A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - ANTHON BURGESS

"In Anthony Burgess's influential nightmare vision of the future, criminals take over after dark. Teen gang leader Alex narrates in fantastically inventive slang that echoes the violent intensity of youth rebelling against society. Dazzling and transgressive, A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil and the meaning of human freedom."

Ew, wtf /pos. This book is absolutely grimy, and I hate to say it, but I loved it. If you look past all the ultraviolence, it does send a message on things like correctional centers and how much they really "help" and the idea of "the means justifying the end". Alex is an absolutely disgusting character and I remember when I first watched the movie I was like "yeah, honestly, maybe he should be tortured," but the more the story went on, the less I was on anyone's side in the story. I loved the weird lil conlang the characters used. I did watch the movie before reading the book, and I definitely think it helped because otherwise, I would've had no clue what they were saying. Somehow, imagining all of their lines in a British accent made it more understandable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

ALL SYSTEMS RED - MARTHA WELLS

"'As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.'

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid-a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as 'Murderbot.' Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth."

Forgive me, but it's genuinely been forever since I read any book in this series and so I don't really remember anything about the plots or anything. What I do know is that Murderbot awakened something in me in regards to sentient robots.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

THE FREEZE-FRAME REVOLUTION - PETER WATTS

"How do you stage a mutiny when you're only awake one day in a million?

How do you conspire when your tiny handful of potential allies changes with each shift? How do you engage an enemy that never sleeps, that sees through your eyes and hears through your ears, and relentlessly, honestly, only wants what's best for you?

Sunday Ahzmundin is about to find out."

This story introduced me to the wonderous world of hard scifi !! I found it at my local library while I was trying to find one of The Murderbot Diary books I hadn't read yet when the spine of the book caught my attention. It was a short read, but very intriguing. Unfortunately, I'm kind of stupid and didn't understand the ending when I had read it, but literally everything up to that point carried the story to four stars anyways

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

I HAVE NO MOUTH, & I MUST SCREAM - HARLAN ELLISON

"I Have No Mouth, & I Must Scream is the dark vision of a world controlled by a villainous computer named AM - originally part of a trinity of computers created to help three nations wage a war between themselves, too complex for human minds to entertain. However their Allied Mastercomputer became self-aware and changed to one collective machine known as AM, using the knowledge programmed into his mind to not just kill their enemies, but the entire population of the planet.

It began to develop some of the peculiarities of the human psyche, and when AM realized he was omnipotent and unable to die, he fled from the surface he had torched with nuclear weapons, and hid deep under the surface of the Earth – alone but for five human survivors AM had plucked from the edge of death to torture endlessly for 109 years."

I swear, people would genuinely crucify you on Tiktok for saying you liked this story. Anyways, I liked this story. I was a really quick read, I think I read it on the bus while on the way to a FFCC competition lol, but it still fufilled the evil-scifi-story shaped space in my brain for that day. There isn't much to say, it's all just gross and sad and bleak up until the very end.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

BETWEEN TWO FIRES - CHRISTOPHER BUEHLMAN

"The year is 1348. Thomas, a disgraced knight, has found a young girl alone in a dead Norman village. An orphan of the Black Death, and an almost unnerving picture of innocence, she tells Thomas that plague is only part of a larger cataclysm—that the fallen angels under Lucifer are rising in a second war on heaven, and that the world of men has fallen behind the lines of conflict.

Is it delirium or is it faith? She believes she has seen the angels of God. She believes the righteous dead speak to her in dreams. And now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and to restore to this betrayed, murderous knight the nobility and hope of salvation he long abandoned.

As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints, and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man."

This book dissapointed me. I heard such great things about it both on Reddit and Tiktok, so I assumed it probably had some good shit in it. When I started reading, it was great ! It had an incredible settup, lovable characters, and a great writing style, but as time went on, and I read more and more chapters, something became undeniably clear to me. This story is so. Fucking. BORINGGGGGGGG. It felt like I was watching some shitty shounen jump anime the way every arc had the same premise and ending. It was literally the three of them traveling to a spot, getting attacked by demons or whatever, then miraculously escaping. And the story just drags on and on, I couldn't handle it. Also this is more of a personal complaint, but I just really hate historical fantasy, it's so overdone. I DNF'd at about 60%.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

THE NAME OF THE ROSE - UMBERTO ECO

"The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns to the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, and the empirical insights of Roger Bacon to find the killer. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey ('where the most interesting things happen at night') armed with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious curiosity."

