!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read any of these books yet, don’t read my villain ratings. I give away some key spoilers!
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary was my favourite book of the month!
November/December – 2019
Angelfall by Susan Ee
Thoughts: This was actually pretty good, it took me forever to read because I’ve got some family issues going on the moment, but that’s no reflection on the book itself. It was very enjoyable. The dystopian feel was perfect, and there are some seriously creepy passages in here. Kids are scary, dude. Page Count: 326
Villain Rating: Tough choice here, but I’m going to go with Uriel, just because he seems the most interesting. This guy is an angel, just like Raffe, but he’s ambitious. He wants to take over as the angel’s leader, but he’s really working with a bunch of demons. He looks like a politician and smiles a lot, but anyone close to him is terrified. We don’t know much about him yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing more him. 5/10
Best Quote in the Book: But it can’t hurt to gain a little knowledge. Tell that to Adam and Eve. and What frightens me isn’t that I’m killing someone. What frightens me is how easy it is.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Thoughts: Aside from the pictures, which are the epitome of spooky, this was a really disappointing read. I know the stories are for children, but most of them didn’t seem to make any sort of sense, or the jump scares would have just been awkward and not funny or scary at all. I didn’t really like it, but the pictures are what make this book Page Count: 352
Villain Rating: No real villain, aside from an assortment of ghost and ghouls to choose from.
Best Quote in the Book: The worms crawl in and the worms crawl out…
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Thoughts: I’m not normally much of a romance reader, but this book really blew me away. You’re rooting for Tiffy and Leon all the way through. Both characters have a distinct voice, and it’s easy to fall in love with both of them. It’s a real feel good book, so if you’re having a tough time, this might be one for an easy pick-me-up. Page Count: 400
Villain Rating: Without a doubt, Justin is the villain of this book. He’s Tiffy’s ex-boyfriend. He’s also an emotionally abusive piece of shit. He gaslights Tiffy by telling her she doesn’t remember things correctly, treats her like dirt by parading other girlfriends in front of her, tells her she’s worthless, treats her like dirt and speaks for her. He’s absolute trash. But the way he was written was so beautifully done that it’s a very realistic portrayal of this kind of abuse. I can’t help but hate him. 9/10
Best Quote in the Book: Strange, ridiculous, hilarious woman.
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
Thoughts: A very quirky book, but I think it pays off quite nicely. Each chapter is forwarded by an Ikea style piece of furniture, they start off relatively simple, like sofas and wardrobes, but towards the end they turn into torture devices as the story slides into a really old-school horror. I really enjoyed myself reading this. Page Count: 248
Villain Rating: Warden Josiah Worth. Even the name sounds creepy as hell. This guy was the warden of an experimental prison sometime in the past (I forget exactly when). This prison was more like an asylum and the ‘penitents’ were tortured for their crimes mercilessly. Now, his restless ghost is back for some of the employees that work in the store. He’s very creepy, obviously deranged, but it’s impossible to build any sort of rapport with him. 6/10
Best Quote in the Book: I understand your madness.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Thoughts: This book is seriously huge. It builds a wonderful story, though. The characters are full of depth and the mythology, politics and world-building are all on point. I had a great time reading this. I think my favourite characters were Loth and Sabran. Although it took me a while to finish, it was a truly brilliant book Page Count: 848
Villain Rating: There are a bunch of minor villains scattered through these pages, but the main evil is The Nameless One. This beast is a fire dragon that has been sealed away for the last thousand years. His dragons are violent and blood-thirsty, unlike their Eastern water counterparts. He seems hellbent on destruction and ruling the world when he awakens, but I did think that the dragon POV was somewhat missing from this book. There was no real reason why he wanted to do all these things in the first place. 6/10
Best Quote in the Book: Monsters often have soft faces. They know how to mask themselves. and I would live alone for fifty years to have one day with you.
Monstress, Vol. 1: The Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu
Thoughts: I can’t say this was a bad comic because it wasn’t, but it was sure confusing at times. The artwork was so dark and busy that I couldn’t always tell what was going on, and the story feels a little like you’ve been dropping in the middle of an ongoing thing. I wasn’t too sure what was happening most of the time. Page Count: 235
Villain Rating: I’m guessing the nuns are pretty bad, but again, not really sure what’s going on. Apparently, there are humans, non-humans—often having an animal aspect—and a crossbreed of the two which nobody likes. The nuns are human and perform scientific tests on the others, often torturing and killing them, including children. That’s pretty evil, right? 6/10
Best Quote in the Book: There’s more hunger in the world than love.
Rat Queens: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Thoughts: This wasn’t bad. It spends some time introducing the characters, but it’s quite funny in places. I think my favourite character was Betty, but they’re all pretty cool and unique. This misfits form a band of adventurers, but mostly, they just like getting drunk and high. I’d happily read the second comic in this series. Page Count: 128
Villain Rating: Kind of a spoiler warning here, but Old Lady Bernadette (I’m thirty-nine!) turned out to be the villain here. She’s just a lady that’s sick of her shop being destroyed by a bunch of rowdy, drunkards. She pays a bunch of assassins to get rid of the problem for her. Not really evil, just at the end of her tether. I can’t really blame her for being angry. 2/10
Best Quote in the Book: I’d seriously give up sex for healing spells.
Avatar: The Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino
Thoughts: I’m new to the Avatar fandom, but I really enjoyed this. It makes me want to watch the cartoon series, so that’s got to be good. I didn’t expect it to be quite as good humored as it is, so that was a nice surprise. I like Sokka a lot. You can’t blame him for being a bit wary of a kid that comes out of an iceberg. Page Count: 96
Villain Rating: Prince Zuko is from the Fire Nation and he’s on a quest to make sure he finds the Avatar. He’s trained with firebending and martial arts, so he’s quite formidable. He also has a dark atmospheric persona so you can tell he’s the baddie. He hasn’t actually done anything wrong yet, though, so I can’t score him highly. 1/10
Best Quote in the Book: Penguin!!!
Page Count Total : 2633
If you have any suggestions for books I could read, please contact me at Goodreads!
Let me know if you disagree/agree with any of my reviews, or just share with me what you’re reading! I check my mail every day so I’ll always respond quickly!
As always, Happy Reading!
Claire
Love the Villain 