__katdoesbooks's reviews
81 reviews

Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I could see that it was trying to cover big important themes like loneliness, fatphobia, misogyny, and the societal pressures on women, but I just don’t think the execution was there. The book was very long and slow with nothing really happening, and felt like it should be ending about 3 times before it actually did. To the point that there was so much detail and context without anything happening. I also feels like there was internalised homophobia? There are so many point in the book where the female characters are attracted to each other, either eluded to or explicated stated, yet nothing comes of this? How can a book be simultaneously so gay and yet not gay?

If it had been shorter, more condensed, more murdery, and gayer I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Found it to be a bit repetitive and slow paced 

Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke

dark funny mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Not so much a retelling, but almost an expansion on House of Usher (agree with others that it is essentially a glorified fanfiction), but a decent quick gothic vibe read. Personally, I found the narrative style a little jarring that kinda of pulled me out of the book a vibe, and there was little to no character development - more just trope like character bases. The “twist” is obvious from the start, but I do think it is meant to be. It was almost like a book that wasn’t detailed enough, or a short story that went on too long.
This book is good for a quick, dark(ish) palate cleanse, or genre read, but don’t go into it looking for an in depth, dark, scary or captivating book.

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I’d say this is a decent popcorn book. It’s short, fast(ish) paced YA that’s inoffensive and easy to get through. It had good feminists and queer overtones, but a lot of 1 dimensional character arcs. But it was a generally enjoyable vampire YA 

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional lighthearted sad tense 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? Yes

3.75

*Vague Spoilers*

Found this book a bit hard to get into, with the first 3/4 being pretty slow, and my preferred characters dying early on. I also struggle to get into contemporary fantasy. But once it got to that last quarter it had picked up enough plot and character development to be enjoyable at the end. Certain characters surprisingly grew on me, and I’m still not over a certain death yet. Crescent City definitely isn’t my favourite series of SJM (ToG still wins), but I can see how wider universe is starting to come together, and got some theories going.

Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

I loved this book! The stories are quick paced and short, but still full in their narrative and development. The stories are a mix of “horror”, some darker, some classic horror, some dystopian, and some more the existential horror of humanity. It really has a story for everyone in it.