booksncass's reviews
42 reviews

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

“our fate is to love, and lose, and lose, and lose… but we keep going. this is nothing new for us, carra. we keep going.”

this book actually wrecked me. genuinely had me crying within the first chapter and during the last. sciona is such a complex character who is so infuriatingly selfish and ego-centered majority of the time, but there’s something about the way she is written that is so intriguing and causes you to feel empathy for her at times. thomil and carra really carried this story, I love them with my whole heart. I don’t have enough words to fully articulate my feelings quite yet, but the themes and messages of this story feel especially prevalent within our current climate. being good is so much more important than appearing to do good. highly recommend. 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

“I was forced to acknowledge too late, much too late, that I too had loved, that I was capable of suffering and that I was human after all.”

wow. just wow. this book was so hauntingly beautiful and devastating. no words. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

4.0

The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard

emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

this book was a very quick read. read it mostly in one sitting. there was definitely some funny and emotional  moments throughout, but overall the lack of a plot really bothered me.

and once eilidh left

, I didn’t feel that attached to anyone else so it lacked depth for me. I could definitely see how avid cat lovers would find this book enjoyable, though! it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

also, the footnotes got to be a bit excessive. it felt a little like the author was assuming the reader would have no clue what was being referenced, so it got to be a bit annoying. 

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

“the girl, the king… and the monster they became.”

absolutely devoured this book. I always forget how much I actually enjoy rich world-building when usually I tend to favor character depth and exploration. rachel gillig really delivered on both ends for me. I love most of these characters, flaws and all, and absolutely despised others. the stakes always felt high. the world and the magic system is so complex and unique but I never found myself confused or lost as to what was going on. the pacing was absolutely perfect. fantasy books tend to feel rushed towards the end for me, and this story didn’t have that problem at all. we gradually progressed with these characters at such a perfect pace and it made for a really enjoyable read. immediately picked up the second book in the duology and can’t wait to see where it goes. 

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

picked this up to get into the spooky vibes for october and could not put it down and ended up reading a majority of it in one day! loved ophelia’s character, and as someone who is the oldest daughter and struggles with OCD tendencies, that aspect connected me to her so quickly. the shadow voice was honestly the creepiest parts of the story for me. blackwell is such a little shit but I love how ride or die he is for ophelia. only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because I wish there was more focus on the actual trials and a little less spice. the trials were supposed to be increasingly more difficult but it felt like some were too easy for ophelia to get through, and the  back and forth between ophelia and blackwell felt a bit repetitive. all in all, it made the ending feel a bit rushed. otherwise, I really enjoyed this book! the creepy, dark atmosphere was set up so well. the characters were all interesting in their own way, and the idea to make the trials the 9 Circles of Hell was unique. would definitely recommend to anyone interested in delving into darker fantasies! 

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

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

3.75

such a fun, wholesome read! loved the focus on the cast of characters and how they all band together when needed. the story was a bit repetitive but it didn’t bother me too much, just took me longer to get through the last 1/3 of the book. larran and kiela’s relationship was cute, but caz and meep are the true unsung heroes of this book, I love them so much! 

Circe by Madeline Miller

5.0

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

beautiful, beautiful writing! found myself wanting to savor every bit of this book. didn’t want it to end. my love of greek mythology knows no bounds, so I was very biased going into it, but I think this one is always going to stick with me.