bruts_bane's reviews
80 reviews

Reckless by Lauren Roberts

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense fast-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

4.5

AHHHHHHHHH KAI AHHHHHHHHHHH PAEDYN AHHHHH this book is SAURRREE GOOOOOODDDDD OMGGGGG this whole series…. I can’t wait for the next one…

Babel by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious relaxing 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? Yes

3.0

I personally have a niche fascination to do with the origin of words and languages so this aspect of the book was so interesting. I really loved all the footnotes and word meanings, I’ve never found any other book that satisfied this interest so I really appreciated that and Kuang’s knowledge. I was really hooked in the beginning of the book, learning about Robin’s past and the early days in Oxford with his friends. But I lost a bit of interesting throughout the middle and end of the book. I got confused and felt the ending was rushed. However this book is really informative and taught me a lot about the treatment poc experienced in the mid 1800s. The Tower of Babel being a base for the silver bar and fantasy aspects are a really cool idea too. I liked the tie-ins with real events as well. I also enjoyed Kuang’s writing style and might pick up another of her books one day. 

(Fuck you Letty, love you Ramy)

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

2.0

Don’t go into this book thinking it’s a romcom like other Ali Hazlewood books. There’s a warning at the start that you should consider. 
Why was Eli so crass the whole entire time. Do men actually think these thoughts? I like romance books but some of the things he thought about the girl made me go HUHHHHH , just made me so uncomfortable. Both characters are also boring.

How come in every Ali Hazlewood book there’s the most predictable villain who the male lead must save the female lead from??? Her depictions of women with trauma can be hurtful, like we aren’t just dumb and trusting and need a man to save us.

Ali Hazlewood always gives her characters deeply rooted trauma then just makes them a bit stoic and acts like that’s enough representation. Maybe if this book was set out to be a lighter that would be okay, but it seems like it’s meant to be deep. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This is one of the best books I have ever read.

The parallels between Esther and Joan are so profound. I almost feel Joan is some alternate life Esther was meant to have, and she potentially imagined her coming into the asylum during her manic states.

I related deeply to this book. There are some indescribable feelings I’ve always thought and felt that Plath was able to put into words. The way she was able to step back and view her life as a whole, and her mental patterns, is incredible. She was an amazing poet. 

I am, I am, I am. 

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.

SO BORING

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I found the book quite slow at the start, but then I got into it more towards the end. I just think the main conflict was really sort of excessive and messy and I still don’t understand the motives behind the main antagonist. I also wish the other characters were more fleshed out. The blatant sexualisation of Meredith was so upsetting to read every time it came up, and it came up OFTEN. The female rep was just bad. I had big expectations for this book after everyone claiming it to be like the secret history, and was kinda let down. But I did really like the Shakespeare and the plays throughout. I thought the symbolism was nice to piece together too. But overall I have a bigger appreciation for plays now!

Paper Towns by John Green

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I actually randomly really enjoyed this. It isn’t the kind of a book I’d pick up on my own, but it was gifted to me so I read it anyway. I think I’m a bit too old for the demographic it’s aimed at, but I think this would be a really good book for ya readers. I liked the characters, the plot, the faults and flaws throughout. Overall a fun book, with good, well thought out and fleshed out themes too! 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I didn’t absolutely love this book but the plot is super interesting and not like anything I’ve ever read. It just bothered me how the whole book is just the mc bringing up old memories. I kept waiting for us to get to the present day the whole time, thinking it would all come together in a big way. I suppose I found the book to be kind of lacking. There are so many random memories that seem unimportant

when we could’ve been delving into some far more interesting and impactful parts of her life.

I think there were some plot holes too. Like  why each students acted out they way they did. They all had such different personalities, it would be nice to see why that is.

But overall that was a very unique book!! 

The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt

emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I don’t often read books by men, this reminded me why. It wasn’t a bad book, it was just uneventful. The way it’s done is quite interesting tho. I’ve never really read a book that’s funny like this before, so that’s unique, ar least to me. 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This is the first time in a long time where I’ve had so many emotions when reading a book. I’m going to write everything in spoilers.

Every character has sides to them you can’t even begin to imagine. They’re all very bad people, really. I found it so interesting how the first half of the book is pretty much solely justifying Bunny’s death. Going over how annoying and problematic he was. Then the second half is the complete opposite. Talking about how bad the other five are, and how comparatively, Bunny wasn’t that bad after all. It’s not that Bunny wasn’t a bad person. It’s that everyone knew he was bad, because he never hid it. But the other characters hide their faults and are so secretive. When Bunny was outspoken with his foul comments and such. It makes him seem like the bad guy, even though he wasn’t very good at all, he wasn’t bad enough to justify his murder. The book had such horrible language throughout it which was awful to read. From awful awful language on racism to homophobia and sexism. Honestly the racism was completely unnecessary, I struggle to see why Donna Tart added it at all. I find it hard to decide if I really like the book. I couldn’t put it down, but I also just began to hate characters. And being inside Richard’s mind sucked. I’m rating it 4 stars because of the actual storyline and writing itself, which had me HOOKED let me say! It’s amazing how much I loved the characters in the start, and how much I hate them now. Especially Charles. Awful man. And RICHARD UGH that one line genuinely might have traumatised me a bit. I kept hoping for Bunny to come back to life. And I still sort of love Henry a bit. I KNOW I know. He’s bad, but I liked his character. I found it so interesting how completely obsessed he was with Julian and learning and improving himself that he killed others and his own self in the end. ALSO I wish so bad we could learn what they did in that ritual when they killed the first man. There are a few plot holes like that, that I wish we knew. I never even understood why Bunny ended up going to the woods in the first place when he was murdered, if he was at a party not long before. Also I wonder why Richard is even writing this book? It seems like he had a purpose throughout when he talks directly to the reader, but it isn’t explained in the end. The way the brush off murder in the book is so bad, that’s the first sign to how evil they all are.

Beware of the trigger warnings. It’s a heavy heavy book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Violence, and Murder