annaclaire's reviews
248 reviews

Blood Lines by Tanya Huff

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

Book three living up to the example of the two that came before it. Definitely a great addition to the series. The villain was so much more complex than the other books, and not only was their power leagues ahead of Vickie, Henry, and Mike, but the emotions and intensity it brought to all the main and side characters was thrilling at every step. The combination of not knowing how the final battle would play out and everyone being pushed to their absolute physical and emotional breaking point made for such a great read. I'm halfway through the series now, and there has never been a moment I wasn't invested. I also love the relationship dynamics that continued through this book. It's complicated and messy, but even though the set up could turn into the main romance becoming a cringy love triangle, it never crossed that line and I am still so invested in to the emotional journey of all 3 characters. Just a really well orchestrated story in this book, and in the series overall. 

Theogony by Hesiod

adventurous informative medium-paced

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

4.5

I read this for a class on Epic Poetry. Hesiod has some definite mommy issues, but otherwise it was a super interesting read. The Theogony itself was only about 30 pages, where Hesiod retells the story that the Muses tell him about the origins of the gods. Definitely a foundational work that is 60% just names and lineages of the entire Greek mythology catalogue. It has a lot of value when looking at Epic poetry and ancient myths, but I wouldn't say it is a particularly thrilling read, especially when you know most of the general information going into it. 

The Devil Inside by Jenna Black

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

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? It's complicated

3.0

I read this story for a class. The method of narration was much more similar to someone telling this story, which I think would be the more engaging way to hear it, but when reading it there were parts that dragged on and were overly expositional. I think it will be an interesting story to break down in relation to what it says about the American perspective after the turn of the 19th century.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This story had some top tier queer/sapphic yearning in it. It really showcased the erotic side of vampires and forbidden sexuality really well, especially coming from Carmilla, rather than the narrator herself. There were definitely a few drawbacks, like the convenance of the General telling his story and the question as to who the people travelling with Carmilla were, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I also appreciated reading one of the original vampire works that sparked basically the entire vampire tradition. There was definitely a lot of inspiration given to the first half of the book Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk, and if anyone is looking for a modern story like Carmilla I would recommend that work. 

Soulless by Gail Carriger

lighthearted mysterious fast-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

2.5

While this books was a quick read and I overall enjoyed the romance and mystery, there were also a lot of faults. The language that was used to describe the queer characters and non-British characters really took me out of the story and at times made me uncomfortable, the only mitigating factor was that it seemed to be done in the interest of keeping with the Victorian time period. However, I really don't think it was a necessary addition since the steampunk and fantasy elements of the books could have easily explained the lack of discriminatory language. The story was also at times a bit too silly for my taste, leaning into a goofy kind humor that could be hit or miss for me. I preferred the darker and more tense moments when the flowery writing did a really great job of pulling me into the emotion of the scene. I mostly enjoyed the main romance and really appreciated both the main and side characters. The length of the book gave a lot of room to develop the different personalities and relationships, but that development seemed to come at the cost of the ending which wrapped up way top quickly and neatly for my liking. 
I've seen this book being recommended and am glad that I read it, but I don't think I have enough interest to continue on with the series. 

Daughters of Passion by Julia O'Faolain

I don't want to rate this story yet, because I don't think I really understood what was happening or the relevance of the information that I was being given. Definitely an interesting read but I'll need to think about it for a little while. 

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

funny mysterious tense fast-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

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

Dracula by Bram Stoker

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? No

5.0

I have always loved vampire media and finally got around to reading this book. I am so glad that I did because I loved it so much! There were some things that we're meant to be twists, that I obviously knew were coming, but overall I was deeply invested in the story and really connected with the characters. I would definitely recommend reading this is someone is a lover of classics or supernatural media. This story was also so well written and dispite being 400 pages and only told through written journals and correspondence, it was immersive and deeply moving.