aviously6's reviews
63 reviews

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

adventurous funny medium-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? Yes

4.25

This one is really fun! I think it was a good second part to the series. Going back and reading these as an adult, especially one who read the whole set as a kid, is a fun throwback.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

funny medium-paced

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

3.5

In some aspects this book is definitely a product of it's time, with some very weird quips here and there about minorities. Still, I did enjoy it, though I think I agree with some other people that this probably does function better as a show than as a book - even Pratchett writes at the end that Gaiman is a scriptwriter. Still, the book is fun and cute with a lot of good jokes, and I'm glad it got made into a show to show off it's true potential. I also love that it's a story with a non-compete ending, yet with no sequel. It really makes this feel like a complete world, that keeps going regardless of whether or not we're reading the pages.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

This book was incredibly interesting, and I'm trying to read more classics, so I did really enjoy this in the end. I think it's one of the classics I've enjoyed more, honestly, but it was also so hard to actually get through. Much easier as an audiobook than a book. I loved what it was saying and how much analysis you can do on this, plus I did pick up on some of the queer subtext, though also this has that issue many classics have - is it queer subtext or do they just hate women/not see them as people so that the men have much more intimate relationships? Though not the worst one I've seen (and I know this is a product of the times) the book does have a fair share of misogyny.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book does pair incredibly well with 1984. Its also a very scary future to think about, but as with other books, I appreciate the continued hopeful message that humanity will end up in a better place, which is really what I need for right now.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Though this book ends a bit abruptly, I really enjoyed reading it and learning the story, and now I'm excited to read the next one. Lauren is a very compelling main character, and after reading Kindred I've found that I really like the characters that Butler creates. They feel a bit before my time, despite this story starting exactly in my time (2025). I really appreciate the slight hope in the story, how it seems to portray that even though everything is horrible and will continue to get horrible, you just have to survive until the world is sane again, which is definitely how I feel right now.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging dark sad medium-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? Yes

4.75

OHHH my god. I know a lot of people said the amount of lore was just fan service but honestly I don't care, this book had my mouth DROPPING. I am so invested in the world of Panem, I love every time we get to view another Game and every time we learn more and more about the world. This didn't just feel like a world expansion either, it also felt like buildup for plot I know comes in the future, and establishing things like relationships that didn't make as much sense to me in the Hunger Games. I really did adore this.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

adventurous funny medium-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

This was so fun and cute! A good start to a very long series. Its been fun to go back and read this when I originally started the series at like, age 12.

1984 by George Orwell

challenging informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I will definitely be thinking a lot about this book in the upcoming years. I'm glad I reread this - my first read of this was at age 13, so I don't think I fully got it as much as I do now. This book has the ability to keep applying itself to new concepts - when I first read it, AI generated writing didn't even exist, yet within my reading I found warnings about literature written without human involvement/generated by machines. I found warnings of fascist governments that felt parallel to what I'm seeing in the current political climate. Concepts of crimethink (thought crime) hit close to home. 

West Hollywood Monster Squad by Sina Grace

adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

2.75

I wanted to like this really bad while I was reading it, but any characters I liked were barely touched upon and every character I didn't like was one of the main characters. I struggle to like stories once I don't like characters, but I did still enjoy this for a quick read with a fun concept of "what if I was at a drag show when the apocalypse started".

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous 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

I've never seen the movies or read any of the other books, so this was fun! I got it through a Blind Date with a Book my library was doing. It was a cute adventure, and fun to see how Tolkien's work has influenced most popular fantasy media today. Catching commonplace fantasy words used for the first time was fun. Most of the book moved along at a good pace, but some of it was a little too slow for me.