Review: Chimera Skin by Johnny Compton

 

Chimera Skin by Johnny Compton

4.5★

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream meets aliens and zombies to make an existential tale about human nature.

I was sceptical going into this. Sure, sci-fi with some horror, probably some questions about aliens and first contact... I didn't expect this level of body distortion, conspiracy theories and symbolism about human spite. It was such a ride (I finished it in two days), a fast but cunning read if you enjoy weird, cosmic horror and apocalyptic tales while still respecting the zombie survival.

As I said, this reminds me of I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream; dare I even call it its successor. A more introspective look at the aftermath of the 1967 story after experiencing the space race to its finest, exchanging an omnipotent AI with what's worse: a human's own will to be better, always better, for oneself or for the cummulus of the species.

The in media res structure may discourage some; it's unconventional, and the scrambled narrative can be confusing at times, but I believe it adds to the experience. It's like watching a 20-minute YouTube documentary on conspiracies and what-ifs. Also, never seen sci-fi authors dive into the concept of teleportation and its risks, and I was entranced by this take.

Review: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher 

5★

The more I read, the more I liked it. This pinch of humour I'm starting to believe is T. Kingfisher's personal touch is just my type of weird. It honestly felt just like listening to a Magnus Archive episode. The ambience was so immersive, and the characters spill personality, especially Easton (which I was very pleasantly surprised to find out is not strictly cis; love to find characters to relate to). The humour that mixes with the creepy and uncanny is so fun to read.

Review: El Eco del Destino de Iria y Selene

El Eco del Destino de Iria y Selene 

2★

Me da rabia que este libro no me haya conmocionado. Me encantan Iria y Selene; por ende, este es tu aviso: no te desanimes al leerlas. Mi opinión, como siempre, es personal. Dicho esto:

Este libro es tan repetitivo como una vuelta al sol. Creo que fácilmente 200 páginas son del mismo tipo de flashback sobre Nathan y Adam, y otras 100 son de los personajes dándole vueltas a lo que acaba de pasar y a cómo se sienten en su cabeza. Un par de veces, lo entiendo, pero narrar lo mismo desde distintos puntos de vista y alargarlo durante varios capítulos me resultaba pesado. Vamos, que toda la segunda parte me la tiré bostezando. En serio.

Desde el inicio te presenta y alimenta con cuchara la relación de los personajes, por lo que cuando estas se ven desafiadas, no te sorprende. Es o A) son mejores amigos o B) se odian. Esta relación preestablecida da poco margen a que tú mismo generes tu propio vínculo y opinión sobre los personajes. Hay una excepción, Darien, que yo diría que es lo mejor de toda la novela: era el único al que tenía ganas de seguir y que me intrigaba.

Creo que una de las cosas que más me molestan, además de la constante repetición y un dilema que no termina de encajar conmigo, es el abandono de uno de los personajes. Mientras que en la primera parte se nos presenta, y en la segunda se nos expande, se nos abandona completamente su perspectiva. Supongo, quiero pensar, que a futuro se retoma, pero me dio pena tener que dejarla ir sin casi conocerla.

Por último, y esto es COMPLETAMENTE SUBJETIVO, la trama, en ciertos momentos, se resumía para mí en "elegido de una religión sobreprotectora, descubre que su religión (newflash) no es la única opción". O como yo lo llamo, sin ofender, cristiano descubre paganismo. Nada mal, pero como persona que lleva tiempo sin leer fantasía, me ha hecho gracia.

Al final, hay que admitir que sí genera intriga para la siguiente parte de la saga, y si algún día me pilla la vena masoquista, puede que la lea. Tengo curiosidad sobre lo que yo describiría como "paranoia religiosa" de un personaje en concreto y la relación romántica creciente de otros dos.

Review: outline by Michèle Fischels

 outline by Michèle Fischels

5  ★
The perfect coming-of-age comic; the style is stunning, especially the intimacy scenes. Such a refreshing read. I can't get over the colouring and landscapes.

Review: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

 3.7★

I've never been into The Hunger Games. I mean, yeah, when I got older, and I watched the movies and analysed it for class and so on, what I mean is that I don't have the level of nostalgia debut readers have, or people who read the books at a younger age (I admire y'all). And I feel this book was targeted to that demographic. It felt like waching/reading the first book of the first trilogy all over again, but with a larger cast of characters. 

As for the characters, they were the strongest element for me. Especially Maysilee and Effie, and I enjoyed the charisma most of the cast carried. Unfortunately, and I don't think I can avoid sounding cruel (man, it's a book about kids dying; there's no way I can give my opinion on the actual games without sounding like the Capitol), I found the deaths to be... stale. Without going into detail, the characters who are most relevant all die in the same way or underwhelmingly- c'mon, how did you kill THAT tribute in only one page like that when they were doing so well just a few paragraphs ago? Sure, a few of them had me with my jaw on the floor. I'm not disappointed in HOW the winner comes to be, but in the amount of their death to the character. In general, during the whole game I was a bit disappointed. It built up in such an expectant way; the preparation and the teaming had me on the edge of my seat... I feel the movie will portray the fighting better- as a visual person. By the end of the games, I was heartbroken by the realisation of Haymitch's fate.

I also expected a bit more insight into Haymitch's alcohol issues. In general, that's what I thought this book was gonna be about. My bad. 

Review: How to Disappear Completely by Liz Kerin

 How to Disappear Completely by Liz Kerin

4.7★

"How to Disappear Completely" is a great example of an innovative, mind-twisting thriller. It leans outside your typical cop and murderer game, appearing as a victim-taking-revenge plot, then shifting into a deep analysis of grief and blame.

I do have to say the "romance" isn't romance, as I've read some reviews say. It's an attempt to get the reader to empathise with the grooming situation Hazel finds herself in, often disgusting me, as it should. But trust the process; it is talked about, discussed, and finally twists into the real, sickening situation it is. It helps that we get profound backstory on most of the characters, creating a rich cast to explore and a contrast between what media portrays and exaggerates and an actual psychological theory.

It was a real page-turner, hooking you from the beginning with a clear goal that keeps you coming up with your own conspiracies and analysis of the events. I do have to admit, being reversely biased, hating a certain character a bit too much, helped me predict the ending in a very satisfactory way. Tho the final reveal did hit me like a truck, I love those types of endings and explorations.

That said, I'd go into this with more of a thriller (maybe even sci-fi) mood, rather than horror.

I hope this book gets the recognition it deserves; it's such a great introduction to Liz's work, and I'm excited to see how far it gets! I will keep her on my radar and try to read more advanced work from her.