Irrlichtwinter
Bog Ghost that likes to draw, write & listen to music. On a journey to get back into reading post college.
210 points
Irrlichtwinter finished reading and wrote a review...
This book gives popcorn cinema horror flick. I had a blast of a time, but when I think back to the substance, it is very flawed. Julie is a very frustrating character to read about, the class and gender politics are confused at best, utterly a mess at worst. But the gore was just my level of flowery and grotesque, and honestly, that weighs more to me right now than quality writing.
0Irrlichtwinter set their yearly reading goal to 50
Irrlichtwinter's 2026 Reading Challenge
0Irrlichtwinter started reading...
Demon Engine
Marten Norr
0Irrlichtwinter finished reading and wrote a review...
Fun adventurous romp with an emphasis on emotion and (esp family) relationships. Ida is the real stand-out character, it feels like there's so much complexity just out of sight. Can't wait to witness her further development in the sequels, and to learn more about Ezra!
0Irrlichtwinter started reading...
Arcing Spark: An urban fantasy novel of secrets, dark experiments, and sapphic desire tangled with dangerous magic (Bloodspark Series Book 1)
Jeljenna
0Irrlichtwinter finished reading and wrote a review...
Good Lovecraftian vibes. I truly enjoyed the supernatural elements and how they were done, and I respect how much the story committed to the bleakness of a Lovecraftian cosmos. Also, Quentin is a treasure. The plot feels very contrived at times, though, which dampened my enjoyment a bit.
0Irrlichtwinter finished reading and wrote a review...
4.75 stars. Amazing post-Lovecraftian novel, very introspective and literary. It's basically a story about grief and fishing. I had a great time with it, what an inspiration.
0Irrlichtwinter finished reading and wrote a review...
I felt the supernatural elements weaken what otherwise is a hard hitting tragedy. But it was still a quick & engaging read.
0Irrlichtwinter finished reading and wrote a review...
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0Irrlichtwinter commented on a post
So turns out this book marched right into my patch of the musical woods and kicked me in the shins, and now I have THOUGHTS.
What do you mean, the BIGGEST POPSTAR's voice sounds like Björk, with music that sounds like Sigur Rós?!! Are you kidding me? Now, I like Björk. Have been listening to her music since I was a kid. I wouldn't mind more people that sound like Björk. But despite having been into music for years and years, I NEVER found another singer that sounded anywhere close to Björk. A guy that isn't a foreign speaker to English isn't going to sound like Björk, and if he did, he would not be the biggest popstar. As for Sigur Rós - 1. their style of music would not mesh well with a Björk-esque voice. Sorry, but Jónsi's voice is such an integral part of the Sigur Rós sound, if you take that out, you don't end up with 'sounds like Sigur Rós', but 'sounds like ethereal post-rock with the lables filed off'. And 2. ... I love Sigur Rós, they are one of my favourite bands, titans of the post rock genre... they are not 'the biggest popstar' either. Taylor Swift material, those Islandic nerds are not.
It's also weird to me that the author picked two Islandic bands as reference... How about ref'ing Kate Bush instead? She seems to have exactly the energy the author is going for. Very attention grabbing voice, interesting visuals, (occasionally) ethereal music, it's all there. She's also not 'The Biggest Popstar', but I guess we're not aiming for realism here.
I guess the author was going for references contemporary to the fictional Zach Crystal's music, which limits the range of artist he can reference. But just for the record, I'd think good modern acts to ref would be Florence and the Machine and Hozier, and in fact, I imagine Zach Crystal's music sounding like Hozier (who's music I don't particularly enjoy, lol).
7Post from the Deity (Six Stories, #5) forum
So turns out this book marched right into my patch of the musical woods and kicked me in the shins, and now I have THOUGHTS.
What do you mean, the BIGGEST POPSTAR's voice sounds like Björk, with music that sounds like Sigur Rós?!! Are you kidding me? Now, I like Björk. Have been listening to her music since I was a kid. I wouldn't mind more people that sound like Björk. But despite having been into music for years and years, I NEVER found another singer that sounded anywhere close to Björk. A guy that isn't a foreign speaker to English isn't going to sound like Björk, and if he did, he would not be the biggest popstar. As for Sigur Rós - 1. their style of music would not mesh well with a Björk-esque voice. Sorry, but Jónsi's voice is such an integral part of the Sigur Rós sound, if you take that out, you don't end up with 'sounds like Sigur Rós', but 'sounds like ethereal post-rock with the lables filed off'. And 2. ... I love Sigur Rós, they are one of my favourite bands, titans of the post rock genre... they are not 'the biggest popstar' either. Taylor Swift material, those Islandic nerds are not.
It's also weird to me that the author picked two Islandic bands as reference... How about ref'ing Kate Bush instead? She seems to have exactly the energy the author is going for. Very attention grabbing voice, interesting visuals, (occasionally) ethereal music, it's all there. She's also not 'The Biggest Popstar', but I guess we're not aiming for realism here.
I guess the author was going for references contemporary to the fictional Zach Crystal's music, which limits the range of artist he can reference. But just for the record, I'd think good modern acts to ref would be Florence and the Machine and Hozier, and in fact, I imagine Zach Crystal's music sounding like Hozier (who's music I don't particularly enjoy, lol).
7Irrlichtwinter started reading...
Deity (Six Stories, #5)
Matt Wesolowski
0Irrlichtwinter finished reading and wrote a review...
I guess this one was too social-media-brained for me. It felt very surface level after the last book in the series, which was a lot more hard hitting. Still going to continue the series, it is good popcorn reading, even at its most silly.
0Irrlichtwinter commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I am very very very curious. If you could only read one book until the end of your life - what would it be an why?
For me it would be The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue from V.E. Schwab. I just love the lyrical writing, the emotions and warmth behind it.
What would it be for you? (I will probably be adding a lot of book to my TBR 😂🩵)
31Irrlichtwinter set their yearly reading goal to 50
Irrlichtwinter's 2025 Reading Challenge
0Irrlichtwinter commented on Irrlichtwinter's review of The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)
favourite fantasy I read this year (2025). I love inclusion of catalogued material culture, and the quiet and melancholic atmosphere of the prose.
6Irrlichtwinter finished reading and wrote a review...
My favourite book, full stop. Every re-read makes me appreciate it more. Last re-read was during a time of loss in my life, and the story of the black rabbit of Inle hit as hard as never before.
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