aleesha_mcnair14's reviews
15 reviews

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I did enjoy this book, however I thought the suspense and creepiness were some of the best parts about the book that ended far too quickly for me. The whole opening of the book where Regan is playing with the ouija board and is slowly demonstrating supernatural characteristics both in herself and around her room really freaked me out. That scene where Regan crawls down the stairs behind Sharon was horrible to read. It really gave me goosebumps. The book was tense and honestly some of the insults that Regan was hurling at Karras and the house workers was shocking and totally caught me off guard. By the end of the book, some things were left unanswered for me.

Like how did Karras end up dead (I had to google it), How did the demon leave Regan, Did Regan definitely kill Dennings or was it Karras (possessed version I mean?) Also what happened to Willie's daughter I think it was?

I really enjoyed the book but parts of it were written really archaicly that lost that continuity throughout the book. It was great at creating a creepy atmosphere within the book for me as a reader personally.

Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

This was your typical, run of the mill boy meets girl, and boy and girl like each other. Fitz is your typical bad boy who softens at the naivety of Ren which makes this book so wholesome. Seeing one of my favourite disney books played out within the real world was cute and at parts of the book, I was physically screaming for Ren in parts of the book. At the start of the book, I was quite skeptical but as the book went on and Ren and Fitz's roadtrip began, I was entertained throughout with the growing relationship between the two. The book also had it's own twists and turns throughout, heavily taking inspiration from Tangled, making it all the more lovable. After reading this book, i'm definitely going to read the other 'Meant to be' books and jump into another series of Disney inspired books. I would definetly recommend this book based on how wholesome it was.
P.s I have to admit that the hot tub scene made me physically cringe 🤣. 

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

I genuinely really enjoyed this book more so than I originally thought I would. I found this book through a recommendation from a friend based on the premise it was a Disney Twisted Tales book and it greatly lived up to the expectations. The added LGBTQ+ elements of the book added an alternate perspective that made me love the characters even more. Sophia was a great character and I cared for her character throughout the book. Constance was a great addition and I loved Luke as well. I really wanted to like Erin but she always appeared to be horrible to Sophia. The story also had twists and turns though like reading about Liv and how quickly they killed her off.

Even when Sophia tried to kill Manford after discovering he was the king all this time but instead he just laughed

. Overall though, the book had some really good shocks though that kept me engaged throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Domestic abuse

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This book, regardless of it's peculiarities and uneccesary use of strong explicit content, I thoroughly enjoyed. The Wizard of Oz is such an incredible story anyway that learning about the story beforehand of what created such a catalyst was really nice to read about. The best way to describe the book was like a rollercoaster ride in terms of weirdness. There would be moments of tranquility and character depth that would then quickly delve into sex or weirdly beastiality. Elphaba has by far become one of my favourite characters however. I adored the growth she went through within the book and her love with Fiyero that

btw I couldn't believe he was killed off

There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me and intrigued and I loved and was excited to keep reading throughout the book. Reading this beforehand has made me so excited for the film and I genuinely hold this book in such high regard once you block out all of the weirdness. I loved all the characters and cared for each person so dearly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia and Racial slurs

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

This was such a heartbreaking book. It made me laugh, giggle and emphasise with an actir that played such a huge role for me as a child growing up watching friends. I never once until later life knew or began to understand the torture he was hoing through with addiction. The stories about all the women he had dated, cheated on and instantly regretted it made me slap my head in annoyance just as he probably did. Discovering all the celebs he dated, only to end things because he believed he wasn't enough was sad to read, especially with his relationship with Julia Roberts. I giggled at all of his stories about friends. A show I loved and forever will that delved deeper into how big of a support network they all were for him. The rollercoaster ride of addition was something of an accumulation of rising factors from his abandonment issues to his growing need for fame and something to fill the void. In parts it was hard to understand due to the time jumps, however his stories were still interesting to read. The last chapter was the saddest for me. Matthew stated that he had accepted who he was and refused to be defined by his addition and for his most famous role in friends. He atated that he wanted children and marriage and in doing so had to come to terms with the idea that he could just be Matthew and be loved for that. I do hope he found peace before he passed away as he always achieved his greatest desire of making people laugh which millions loved him for.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Medical content

Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy by Serena Valentino

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This book truly offered an alternate perspective to one of the most iconic Disney Villains there has ever been. The revelation that Maleficent only cursed Aurora because she believed she had inherited her abilities and so didn't want her to experience the same pain and torment by everyone was so heartbreaking and I loved this more humane look at Maleficent. When I first began reading, some of the characters were quite unfamiliar to me until I realised I had to read the books in order but thankfully it wasn't too difficult to fill in the gaps. Overall a great story and I cannot wait to read the rest in the series.

Go the Distance by Jen Calonita

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

Honestly this book was such a cool insight into the potential events after the film. Hades and Persephone engaged?! Phil and Meg actually getting along and to top it off, having Aeugus not actually cheating on Meg but rather another trick from Hades. I loved this book and having Meg as the true heroine she is was cool. I would have loved a scene between Meg and her mum reuniting but overall I loved the book

Disney Villains: Hades The Horn of Plenty by Harriet Webster, Manlio Castagna, Lorenzo Colangeli

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

It's a really cool comic design on a classic Disney villain. Enjoyable read with great image to accompany them

Look Out for the Little Guy! by Scott Lang, Rob Kutner

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

5.0

As a huge marvel fan, reading this book was so great to hear about Scott recalling his times with the Avengers and how respectful and dedicated he felt towards lost heroes like Natasha and Tony. Both of those chapters made me tear up by the way. But i also enjoyed the moral messages and uplifting quotes applied to real life within the book that made the book incredibly wholesome.

Never After: The Broken Mirror by Melissa de la Cruz

adventurous challenging funny inspiring lighthearted 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? No

A good book with twists and tales along the way. Everything you think you know about fairy tales is completely flipped on it's head, creating a new narrative to every fairytale you've heard. Great to finally see Filomena and Jack together as well as the interesting cliffhanger of Filomena having to go it alone in the next book!