bookstore. He loved the first book and really wants to read the second because the perspective shifts to his favorite character! Should be great!

This was...y'know, alright. The language and prose were fantastical and whimsical and fun to read...but the actual narrative could've been 100 pages and with a main character who didn't just watch everyone else do everything. Squidapus is not a fan of writing a narrative tale where 80% of your focus is world-building history and lists like it's a Fantasy Wikipedia article. In the end he still liked the book but he often waited for plot to show up

Some pretty good advice in here

A fun book with an almost "too smart" 16 year old girl. Squidapus thought the book sets up a cute mystery with a spaceship that lands in a quiet Massachusetts town and does...nothing. He thought it mostly paid off. The lighthearted and comedic story and dialogue hits a jarring change midway through when stuff behind to get real, keeping a comedic tone but it's almost like a different story. Both parts were good, just not seamlessly transitioned

We've been reading so much big fantasy lately it seemed about time for a little sci fi. The first few pages of this have a really fun tone that Squidapus really liked. He still can't get over how good The Belles were, just absolutely enjoyable throughout

So good that Squidapus committed identity theft and signed into my Amazon account to preorder the next book. An absolutely fascinating world where beauty is everything and a populous cursed by a god to look ugly are transformed by Belles with the power to change appearance. A world of excess where only looks matter that can really be extrapolated to our lives today. Even tho it took Squidapus a while to read this it never felt overong or slow

Ooooo, Squidapus has been excited to read this one for a while. A fantasy New Orleans where the Belles use their powerful magic for the upper class. Seemed like a really unique world and could be quite the novel!

Another good Cantero book, though it took a little for Squidapus to get into it. Cantero's prose is still vociferous and over-indulgent so it either works for you or it doesn't. He toes the line into grating when the pop culture references come on heavy but like his other works the core of the story and characters and descriptions are still great. Very interesting MCs too; essentially 100% emotion + 100% logic as two people in the same body.

Snekko, you're not making it easy to read like this.

Squidapus is excited to read this one because he absolutely loved Meddling Kids. He knows Cantero can be an acquired taste in regards to good prose but something's you just need ridiculous metaphors and silly characters and situations. And a random screenplay style change? Okay that one was weird.

I mentioned before that Squidapus isn't a romantic and so that's probably why he didn't enjoy this except for the middle. The cloying and honestly eyerolling romance in Karen Memory takes up most of this novella. It's almost 50 pages out of 150+ before getting to a fun story about some steampunk illusionists and a creature that can cause earthquakes then an ending of like 30 about the couple. Squidapus didn't want them to stay together by page 20

Found this little novella in the used book store this week and I guess it was Divine Providence cause I have it to Squidapus just as he was finishing up Karen Memory. The book and series is fun but kinda brought up a lot of weird plot resolutions that seemed sudden so maybe a shorter adventure will be a little tighter in execution.

Squidapus doesn't particularly care for steampunk but he found this book a fun adventure. A prostitute and her co-workers get caught up in a dastardly plot after finding a dead hooker in their trash pile. A Western but everything is made out of steam engines. Very good ethnic and LGBT representation as well as showing the roughness of the time period without being exploitative. A bit of a slow/hard start because of the colloquial prose y'all.

So Squidapus has some pretty gaping holes in his library because we buy from what catches our eye at used book stores. Since we don't read book websites with news or reviews I feel like a lot of well known authors are complete unknown to us. I picked up Karen Memory because I think Elizabeth Bear is one of those authors but it also made me curious if we're missing out on people like Bear or Max Gladstone who take up entire shelves at the bookstore

Woof. This was a rough read. Written by a death row investigator from the point of view of a prisoner on death row, the book examines how exactly people like him are made and how prison removes their ability to be anything else. The language is beautiful and evocative. Squidapus found it handled incredibly dark things like rape, murder, abuse and such respectfully but also smartly in obscuring it so your imagination comes up with so much worse.

A man on death row and an investigator looking for innocence. But apparently there's some scifi/fantasy shenaniganry afoot. Squidapus was intrigued by the first page which he always takes a look at in store so late see how all the other pages are!

This book was phenomenal. Squidapus was hooked from page one when a woman wakes up standing in the middle of a circle of dead people all wearing latex gloves with no memories. While a secret organization protecting against the supernatural isn't original, the execution is fantastic. An intriguing plot is carried along by an absolutely riotous dry humor that never detracts from the seriousness or horror of events. Unique and wonderful characters

So confession, Squidapus has already been reading this for a day so he'll probably review it tonight or tomorrow because he is ripping through it. He absolutely loves it. I was shocked to see it came out in 2012 and didn't get any awards (I think) cause it's pretty damn brilliant.

This was pretty good. Squidapus didn't think it was really a horror book so much as a dark fantasy book. While occasionally hitting the same plot point repeatedly ("I have to get out!") it still moved swiftly along. The characters were quirky and fun and the little asides from Morningside's book added to the atmosphere. Can't say that about the two page spreads of photographs tho, Squidapus doesn't think they added much. Great ending as well.

Squidapus is still in a shlocky mood so he decided to go for a quick read of this horror book where a newly hired employee at a...hotel? Hospice? finds out some muuuuurder is going on. I've heard Madeline Roux is a fun author

To reiterate, this series should not be as good as it is. This time Angel has to deal with a mysterious death which prompts a body theft at gunpoint. Squidapus thinks that the humor, characters and plot are still just great. The author must write crime novels on the side because she does a better job of hints and tying clues together into a mystery that makes sense than most crime/mystery novels Squidapus has read. A really quick and fun read

Yes Squidapus bought the 2nd book of this. #sorrynotsorry

Squidapus still doesn't entirely sit right with this series but he did finish it in one day so he still liked it. Maybe it's because as an eldritch monstrosity himself he doesn't really care for tradition and family bonds and identified more with the views of the antagonists this time. I guess while he loves the idea of taking Lovecraft's work away from racism the creatures are too anthropomorphized to be frightening or otherworldly in this

While Squidapus dislikes reading something he just grabbed when his backlog isn't getting any smaller, it also helps to read something related to a recent read that you have fresh in your mind. That way you're not treading water until you go "Oh yeah, that happened...wait who is this?" So now for Deep Roots, second of the Lovrcraftian reimagining! Maybe it'll have more tentacles!

Well yeeehaw! This was a rip roaring good time! Squidapus feels Westerns are a hugely underrepresented setting in fantasy. Bowen sometimes skirts there line of making her language a bit too stereotypical "ah got a snake in my boot" but uses it well enough to great narrative effect. Nettie is a fantastic character and might be the only nonbinary/possibly trans-male protagonist I've read in any fiction; her journey inward and outward is enthralling