booksonmars's reviews
644 reviews

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

the first half of the book really pulled me in: i loved the dark academia atmosphere of it all, from the campus and its compelling studies to the lore surrounding the vampires. kidan is an interesting character to follow, particularly with her relationship to susenyos: their cat and mouse game fuelled by hatred was mesmerising to read, and indeed gave judecardan vibes, if not with more venom. 

the second half was what faltered for me. i think once the pair forged an uneasy alliance the development in their relationship felt rushed. not that it wasn't still engaging to read, but it did water down their previous emotions towards each other. the magic system overall is sort of vague, despite some detailed lore both on the characters and the mythology surrounding vampirekind. there were a few bits and pieces that i felt were underdeveloped, for example the house laws, we never really hear them mentioned by any other of the characters.

speaking of other characters, i did like the other characters, their backgrounds and personal history being very fleshed out. there's this ongoing theme throughout the book in which kidan sees life in a black and white way i.e. humans = need protecting, and vampires = innately evil. i liked watching her go on this journey where she navigates the grey area, where humans can do monstrous things, and monsters have redeeming qualities.

i love love love that there is a dark academia book with a mainly black ensemble of characters, and i'm really interested in the second book. i wish i could go to meet the author during her book tour but maybe next year for the sequel...?

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

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

4.0

the final book has made me remember just how much i love this series, and the world and its characters. there was so much space for the relationships in this book to flourish, and i'm so glad clary and jace finally got a break (relationship wise that is). you can really see how much clary has grown up and accustomed to the shadow world, how much jace has emotionally matured. because it's the final book following these characters we do get lots of beautiful and stirring words of emotion, and there were so many moments were i teared up. clary and simon will always be the bestest friends to ever do it. the easter eggs from the infernal devices and setting up the dark artifices were especially scrumptious. i just love this world so much! next on the reread is the infernal devices which i am not and will never be emotionally ready for.

Letters of Note: Love by Shaun Usher

hopeful lighthearted sad

4.0

we need more letter sending in this world 

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

challenging dark emotional slow-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? No

4.0

probably one of the best prequels i've read. the haymitch in this book is starkly different from the one in the original trilogy, and this book paints a sad but clear picture as to why. there's so much boyish charm to him and the way he interacts with others like lenore, his family and the other tributes. it's very different to katniss, who had to grow up very quickly at a young age. reading him with all his innocence and youth just drives home how vicious the games are to these children. it's more heartbreaking because of the fact that there are twice as many tributes, but despite the number each of them all stood out to me, more than the first hunger games book. i loved maysilee and her headstrong personality; i think suzanne depicts the women of district 12 wonderfully, each with their own type of fearlessness. although it did feel fan-servicey from all the cameos, i am a fan and i liked the service!! i'm glad we got another book and i can't wait for the movie. 

Love in a Time of Hate by Florian Illies
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

when i read a non fiction i want to either learn something or learn about a person’s experiences. this was neither of those; it’s just a collection of random events written in prose (very good prose) about a ton of different artists that make it hard to keep track. i think it’d be a good read for someone who knows a lot about 1930s europe and/or the art scene then, but if not you do sort of lose interest after a while.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

funny lighthearted 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

4.0

i can’t believe i dnf’d this the last time i read this i really enjoyed this! it was as whimsical as the movie, but funnier and more fleshed out in terms of world building. i adored sophie and her sisters, as well as michael and calcifer (i love calcifer in every universe). howl was so silly and so much more dramatic in the book which i found hilarious, i enjoyed his and sophie’s bickering. there were at times when i felt that sophie had no agency despite being the main character, there were many scenes where she would be there but she wouldn’t say or do anything? other than that it’s a cute little book i can imagine reading to kids plus the audiobook narrator was so good with the accents which i will always appreciate. 

Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam by A. Helwa

informative inspiring mysterious slow-paced

3.5

spiritually healing, but it did feel more quotations than individual musings. 

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

challenging dark informative mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

an astute prediction of the future based on the knowledge that man and his desires never change. surveillance states and the blatant erasure of a country’s history is unfortunately our present, and the defeatist tone this book sets is a sad reality. personally it lost me towards the end, but only because this book is way smarter than me. i’m glad i finally picked it up and i’m glad we still read classics, their relevance to this day is outstanding. 

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

dark emotional 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

4.5

wow wow wow. this book is dark. like so so dark. this is not your average nancy drew-esque teenage sleuth in a small town vibe. this is the screen pulled back, the trauma that these mysteries can cause on the teen detective, pip being this case. i felt for her so much and i grieved for her so much. she went through it(!!) in this book, but it's so justified and real to what she's experienced from the two books. this mystery was much more personal and much more dangerous, the stakes were amped to the max  which did wonders for my blood pressure. the only reason it isn't getting five stars is because i'm prideful; the person who i thought was behind it wasn't, even though it felt like there were so many clues towards them AND i think it would've been more shocking if it was them. but hey what do i know. ravi was adorable, and along with pip's other friends their steadfast loyalty and love for her had me in near tears. that ending?!! pipravi you are my new favourites i'm even more excited for the tv show i hope it gets renewed for season 3!

The Golden Raven by Nora Sakavic

challenging dark emotional hopeful slow-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? No

5.0

what a sequel! thank goodness it wasn't as traumatic as the raven king. this was definitely more tender, but i think its because we are following a more vulnerable character: jean is adjusting to his new life at usc, away from the ravens and riko and everything it used to represent. he's becoming more aware of the abuse he suffered, and is coming to terms with its injustice. what jean goes through is multifaceted: there is the grief towards the ravens, towards the person he was forced to be, and there is also hate too. this book is him navigating through that. throughout the book you see him start to build relationships with his teammates and coach (coach rhemann i love you), while realising he has a support system that is there for him and his wellbeing. it was so heartwarming to see jean become an active member of the team, allowing them to help them and helping them in return. i particularly enjoyed his friendship with cody and tanner. 

the bonds he made with cat and laila truly become family in this book. i love them so bad. i love how fond and protective and loving they are of jean, and the fact that jean becomes more affectionate towards them had me in near tears. like that's family in law!! (fozes you are always first in my heart!! speaking of the kevjean moments in this book has me so fond of them; the way they both deal with their trauma is starkly different and i hope there are more healing moments with them in the third book.) 

this book has much more jeremy chapters, almost half, which helps in understanding his character more, making him more human. you do get to see behind the smile, and you can see how much this team means to him, how much he's there for his teammates. the jerejean moments had me gnawing at my fingernails the tension is so good but also the platonic love there is so?? jean being protective of jeremy, and witnessing it in jeremy's pov is so sweet.

nora please don't make us wait so long for the nezt book! reading this one has made me realise i absolutely love these characters and this unnecessarily violent fake lacrosse adjacent game that i will never understand and all the drama in between.