bellatilford's reviews
71 reviews

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

adventurous funny 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

4.0

it’s just like a cute little middle school book very quick to read and i love hiccup 🤘❤️‍🔥 not like the movies at all but very good book. i’m a big fan 

Paper Towns by John Green

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.25

i really enjoyed reading this book. i was very hooked throughout and read it super quickly. i think the purpose definitely was met and it leaves readers with a lot of strong quotes and ideas to think about. i just was a bit disappointed one by the character of margo which ig was sort of the point of the ending and two just overall a bit underwhelmed by the ending which once again was sort of the point.

you expect this whole incredible amazing end and it’s just kind of like oh margo isn’t as amazing and her story her mystery or whatever isn’t as amazing as the simple imagination of it. so in that sense it was very effective and i would recommend the book, but i did feel a bit let down personally because i did want and expect this huge reveal. i also didn’t enjoy margo like at the end of the book she was so annoying and yet everyone kinda got over it. once again the point ik but still 

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

i loved this book. it’s the first fantasy book i’ve ever read and it was so interesting and kept me super engaged. it had just the right amount of character based stuff mixed in with an engaging plot. very cool world building and it kept me wanting to read more. also jude is cool af and i’m in love with cardan so

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

adventurous challenging emotional relaxing slow-paced

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

3.5

this book definitely has its place in literature and i am not surprised that it is as famous as it is. it is quite unique and there plot forces the reader to calm and truly think deeply about the simplistic things occurring. i would not expect to like a book like this simply because of its lack of true plot twists or complex  plot (on the surface  level ) in general but that ended up being the appeal of the book. i didn’t really love it like five stars and i wouldn’t reread it but i do believe it is a beautiful book and deserves praise for sure 

Find Me by André Aciman

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

5.0

beautiful. andre aciman writes prose like no other writer. he perfectly captures sorrow and longing and the imagery is wonderful. it’s just so raw and original. i wish i had known going into the book that more of it would be about the father because the beginning part confused me but other than that i loved it so much

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne

adventurous inspiring mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

it was good i mean i don’t regret reading it it was a nice little side book to the original harry potter series and provided a nice look into the future world i don’t treat it as a sequel nor a connection because it is so different it’s kinda more like fan fiction and i think by those metrics if u don’t hold it to the standard of harry potter or expect it to be as good then u can read and enjoy it. i loved the pace and it was a good quick read 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

it was a nice book idk like it was written well and the message was sweet the multi character like sectioning style was cool and i think it was well done overall listened to it over audiobook which i feel like cheapened it a bit 

Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape by Peggy Orenstein

challenging funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

would recommend to anyone and everyone. so interesting and genuinely reflective/thoughtful. the author has clearly covered all her bases and there has been extensive research. her commentary makes the book funny and cutting in the perfect way. 

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing sad 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

5.0

I FINISHED IN LIKE TWO DAYS I AM HOOKED LOVE OKAY I DID NOT THINK YA WAS MY STYLE BUT I STAND CORRECTED THIS STUFF IS FUCKING CRACK 

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

many things to be said about this book 
1. hanya yanagihara is an incredible writer like so good she saved the more unbearable parts of this book simply with her endearing writing 
2. this book was confusing: like partly the plot was convoluted but also what is with all the names in all three sections being the same it didn’t add anything to the book. instead it made things totally unnecessarily confusing and made readers try to find connections when there weren’t any 
3. this book was unnecessarily long: i loved each section but why were they all in one book i get they have similar themes but like the stories are not related really besides some setting and name stuff like pls. each section was great but messed up by the confusion that came with all the other sections being meant to be related. also it was literally 700 pages ages long as fuck which made it hard to stick to 
4. this book is real and lowkey depressing but in the best way. like weirdly relatable and her ideas are so unique