alexsbookishadventures's reviews
181 reviews

Spotgaai by Suzanne Collins

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? Yes

2.75

This book felt so dragged out. I really struggled to keep reading and missed the tension from the earlier 2 books. But the epilogue and the ending, i love it

STORY
I find the idea behind the revolution interesting, but the execution leaves a bit to be desired. I also didn't really feel the tension and build-up to why the revolution started. I also felt that the whole story around District 13 could have been better, as it had so much potential. I really loved the storyline around Peeta though. Peeta getting bad and turning against Katniss, I love it.

So I still don't get why she shot Coin?

CHARACTERS
Katniss - OMG she remains so irritating and it keeps getting worse, because I don't understand why she hasn't figured out long ago that it was always Peeta. She keeps playing between lame Gale and awesome Peeta, my choice is quickly made though.
Peeta - I wish we got to see more of Peeta, on this book he was really in the background though. I would have loved to see the process on how she turned him into multilant and his emotions in the process.
And Haymitch is really great in this book. Again, the side characters make the story more bearable.

So I was wrong and Finnick does die and that's the only thing that made me feel anything in this book.

Vlammen by Suzanne Collins

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

This book already weakened quite a bit compared to the first one. And even though it was a long time ago, I feel the film was better in my mind.

STORY
The story started well, with an introduction to the revolution. There is a good build-up, towards what is to come in the third book. However, I missed some depth and the story dragged on. There was little tension and nothing happened either. Plus, I wanted more Peeta and Katniss. The games were also way too short. Some extra pages could definitely have been wasted on them, as it felt like a subplot now. I also felt little tension in these games, purely because it was done in the last 50 pages. And at the end, I really thought "Is this it?

CHARACTER
Katniss - Katniss remains a pick-me girl, but is already showing more emotion. She feels so good, like she is the best and will overcome anything. I don't even know what to say about her, because she feels so shallow. And please forget about GALE!

Peeta - Peeta remains a cutie, and I had hoped to see more of him. I did regret that he was injured again during the games and had to be 'rescued' by Katniss.

It's the side characters that win my heart in this book. And that's mainly Finnick - who is even better than in the book-

And I'm so glad he's here to stay alive! And that was really the plottwist I didn't see coming.

But also the other players, Haymitch, Johanna, Mags,... were great in this story and deserved more time. 

De Hongerspelen by Suzanne Collins

adventurous emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

OMG! This book was definitely better than the movie! I felt all the emotions twice as hard in this book.

STORY
Of course, I already knew the story from watching the films, but I still think it was better constructed in the book. We get to know more about Katniss and her background. Plus, the games felt much more intense and now I wish I had read the book first. I was not a fan of the romance between Peeta & Katniss during the film, but because of the book, this is completely different now.

CHARACTERS
Katniss - Katniss is a badass woman who has to fight for her life. She did feel a bit like a pick-me, not your typical girl and that really did bother me. I wish she showed her love towards Peeta more, because in the book it felt so real. (Don't shoot me, but 15-year-old me watching the films was team Gale :( thankfully that has changed).

Peeta- Peeta really is a cutie and I think his character comes across much better in the book. I was totally on board with his feelings and I thought the games should be told from his perspective too. I want a Peeta in my life too :) because all he ever did was admire Katniss.

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-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

3.75

This book felt like a good YA-LGBTQ romance. It read smoothly, with funny interactions and in-depth characters. I absolutely loved the little hints at all the rom-coms.

STORY
It was a romance novel, but it also discussed emotional, profound themes in a nice way. I felt really bad for Saoirse and her mother. The storyline with Beth actually felt realistic and the bond between Beth and Saoirse developed in a beautiful, loving way.
Ruby and Saoirse are truly soulmates to each other and at no point did the love between them feel forced. They understood each other and were able to talk about all their problems in a beautiful way.

Normally I am not a fan of break-ups, but here it fitted into the story and was handled so beautifully. And it was necessary for Saoirse to have her head in the right place and process her traumas and problems

CHARACTERS
Saoirse - I think I kept mispronouncing her name in my head. She was a funny, tough girl with a lot of emotions and felt like a real teenager. I would have loved to be friends with her. The break-up with Hannah is also told realistically from her perspective. And I am so glad she and Oliver became friends

Ruby - Ruby is also a tough free-spirit, yet also has her traumas. She always took good care of Saoirse and was always there for her. She was sweet and understanding. And she is really obsessed with the good rom-coms, which makes me like her even better. Ruby is the ideal match for Saoirse and I am happy for them that they found each other.

Rijk van stormen by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

This is perhaps my favourite part of the series so far. It had really cozy vibes and the whole thing felt good, well-constructed. Sarah J Maas makes quite an improvement in her writing style.

STORY
I liked that the characters grew throughout the story. I did miss some plot and by the end I felt that almost nothing really happened in the book. And the love in this book was giving and that was finally needed in the series and didn't feel unnecessary or forced at all. I liked that all the characters followed throughout the books finally all came together. The end of this book was a perfect finale and was full of suspense and betrayal. You do notice that Maas is building up to an epic ending for all the characters.

