Dystopia, utopia, we still haven‘t learned…

Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was ok. I was really curious to find out where post-apocalyptic, dystopian fiction by Carrie Vaughn of „Kitty and the Midnight Hour“-fame would take me. And it was ok, nothing more, nothing less. Nice world building, nice character development, nice enough.

I liked the society she invented along that Coast Road and the idea of earning banners. Intriguing, even. I liked Enid‘s backstory and watching her becoming the person she is in the story‘s present. But that was about it. The mystery held little interest for me and the solution was meh. I could have put this book down pretty much at any point in the story and wouldn‘t have missed it.

The ending felt a little rushed. I will very likely not continue this series.

Part of this were reminiscent of the Book of the Unnamed Midwife.

View all my reviews

Beauty with a bang!

The Beauty, Vol. 1 by Jeremy Haun
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story premise is unusual, something I haven‘t come across before. Crime Noir with a horror element, a possible apocalypse on the horizon. An STD turns you into a beauty, and possibly makes you self-combust. Bummer.

Conspiracy, intrigue, good cops, big business gone bad, scientists good and bad, a really nasty bad guy… a little bit of everything. And besides one pretty predictable thing at the beginning this is well plotted, believable and not boring.

For mature readers. A smart set-up with proper character development. Good sense of humour. Plenty of swearing and full nudity. Violence. Gore! Some yucky moments. And a Hollywood-worthy cliffhanger at the end. I will definitely continue. Good stuff!

Oh yes, and the artwork is good, too!

View all my reviews