alyskarstark's reviews
322 reviews

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

funny 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

4.0

With the caveat that this book is incredibly 2000 and everything that that entails, this was a nostalgic hug to listen to. I have been doing Badly in the ol' noggin lately and this was honestly the only thing able to calm me down. Very grateful to Anne Hathaway for recording these narrations, wish she had done the whole series and not just the first three books.

Mr Salary by Sally Rooney

funny fast-paced

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

4.0

I want everyone to take these 4 stars with a grain of salt; this is a very, very short story. Short to the point that it almost felt like a rough draft for a possible longer one.

However, if you are an established Sally Sooney fan, I would still recommend this as it's just nice to read more of her writing.

Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles

dark slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

This was a beautifully written novella that uses myth to explore female rage. While some of the characters didn't feel entirely whole, I think that worked as this felt more concept driven rather than character driven. I enjoyed the merging of myths from different cultures and wish we could have seen a little more of that, but I think only being fed it in small amounts helped create the bubble that the story is being told in. 

The House Guest by Alison James

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

Thank you to Netgalley for this Arc.

This book took me by surprise a bit; a few things I pegged early on, but the way the story unraveled was a bit unexpected. When I wasn't reading it, I found myself wanting to get back to it to know what was going to happen next.

This is out on November 1st, if you're after a quick easy read that will take you on a bit of a ride, I'd recommend giving it a go!

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss

emotional informative 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? It's complicated

3.75

Y/N by Esther Yi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.

I want to be a weird book girlie so badly but I might just not be cut out for it.

I was hoping this would be more of an exploration of parasocial relationships, but it's so removed from reality it's hard to fully see its commentary. That could have changed if I continued, who knows, but the plot is so tenuous you don't end up feeling propelled forward. I kept having to drag myself back to this book.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This is, arguably, my least favourite of Grady Hendrix's books. Normally what I love about about Hendrix's books is that the characters feel so fleshed out and real, but to me that wasn't the case here. I also have some thoughts on the way Hendrix chose to develop the story which I don't think I can go into spoiler-free, so I'll put that below. But to sum it up, if I finished this book like 70% of the way in my rating would likely be a bit higher, probably a 4 or just under. But it didn't and overall I think this just took too long to tell the story it wanted to tell.

<Spoiler>So about 60-70% of the way through we get to a big, climactic fight that as I was reading it I assumed was gearing up to an ending (woes of reading on a ereader). There ended up being a twist that the enemy wasn't defeated after all - a classic in the horror genre, and in itself I don't have an issue with devices like this. My main issue was that it took 300 pages, which had a lot of back and forths and flashbacks, to get to that point. And the false climax itself was long. I'm not sure if this book is suffering because I read it right after The Final Girl Support Group, which is now probably my favourite Hendrix and, even with twists and misdirects, felt like a tightly written story. Once I realise there was another 150 pages where things felt back a square one, I struggled to stay interested.

I will say, looking at other reviews, lots of people have dissimilar views. They agree that the initial part of the story is too slow paced, however they love the last act and found it hard to put down. So, different for different people.

For me it's tainted my experience with the rest of the book a bit, but not to the point where Hendrix is no long an auto-read author for me.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.

I struggled through a quarter of this book physically and even tried switching to audio thinking it would be easier to get through but it didn't help. The premise is so interesting but the journey through it felt sluggish. As it started to flash back to the past and go from characters trying to survive (physically, emotionally, mentally) in a dystopian world to characters in a loveless marriage, I was like "What am I even reading anymore?" Completely lost interest.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

A little overwritten, but I enjoyed this.