CHARACTERS
Aelin: OMG I have become an even bigger fan of her. Her character is growing so fast and is really becoming a badass queen with soft spots for all her friends.

Rowan: I want a Rowan in my life. I LOVE the way he is really smitten for Aelin and would do anything for her. I liked that we got a bit more from his point of view too.

Lorcan & Elide: really such cuties together. I was really obsessed with their chapters together. Lorcan actually has a small heart and I do like the build-up to his redemption arc. Elide is also an interesting character and I would like to see more of her and her finding her true powers. 

Aedion & Lysandra: Also cuties together. And Aedion's confession to her while she was turned into that monster was so wonderful. Their love for each other is a slowburn, but feels so real. I hope to see more of them in the next parts.

Dorian & Manon: both really badass and I love that they found each other. I look forward to discovering their bond further in the next books and that they find their full power and rule the world together, because they deserve that!

Twisted Lies by Ana Huang

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a nice finale to the Twisted series. It had been a long time since I read 2h at a stretch at night and stayed up way too late, but this book did just that. I was giggling the whole time and even felt the butterflies in my stomach.

STORY
I was a big fan of the romance between Christian and Stella. I could feel the tension so much. It was a real slow-burn, but I felt it suited this couple perfectly and it made the book so much better. 
The other plotlines were a bit vague and there were way too many of them. I thought the whole stalker story was just weird, and the characters didn't handle it well either. This could have been so much better developed than the standard letters and kidnapping? 
There was also the whole story of Christian's parents. It felt so out-of-the-blue and totally unnecessary. It felt like the writer had no inspiration to do anything with that ugly painting. 

CHARACTERS
CHRISTIAN: I am a fan of morally grey characters though and Christian described this role perfectly. But like Alex, he has weird mafia traits. He is too protective and kills random people? It would have been better if he was only concerned with Harper security and not his side business on the black market. It was nice to see that he was really in love with Stella up to his ears and would do anything for her, though. Christian can even get me on my knees.

STELLA: Stella is so cute. In the other books, she stayed rather in the background, but here she really got her moment to shine. Also nice that she really stood up for her passions and went for what her heart desired. The whole influencer thing and wanting more followers might have been a bit too much for me. Also, I felt like the writer portrayed her a little too perfectly at times and I missed some flaws and insecurities? She did really have Christian on a leash as a real girlboss.

Sadie by Courtney Summers

emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed the book. It felt like the ideal, fast-paced YA mystery. I liked how it incorporated the podcasts with the interviews to give more depth to the story. However I wasn't a fan of McCray and thought he was a bad narrator for the story. I thought Sadie was a hugely brave and courageous character with a profound background story. I like how the authors tackled hard topics and made me feel the same pain as Sadie has. It's a shame we don't find out more about how Mattie died, though, because it feels like it was passed over quickly. In addition, it sometimes went a little too fast with some characters and storylines, for example with Javi it is quickly passed over while insinuating that they are friends and there is possibility of is more. I found the ending very abrupt and was surprised that the book was done.

The whole book they are looking for Sadie, but eventually the trail ends up dead when they find out Keith died and Sadie has disappeared altogether? It is also unfortunate that we don't get a final look from Sadie's point of view where she has gone. And is Mattie really dead now? Because they made it look like Mattie was alive at one point.  The stories could have been tied together a bit better.

Een klein leven by Hanya Yanagihara

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

The book was very emotional, but I expected more from it. It had definitely not made me an emotional wreck, as I had expected from reviews. It is not the type of books I normally gravitate towards, but I found it beautifully written, in a distinct writing style. Unfortunately, I found the story far too long-winded and did not flow at all. There was also little progression in the characters and I missed growth. In addition, I found that after 1/4 of the book Malcolm and JB disappeared from the story, while I would have liked to read much more about them. I did get really interested in Jude's story, but found it became repetitive.

I did really enjoy that Jude and Willem got into a relationship and it felt real, I did notice that there was love.

 
The book was a nice story about friendship (of which Andy is the best example), but could have missed a few pages.

Twisted Hate by Ana Huang

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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

3.25

I had more trouble getting through this book than the previous 2 parts of the Twisted series. I felt there was a lot of plot missing from this story and we also got less background on the characters, especially since we already knew Josh's. The way Jules handles the situation around Max did disappoint me, but Alex and Christian really shined in this book. I found their hatred for each other a little too forced and it soon became abundantly clear that they were in love with each other. As such, the book felt a little too drawn out and could have definitely missed 100 pages.

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I already found this book more exciting and intriguing than the first, but it was still missing that little 'sparkle' for me. I am definitely not a fan of Mare and find her too shallow in her emotions. Besides, I found the plot leading nowhere, and when tension finally came, it was over after 2 chapters. I also missed more of Maven in the story and realise now that he is the most intriguing character. The side characters (Shade, Farley, Cal) totally made this book good and bearable.

But why did Shade have to die? It felt totally useless in the story and then I also started losing interest. I had wanted to read more about him and Farley and Farley's grief afterwards. Besides, it also felt like Mare wasn't mourning him at all? His death passed me by at first because of this, and I had to read back .

Even if the series disappoints me somewhat so far, my interest for the next volume is piqued and I hope to find more suspense there.