apenguinkeeper's reviews
504 reviews

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

slow-paced

2.75

This goes on the wall as one of my greatest achievements ever. Finishing this book. I’ve never labored so much.

The writing style of this book is so interesting to me: I still can’t decide whether I like it or not. It feels almost unedited, and I wonder if that was the intent since it’s written from the perspective of Theo, the most scatter-brained being to exist. I also wonder if it really was unedited because no one really needs that much description. Idk, there were some really interesting punctuation choices and stylistic choices and I’m not sure if i was a fan.

It also just felt like this book started as a “no plot just vibes” idea which tried to get transitioned into a book with a plot. It had plot… it just wasn’t paced very well, in my personal opinion.

The synopsis is also misleading to me, since he doesn’t ever “enter the art scene,” and half of the synopsis describes his adult life(or more of the synopsis than that I think), when most of the book is actually his childhood.

LET IT BE KNOWN I’m upset Theo and Boris didnt stay together or even get together. Justice for Boris and Theo’s relationship because seriously

Final Girls by Riley Sager

3.5

I mean, yknow, it was like every other murder mystery book. Interesting concept that draws you in, a bunch of weird stuff starts happening, things are revealed bit by bit that make you think this one person did it, surprise it's not them, and someone you thought you trusted ends up being the murderer. It's the formula.

I just... don't think Coop being the murderer made sense? Don't get me wrong, it made sense for his character profile and the way he was acting the whole book. That makes sense. It was more the way the plot ended up getting him there.

I also liked the Tina Stone is actually Samantha twist. I thought that was really clever, and I enjoyed it. HOWEVER, I do think Quincy was really quick to forgive her, especially once she found out that Tina had murdered in the past and was a friend of Joe. It didn't feel like it was addressed enough. 

Idk, some of the motivations for the characters in this book felt really loose and more as a way to get to the ending of the book instead of how the characters would actually act based on their personalities. Especially for Tina, I feel like for a woman who was generally very selfish the entire book, she wouldn't have put her life on the line just to prove innocence for this one guy she was friends with in a mental hospital, especially since proving his innocence never really did anything for him, considering the guy is dead.

Reign by Katharine McGee

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

4.5

To start, this series is an all time favorite for unbelievably well rounded characters. Every character has an amazing development through the entire series, and the relationships they have with each other are well thought out and make sense.

This series altogether isn’t anything super memorable, except for the relationship between the characters. The plot is completely character-based, and I was able to enjoy it. But generally, every conflict in the book could’ve just been solved if the characters had communicated, so it never felt like there were super high stakes in the plot at any point in time.

The only time the conflict didnt come from miscommunication was the car crash, and I just think the author resolved it way too quickly. It didn’t cause a whole lot of problems except for a slight hiccup in the media and with Teddy. Even when the senator vote came for her throne, it didn’t end up a huge deal because it got resolved relatively quickly.

I think this series is really great with the way the characters interact with each other and themselves, I just think the plot generally lacked any stakes that would hold you to the book if you weren’t attached to the characters.

Even the Saints Audition by Raych Jackson

I don't read poetry enough to rate this, but I did find some of the ideas interesting.

I especially liked the "On Job" portions. 

I like the criticism of the Church, understanding the flaws it has while also still having that belief in religion and in God. I personally am not Christian, but I found that beautiful.

I also like how it calls out the hypocrisy of the Church. 

Most of these poems were very straightforward, and it told you what to think, instead of letting the reader interpret it for themselves. I can't tell if I like it, or if I don't.

A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces That Shaped Queer Women's Culture by June Thomas

4.25

Love love love all the information in this book. It revealed so much about the history of my community I had no idea about. 

I read this for a forensics speech I’ve been working on, and I do think this raises the idea that many lesbian stereotypes derive from the lesbian community itself, formed from desperation to be able to recognize each other, and that society then adopted those ideals and used them as a gaydar, much like the lesbians of the past. It’s an unfortunate but necessary thing that needed to happen.

Lesbianism isn’t something that needs to be hidden away in a distant neighborhood. You don’t need to be half drunk to do it. It isn’t just for intellectuals. It doesn’t have to be solemn and serious. It can be fun and healthy and loud and sweaty and untamed.

Overall, I loved all of these stories and information, and while the language wasn’t especially colorful nor was all of the information necessarily needed, I do think this book is important and I’m very glad I read it.

The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee

4.75

It was an amazing book, just like the others in the series.

Admittedly going into this I don't know what I was expecting, and while I wasn't expecting what did happen, it was a decent surprise.

I did immensely miss Percy, though. The Monty content was great though, and I especially loved the part where Monty and Adrian are talking and Adrian is like "dude just like, marry Percy already" that was amazing of him because someone needed to tell this gay boy to grow up

AND THEN THEY GOT MARRIED and ten out of ten moment, ate, love it and I will never recover

I also loved the part where Adrian is like, a political writer, because that's amazing and I love that every single Montague child threw the middle finger at their father and ran for the hills

Supernova by Marissa Meyer

5.0

THIS BOOK. It broke me, it made me think, it threw me for a loop.

Nova’s character arc in this trilogy is really interesting, how her emotions and thoughts change and how she approaches her circumstances

the same regardless of the way her thoughts change.

Everyone losing their powers was such a powerful moment, ESPECIALLY Adrian. I loved that moment especially and I think I cried a little.

I think we always knew Max was going to be important but I didn’t know he was going to basically fix the universe. I also love how Nova’s backstory keeps coming back in, with the star and bracelet from her father changing the entire world, as well as Ace’s betrayal in the end.

Finally my favorite/least favorite part… am I crazy or did the epilogue mean Magpie is Nova’s sister??? I’m not crazy right?? And I need a sister series where the world is messed up again and we get a sister reunion because PLEASE.

The Betrothed by Kiera Cass

3.5

For what it was, it was definitely enjoyable, and if you’re looking for something like Kiera’s other books, this is perfect. Because the main character is very similar to all the others. They have their own individual traits, of course, but at the core they pretty much all end up seeking a man that they wouldn’t usually love until they do, messing up their original romance with the love interest at the beginning.

This plot also felt… weird? Like the main plot felt like it had already concluded by about 3/4 through, and then she pulled out the

surprise everyone died plot twist and it completely sent the plot in a direction that felt… idk, lazy? Maybe it’s just me but I feel like killing everyone off(especially since Scarlet still survived?) felt like a way to keep the series going and interesting.

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

5.0

OKAY. This whole book was a perfect moral dilemma and I think I could talk about it for hours.

Nova deciding Agent N is wrong was perfect. Even better when Adrian agreed with her. I thought that whole scene with Winston was heartbreaking, and I think that in itself is a really interesting ethics debate.

THEN, Nova completely ignores all of the feelings she had about Agent N as soon as she needs to use it against who she thinks are the “bad guys.” Basically what they did to Winston, right? I’m excited to see how far Nova is going to go to fight against who she believes are the bad guys, and presumably what will cause her to break that and finally realize what she’s doing is exactly what those on the other side are doing.

This was a KILLER of a second book. I’m desperate to read the next one.

You Were Never Here by Kathleen Peacock

3.5

I think this book lost me in the beginning, had me in the middle, and lost me again at the end.

It took me a bit in the beginning to figure out if I was going to inevitably DNF. The writing style took some getting used to. 

The middle was awesome! I loved the character dynamics, and the way the story was playing out was interesting. I especially liked the moments where Cat mentions Riley, I found it really sweet.

I also loved the dedication to Cat as a plus size character, not mentioning it once and then pushing it aside for the rest of the book. I find the themes in that aspect really well done, and the way the author handles it was really nice.

One thing I think was a bit strange was the back and forth moral dilemma of Cat and her powers. She’s against using them sometimes, and then is ready to selfishly use them at other times. I felt like at times Cat’s feelings towards her powers were inconsistent, and I’m not sure if that was intentionally done or not.