_zoe_reads_'s reviews
102 reviews

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

medium-paced

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

1.5

i think this book was written for people who never had a wattpad phase. 

there are so many reasons this book didn’t work for me but i think it can mainly be boiled down to the character work. ava and alex are supposed to be all of these things and possess all of these traits but i feel that we are never really shown these aspects of their personalities, only told. they (ava and alex) at times read as caricatures or the embodiments of tropes instead of actual people. they, along with every side character, fell flat as a result. the lack of depth in the side characters was a particular annoyance of mine. we are told that alex and josh are like brothers, we are told that ava and her friends are very close knit, but when do we ever actually see this? we hardly ever see them interact, and when they are around, they just serve as placeholders or means to an end, not  as characters in their own right.

and let’s not even talk about the third act conflict. i don’t even want to go there. (alex is Insufferable™️)

overall, this just wasn’t the book for me. my critical reading brain just couldn’t be turned off and i wasn’t able to suspend my disbelief when necessary.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

i lowkey think this put me in a reading slump. by no means was this a bad book, but i found myself bored at times and not really itching to come back to it. 

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

there’s this one tiktok (by @ariisaysso) about people who make their hometown their whole personality (buttersburg, buckeysville, west tickles town, etc.) and that was stuck in my head this whole time.

that being said, if you can put up with the cringe i think this book is well worth it. it’s fun and has a good balance of romance and actual plot. go into this with managed expectations and you will have a good time imo.

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

i don’t that i’m fully able to articulate my feelings about this book. i think this concept was very unique and the direction it went in was interesting, yet i never felt fully enveloped in the story. i like weird books, books without much plot, without many answers, and in weird settings, but this one didn’t land fully for me.

Only For The Week by Natasha Bishop

adventurous hopeful 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

really fun and heartwarming, loved rome and janelle as a couple <3

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

i have so many thoughts and feelings about this book. i loved it a lot but was also left wanting in terms of the ending. it felt like we were building to this great and epic moment and, while there were some tense moments, it felt a bit underwhelming. i loved the writing of this book and the style it was told in and i look forward to reading more from her!

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

i wanted to love this book so bad — the premise sounded right up my alley and i’ve been following hayley for a long time. however, i struggled with it more than i anticipated. the pacing, the plot beats (and the number of them), and the character development all just felt a bit off kilter for me. i think these things can be developed more in the second book, which i do think i will read. i want to see this author’s growth from her debut to her second book.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

adventurous mysterious slow-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? Yes

2.0

sigh. very disappointing. the mystery was predictable, the characters felt flat, and every emotion regarding sylvia and lorelei’s relationship felt unearned. 

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

funny medium-paced

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

2.5