artmuseam's reviews
206 reviews

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

i’m gonna be honest, i’m not entirely sure of what to make for reviewing this book. the beginning and the middle were so insanely slow that by the time i got to about a little over half the book, i  felt as if the plot had not advanced even an inch. the concept of this book had left me excited to read it, but the execution of it was starting to give me second thoughts. now i know that this is more of an underlying metaphor of grief instead of being an explicit scifi/speculative piece, but the mystery of leah after her return from the submarine and the changes she went through were too much to focus on rather than this metaphor. i felt like i was missing so many answers to questions i had, and the conclusion did not resolve these at all. the writing itself was quite beautiful and compelling, but the story’s plot barely existed and i was left disappointed by the end. 2.5/5 stars
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Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

HOLY. CRAP. where do i even start with this masterpiece? i genuinely did not expect this book to take me through an emotional rollercoaster with a romance that would leave me screaming in joy and weeping in despair at the same time. this ya fantasy novel left me unable to put it down as soon as i started it; i finished in two days! and of course, how can i ever miss an opportunity to read another beautiful enemies-to-lovers story? i really loved how ross crafted both the theme of love and war in such an intricate way that had me confused on how to specifically categorize this story, because one could say it was a romance while another could say it was an heartbreaking war story. i need the second book now or else i will literally combust. 5/5 stars!! 
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The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

never in my entire life have i ugly cried because of a book before. i kid you not, almost every chapter of this book had me tearing up and the ending left me a sobbing, emotional wreck. this book touched me deeply with its hardships; when times of mere happiness or joy happened, i awaited the sadness and new adversity that would break it. i was torn by elsa’s story and the journey she made throughout her adulthood, learning what it meant to love in a world that hated her. this is my first kristin hannah novel that i’ve read, and it certainly won’t be the last. wow. 5/5 stars
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Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

to start, i have never read anything like this book before. a combination of cult survival, body metamorphosis, and exploring sexuality that somehow weaves together so well to construct a unique take on horror. this book reminded me somewhat of the works of octavia butler; stress was a big factor in what kept me going through the book. i was terrified for the main character, vern, but also terrified of her at certain points. i found elements of myself in her through her tentative exploration of her sexual orientation while also learned about what love is. this was such an exciting and different approach to horror and i thoroughly enjoyed this book! 5/5 stars
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A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

as much as i LOVED the first two books of this series and absolutely devoured them both, i am so disappointed to say that the finale did not live up to its expectations. while exciting and fast-paced, there were a lot of plot holes that i think could have been easily resolved had the author taken her time and slowed down a bit. i personally also felt like half of the book was more of summarizing everything that happened in the first two books with the introduction of previous characters and events, which was honestly a waste of time. the book also had a lot more potential to having an impactful ending, especially since this is the last we get (for now) of evangeline and jacks!! maybe this release was just bad timing/too rushed? 2.5/5 stars
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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

this book literally took my breath away. after i finished reading, i had to sit and think for a long and hard time from how terrifying beautiful and emotional this novel was. the intertwining of marie-laure and werner was honestly done in a way that was flawless and every chapter made me never want to set the book down. doerr’s writing style never fails to leave me awed at the magic he creates with his words and this along with the storytelling aspect was truly a masterpiece. my heart ached for every character of this book and i cried at least once. such a beautiful and powerful story. i recommend this to everyone <3 5/5 stars
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Red Rising by Pierce Brown

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

i wasn’t entirely sure what i was expecting when i first started this book, but wow. this interesting concept of people being divided in a social hierarchy by colors (red, pink, brown, gold, and so on) and seeing the beginning of a revolution from there was an incredible story to follow. i especially loved darrow’s character as someone who went through fifteen new experiences all in one setting and yet remained a headstrong, loyal person. the action was super intense as well and kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time (some scenes were a little TOO intense…check content warnings!) one thing i will say that i wasn’t a big fan of was the writing style. maybe i’m just the type of people who like more detail and showiness, but the writing itself felt bland with so much of narration and explanation of scenes going on rather than really putting me in the moment. this might be a personal take for me so if anyone else enjoys this type of writing style, this book is for you!! 4/5 stars
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Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective 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

3.0

so, maybe i shouldn’t have let the high reviews of this book affect my initial expectations but sadly…they did. and i am disappointed to say that this book didn’t give me the hype i was expecting. ya scifi involving galactic wars and young pilots sent off to fight aliens is something i absolute LOVE, but this book didn’t do so well for me. the action was good and enough to keep me at the edge of my seat, but the writing style itself was what made me grow bored of the main character, spensa, overtime. i also felt like there were some plotholes that i guess could be resolved in the sequel, but i don’t plan on reading that anytime soon. overall, i’ll give this 3/5 stars
Chemistry by Weike Wang

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dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

beautifully, beautifully written. i have never related so much to a book and had it hit way too close to home. i wish i had read this much earlier on, but i’m still so glad i stumbled upon this piece. the lack of quotation marks in the dialogue was an interesting take and didn’t really bother me much since it fit more of a poetic style than a fictional narration. also, that ending made me tear up. 5/5 stars!!
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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

when i first started ready player one, i wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. the thing that threw me off most was how geeky and immature the narrator sounded, which i’m sure was done on purpose because the main character is a teen who games all day and has no other life outside of his vr world. while i didn’t really enjoy this type of narration style, i thought that cline made a phenomenal world with so many intricate details relating both to the past and the future. i wasn’t even born in the 80s but found myself feeling nostalgic and excited about all the movies, music, pop culture, and media from that time. i also really loved the concept of humanity choosing to live in VR and ignore what is going on irl, since i feel like we are slowly straying towards that path today.. i think this book will be enjoyed by anyone who holds respect and love for gaming and tech in general. 4/5 stars!
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