archercasper's reviews
92 reviews

Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast by Oscar Wilde
Did not finish book.

Not my style...

Clear by Carys Davies
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.

Good writing and premise but just not interesting me at the moment.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

DNF 11%
Plan on coming back to this at a later date.

We the Animals by Justin Torres
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.

Well-written but a bit boring.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

4.0

"Down into the darkness we sink, until the sea above me is the sky, and we--the dragon and I--are like falling stars."

"The sea. The water stretches out to the horizon, its beauty unparalleled, filling my heart with a joy that is boundless, that both grounds me to this moment and spirits me away, to a world far beyond this one, to the place where I long to be."

This story was absolutely magnificent. The blend of family, romance, myth, and destiny was beautiful; it was impossible to put the book down. There was a fair degree of predictability throughout, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment in any way. In fact, it was predictable because everything fit together and flowed so well, not because it was clichéd. This is a story I will be re-reading any time I need something comfortable, cozy, and magical.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

4.0

This was a great short story. I loved how the readers were just as in the dark as the main character. Super interesting read with many possible endings.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

3.0

"The truth is fluid. There is always another way to spin the story, another wrench to throw in the narrative. I have learned this now, if nothing else."

This was a very interesting, critical look at the publishing industry (and the bizarre concept of 'reverse racism'). The main character was so frustrating, but that's what made the story work. However, I did feel like the author was leading up to something that just...never came. I did enjoy that instead of positively developing as a character, June got worse. The psychological stuff was well-written.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

3.0

"She's had so many lives, and some of them were bad, but a lot of them were good, and maybe there isn't a single best path forward that she has to find."

There were technical aspects of this book that weren't my favorite, but overall it was a super fun story. It was easy to enjoy and full of enough ups and downs to keep my attention. I also liked the ending; it was satisfying and complete, and fit the progression of the main character well.

Go Ask Alice by
Did not finish book. Stopped at 62%.

It was interesting until I learned more about the author. The lies and misrepresentations made me feel betrayed as a reader, plus some of her depictions of drug use were wildly exaggerated. I'll admit she did a good job of depicting the rapid mood changes and hyperbole that come with being a teenager, but overall it felt like one big scare tactic and eventually I had to put it down because that's not my style.

The Philosopher Kings: A Novel by Jo Walton

4.0

"I knew what death meant now. It was conversations cut off."

This was a wonderful continuation of the story that began in the first book. It was a great balance of new and returning characters.

I wish more of the story had been given to Simmea's death. It was very sudden and not all that emotional.

 
I thought the direction the ending went in seemed odd, so I'm interested to see how it plays out in the final book of the trilogy.