This book may have sparked my monk obsession, I must say. Definitely not a very digestible book, but I had a great time regardless lmao. I'll probably be rereading it some time later.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

WINE OF VIOLENCE - PRISCILLA ROYAL

"It is late summer in the year 1270 and England is as weary as its aging king, Henry III. Although the Simon de Montfort rebellion is over, the smell of death still hangs like smoke over the land. Even in the small priory of Tyndal on the remote East Anglian coast, the monks and nuns of the Order of Fontevraud long for a return to tranquil routine. Their hopes are dashed, however, when the young and inexperienced Eleanor of Wynethorpe is appointed their new prioress over someone of their own choosing. Nor are Eleanor's own prayers for a peaceful transition answered. Only a day after her arrival, a brutally murdered monk is found in the cloister gardens, and Brother Thomas, a young priest with a troubled past, arrives to bring her a more personal grief. Now she must not only struggle to gain the respect of her terrified and resentful flock but also cope with violence, lust and greed in a place dedicated to love and peace."

Woah another story abouts monks and murder, I sure hope this is the last one of this list. Funnys aside, I had a great time reading this book ! I love Eleanor, such a well put together main character, and you really root for her not only to solve the murder, but to earn her spot as prioress after such a quick turn around. I have been reading the rest of the series ( making very slow, but present, progress ), and I must say that so far, this is the best in the series. Probably becuse of how many of my interests it hits; murder mystery, takes place in a monastery, forbidden / repressed romance, internalized homophobia, unnecessary violence, all the good shit, really.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

TYRANT OF THE MIND - PRISCILLA ROYAL

"A nun and a monk defy death and dishonor at her family's Welsh fortress... In the winter of 1271, Death stalks the corridors of Wynethorpe Castle on the Welsh border. When the Grim Reaper touches the beloved grandson of the castle lord, Baron Adam sends for his daughter, Prioress Eleanor of Tyndal, and her sub-infirmarian, Sister Anne, to save the child with prayers and healing talents. Escorting them to the remote fortress is Brother Thomas, an unwilling monk fighting his private demons.

Death may be denied once in his quest for souls but never twice. Soon after the trio arrives, an important guest is murdered. The prioress's brother, bloody dagger in hand, stands over the corpse. All others may believe in his guilt, but Eleanor is convinced her brother is innocent.

Outside her priory, in a world of armed men, Eleanor may have little authority, but she is determined to untangle the Gordian knot of thwarted passions and old resentments even if it means defying her father, a man with whom she longs to make peace. As passions rise with the winter wind and time runs short, Eleanor, Anne and Thomas struggle to find the real killer."

This book made me feel stupid. I literally did not know what was happening like 60% of the time, and I do not remember any of the new characters they added. They all very quickly morphed and merged in my mind to the point where I was convinced two seperate characters were both the father of the main character. AKA None of them stood out. This is the second book in the Prioress Eleanor series and I must say, this was no where near as good as the first, which is a shame. The mystery felt so convoluted that by the end, I literally could not recount to you what had happened and who was the murderer. I preferred the simplicity of the first in the series; one victim, one murderer, compared to this story which was like three victims and somehow everyone was involved in the murder.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

SORRW WITHOUT END - PRISCILLA ROYAL

"As the autumn storms of 1271 ravage the East Anglian coast, Crowner Ralf finds the corpse of a brutally murdered soldier in the woods near Tyndal Priory. The dagger in the mans chest is engraved with a strange, cursive design, and the body is wrapped in a crusaders cloak. Was the murder the act of a member of the Assassin sect, or was the weapon meant to mislead him in finding the killer? Ralfs decision to take the corpse to the priory for advice may be reasonable, but he is soon caught up in a maelstrom of conflict, both personal and political. The priory is deeply divided over whether to purchase a relic. The decision could endanger both Prioress Eleanors leadership and the future of the hospital. Brother Thomas becomes a suspect in the murder itself, and Ralf must choose between the demands of his brother, the sheriff, and loyalty to a friend. Meanwhile, the murderer watches and waits."

I did not like this one, either. It didn't particularly have the same issues as the last in the series, I at least somewhat remember some of the new characters, but man this was kind of boring. The only moments of interest I had were when it was dealing with the trauma Brother Thomas experienced before entering priesthood, which I feel like the first book totally glossed over. Overall, though, I didn't find it very interesting. I refuse to give up hope in this series, though. It HAS to get better.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

NICKED - M. T. ANDERSON

"From the award-winning and best-selling author of Feed comes a raucous and slyly funny adult fiction debut, based on a bizarre but true quest to steal the mystical corpse of a long-dead saint.

