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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This was fun. The characters and writing are great and keep you guessing as to who really did what. I think if I had read this as a teen some of Sam’s quotes would definitely have ended up written all over my notebooks
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jennifer’s Body x Promising Young Woman (honestly sprinkle a bit of Darling by K. Ancrum into the mix)
Annie has had the worst night imaginable, except she can’t remember it. All she knows is she woke up in the river and she wants to find whoever is responsible.
Annie is a tough pill. She has lots of attitude and is definitely what some would call ‘unlikable’ but given the circumstances that didn’t bother me at all. She has a rough home life and is consistently in and out of trouble but I was fond of her and felt deeply for her.
I wish that some side characters were fleshed out a bit more or that the time we spent with them wasn’t glossed over as much. It felt like the scenes we spent with them didn’t matter and almost like they could’ve been omitted altogether. It seemed like the only characters fleshed out other that our mc herself was the antagonists and then the love interest. The antagonists were fleshed out spectacularly btw! Very realistic in the way they made my skin crawl. I was just left wanting more especially when there was glimmers of interactions that really shined and laid a path for something more satisfying.
I felt like the plot was going one way until we hit that last 25% and then we took a hard turn in another direction. I can say that these things are Very Lightly hinted at throughout the book but still felt like it came out of left field to me. So that kind of interrupted my flow.
All in all this was a pretty solid debut that I just Wanted a little more from. But I really Like Codie’s lens of focus and will definitely check out her next works.
Annie has had the worst night imaginable, except she can’t remember it. All she knows is she woke up in the river and she wants to find whoever is responsible.
Annie is a tough pill. She has lots of attitude and is definitely what some would call ‘unlikable’ but given the circumstances that didn’t bother me at all. She has a rough home life and is consistently in and out of trouble but I was fond of her and felt deeply for her.
I wish that some side characters were fleshed out a bit more or that the time we spent with them wasn’t glossed over as much. It felt like the scenes we spent with them didn’t matter and almost like they could’ve been omitted altogether. It seemed like the only characters fleshed out other that our mc herself was the antagonists and then the love interest. The antagonists were fleshed out spectacularly btw! Very realistic in the way they made my skin crawl. I was just left wanting more especially when there was glimmers of interactions that really shined and laid a path for something more satisfying.
I felt like the plot was going one way until we hit that last 25% and then we took a hard turn in another direction. I can say that these things are Very Lightly hinted at throughout the book but still felt like it came out of left field to me. So that kind of interrupted my flow.
All in all this was a pretty solid debut that I just Wanted a little more from. But I really Like Codie’s lens of focus and will definitely check out her next works.
fast-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very well-written. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the story, as well as the unique approach to the afterlife and what it means to be a ghost in this world.
The characters were easy to visualize, and the descriptions and settings worked well together. I enjoyed this world and I hope there are more stories that are adjacent to this one.
I appreciate the author’s content warnings as well, and I hope that becomes normalized so readers won’t have adverse experiences with certain types of uncomfortable topics.
The characters were easy to visualize, and the descriptions and settings worked well together. I enjoyed this world and I hope there are more stories that are adjacent to this one.
I appreciate the author’s content warnings as well, and I hope that becomes normalized so readers won’t have adverse experiences with certain types of uncomfortable topics.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing this book, with my honest review below.
Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch (moment of appreciation for the best book title ever) was both exactly what I wanted and not quite enough. First, like others, I will say I’m surprised this is a Disney title. Getting past that, I absolutely adored the title and the premise. A young woman fighting back against her killer(s) and showing her wrath? Yes. In fact, really diving into her upbringing and small town and getting her own back against those who wronged her in general? Totally there. And while all that happened, the secondary stories around the other ghosts and her best friend missing fell short for me. I wish those storylines had been depended to truly create a well rounded functional world for me to sink into.
I did love the main premise and felt this book delivered. It was fascinating and I wanted so much more, but I don’t know if I felt the end left an opening for a series that could explore the ghost storylines further. I would recommend this for teens and adults who are fans of the mystery / horror genre (without much gore).
Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch (moment of appreciation for the best book title ever) was both exactly what I wanted and not quite enough. First, like others, I will say I’m surprised this is a Disney title. Getting past that, I absolutely adored the title and the premise. A young woman fighting back against her killer(s) and showing her wrath? Yes. In fact, really diving into her upbringing and small town and getting her own back against those who wronged her in general? Totally there. And while all that happened, the secondary stories around the other ghosts and her best friend missing fell short for me. I wish those storylines had been depended to truly create a well rounded functional world for me to sink into.
I did love the main premise and felt this book delivered. It was fascinating and I wanted so much more, but I don’t know if I felt the end left an opening for a series that could explore the ghost storylines further. I would recommend this for teens and adults who are fans of the mystery / horror genre (without much gore).
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First audiobook of 2024. Tbh I wish I had a stronger start but it could have been worse :P
The goods:
- The mystery was twisty and enjoyable. I liked putting the puzzle pieces together with the main character.
- The action scenes were done very well, I felt like I could visualize everything.
- The vibes were definitely spooky filled.
The loss of 2 stars:
- The rules felt like nothing was actually set and everything was festival. It just always felt like there was an exception and it got rid of any suspense it tried to build.
- The ending kind of wrapped stuff up but I still have way too many questions in general in this world.
- The romance was weird on all ends and I wish it wasn't there at all.
Overall, there are definitely other YA thriller/mysteries that do it better, but this did have good spooky vibes. If you're looking for a spookier book that isn't horror, this is a good mix to try.
The goods:
- The mystery was twisty and enjoyable. I liked putting the puzzle pieces together with the main character.
- The action scenes were done very well, I felt like I could visualize everything.
- The vibes were definitely spooky filled.
The loss of 2 stars:
- The rules felt like nothing was actually set and everything was festival. It just always felt like there was an exception and it got rid of any suspense it tried to build.
- The ending kind of wrapped stuff up but I still have way too many questions in general in this world.
- The romance was weird on all ends and I wish it wasn't there at all.
Overall, there are definitely other YA thriller/mysteries that do it better, but this did have good spooky vibes. If you're looking for a spookier book that isn't horror, this is a good mix to try.