bookstoshelves's reviews
219 reviews

Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

The Ballad of Darcy and Russell by Morgan Matson

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther

funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.0

I wanted to like this book more than I did. While it was an enjoyable, summery romance it kind of fell a bit flat for me. Would recommend if you’re looking for something fun and lighthearted! But the main character made me a cringe a bit too often and not in a good way. 

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

4.0

Everyone Wants to Know by Kelly Loy Gilbert

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

This book was a bit of a rollercoaster for me but not in a good way. It had a lot of ups and downs in terms of pace and intensity. By the end of it I felt like I had read three different books all smooshed into one. 

The summary of the book, as stated in another review and I agree, very much does not capture the premise well. I thought I’d be getting into more of a cute romance with family drama from their celebrity status on the side. A healthy mix of both. While there is a little bit of romance the story really throws all its focus on the family, and (no spoilers) the insane insane drama that comes out about them. 

I felt the pacing was quite strange and it took me a long time to get through because I felt I was reading the same thing over and over again. 

The book is for sure made up of several unlikable characters which is inevitable telling a story with an extremely rock sic family like this. I liked honor at most parts and I felt her voice was honest, well done, absolutely flawed but I could see where she was coming from in every decision she made. A lot of her narrative just felt repetitive. 

I thought the ending and the repercussions of said ending were rushed and weirdly non existent for a situation as big as the one in the book. It felt too quick for it to be wrapped up. 

Hard to say a lot without spoilers!!! 

Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0