The year is 1087, and a pox is sweeping through the Italian city of Bari. When a lowly monk is visited by Saint Nicholas in his dreams, he interprets the vision as a call to serve the sick. But his superiors, and the power brokers they serve, have different plans for the tender-hearted Brother Nicephorus.

Enter Tyun, a charismatic treasure hunter renowned for 'liberating' holy relics from their tombs. The seven-hundred-year-old bones of Saint Nicholas are rumored to weep a mysterious liquid that can heal the sick, Tyun says. For the humble price of a small fortune, he will steal the bones and deliver them to Bari, curing the plague and restoring glory to the fallen city. And Nicephorus, the 'dreamer,' will be his guide.

What follows is a heist for the ages, as Nicephorus is swept away on strange tides, and alongside even stranger bedfellows, to commit sacrilegious theft. Based on real historical accounts, Nicked is a wildly imaginative, genre-defying, and delightfully queer adventure - a swashbuckling saga, a medieval novel noir, a meditation on the miraculous, and a monastic meet-cute, filled with wide-eyed wonder at the world that awaits beyond our own borders."

This story was fine. It unfortunately didn't stand out too much to me, despite the plot seeming to be right up my valley. It had a fine writing style, but I had a difficult time telling when things were supposed to be taken as a joke and when it was to be taken seriously. I do like Tyun, though, very fun character.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

THE SCOTTISH BOY - ALEX DE CAMPI

"1333. Edward III is at war with Scotland. Nineteen-year-old Sir Harry de Lyon yearns to prove himself, and jumps at the chance when a powerful English baron, William Montagu, invites him on a secret mission with a dozen elite knights. They ride north, to a crumbling Scottish keep, capturing the feral, half-starved boy within and putting the other inhabitants to the sword.

But nobody knows why the flower of English knighthood snuck over the border to capture a savage, dirty teenage boy. Montagu gives the boy to Harry as his squire, with only two rules: don't let him escape, and convert him to the English cause.

At first, it's hopeless. The Scottish boy is surly and violent, and eats anything that isn't nailed down. Then Harry begins to notice things: that, as well as Gaelic, the boy speaks flawless French, with an accent much different from Harry's Norman one. That he can read Latin too. And when Harry finally convinces the boy - Iain mac Maíl Coluim - to cut his filthy curtain of hair, the face revealed is the most beautiful thing Harry has ever seen.

With Iain as his squire, Harry wins tournament after tournament and becomes a favourite of the King. But underneath the pageantry smoulder twin secrets: Harry and Iain's growing passion for each other, and Iain's mysterious heritage. As England hurtles towards war once again, these secrets will destroy everything Harry holds dear."

Ugh. What the hell. I should have read the reviews before jumping into this shit. Look, I usually have nothing against age gaps, but a general rule of mine is that the youngest has to be AT LEAST 25. Not only is the youngest in this story 16, but the story is pretty chocked full of smut, which like whatever write what you wanna write, but add a warning or something man not everyone wants to read smut of a highschooler, I fear... After DNFing at like 10%, I read the reviews and it seems like the story kind of drops its premise in favor of smut and what not, which sucks because I at least wanted to keep reading for the plot, which seemed interesting enough. But no, this story was not it. In its place, I have been meaning to read The Captive Prince, which seems darker, more interesting, and doesn't involve a child !!

I should have known it was suspicious when Harry was described as nineteen but Iain was simply a "teenage boy".

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

CITY OF VENGEANCE - D. V. BISHOP

"City of Vengeance is an explosive debut historical thriller by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Florence.

Florence. Winter, 1536. A prominent Jewish moneylender is murdered in his home, a death with wide implications in a city powered by immense wealth.

Cesare Aldo, a former soldier and now an officer of the Renaissance city's most feared criminal court, is given four days to solve the murder: catch the killer before the feast of Epiphany - or suffer the consequences.

During his investigations Aldo uncovers a plot to overthrow the volatile ruler of Florence, Alessandro de' Medici. If the Duke falls, it will endanger the whole city. But a rival officer of the court is determined to expose details about Aldo’s private life that could lead to his ruin. Can Aldo stop the conspiracy before anyone else dies, or will his own secrets destroy him first?"

Yes... This is what I need. I haven't even finished reading this yet but I can already tell it's gonna be close to a five star, if not a five star. It all depends on the ending I guess lol. I LOVE the main characters, and both of the mysteries going on have my full interest. I fucking hate Cerchi /pos, and I'm hoping this story all has a satisfying ending because I genuinely feel so bad for Corsini. I haven't gotten to the point where Aldo and Strocchi are actively working together, but I am very excited to see the two of them interact and work together to solve this whole mystery!!!

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