archercasper's reviews
92 reviews

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.

DNF. I couldn't get into it honestly; the short chapters were painfully slow and I wasn't feeling any connection to the characters. Might try to read again in a couple years. 

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-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? Yes

4.0

Madeline Miller is a master at developing characters in such a way that you don't even realize how much they've changed until the story is over. Her writing is, overall, a delight; I did often have trouble following her descriptions of the setting and characters, and found myself struggling to picture exactly what everyone looked like and where they were, though maybe this could be attributed to my own level of reading comprehension. 

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Something about the way Mitch Albom writes and develops characters really sticks with you. His culminations and lessons often leave me speechless. I'm going to be thinking about this for weeks. 

In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, although it seemed a bit underdeveloped for a standalone. It feels like the beginning of a series, or a book that should have a prequel. Though, maybe I just feel this way because I liked the characters and world so much and want to hear more. I do think the world building could've gone a lot deeper, and there were some plot points that really made me question the characters and their decisions, but overall it was a very sweet story with a great message about staying true to yourself and the importance of family. Perfect if you're looking for a fast read with a happy ending.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

dark informative inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

This is one of the most illuminating and intriguing books I've ever read. Preston's writing style is so engaging; I just couldn't put the book down. This work gave me a new appreciation for the microbes that surround us and it inspired so many questions that I spent a long time researching.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Excrement, Vomit

Minor: Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

emotional inspiring sad 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

4.0

This book absolutely tore at my heart strings. The way Owens conveyed deep abandonment issues and trauma, along with the art of nature and experience of blossoming into womanhood, was beautiful. There were moments that seemed a bit cliche and corny, and

the age gap between Tate and Kya rubbed me the wrong way at the start of their relationship

. There were also a few parts that seemed a bit skipped over or unfinished, such as

when Kya learned about Chase's engagement. I feel like that was moved away from very quickly and I would've like to know what exactly happened between them when she found out

. But, overall, the book was well written and I personally enjoyed the ending. It's very much a

"here's your happy ending"

kind of book, but that's what I was in the mood for when I read it so I had no problem with that. I thought it was wrapped up very well, though the last few pages were very fast-paced.

I think the most emotional moment for me was Mabel embracing Kya after Jumpin' died. The parental relationship she grew with them was my favorite relationship in the whole book. I also appreciated the glimpse into Tate's regret surrounding his dad, and the fact that Owens addressed he was kind of obsessed with Kya. Their relationship was very cute though, and I loved that they ended up together.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Murder, Abandonment

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Racism

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I really wanted to like this book but it just felt so...convoluted. I'm not particularly a fan of unreliable narrators and most of the characters just annoyed me. The writing was okay but often hard to follow and so incredibly dense. It took me months to get through this book. I feel if I reread it I might be inclined to give it a higher rating, but as of now I just have no interest in doing so. Totally overhyped, in my opinion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol

Moderate: Gun violence, Incest

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Poetic and gut-wrenching. I don't think I would've enjoyed this book as much if I had read it outside of a classroom setting. I think it requires that in-depth analysis to be fully appreciated. 

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

3.0

Boring but the ending made it worth it. 

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

3.0

Long-winded and slow at many points, but overall interesting and a good read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder

Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts