candoreads's reviews
28 reviews

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It's silly and fun, a good little beach romance. There were moments of frustration with the MMC (as always) but it never feels like he's trying to "fix her" usually you can tell he's genuienly coming from a place of care and wanting what's best for the FMC. I liked it, there was a good little twist at the end which I enjoy! Definitely recommend if you like a silly little romance book.
Verity by Colleen Hoover

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

2.0

Girl...what? I have no idea what happened this entire time, I have no idea what is going on, and I have no idea how it ended. This is likely the only Colleen Hoover book I'll ever read, and I'm okay with that. The whole time I was reading this, I felt like I was watching a terrible car accident through my fingers but was too horrified to look away.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? No

5.0

Such a good introduction to the world of Half-Bloods and this series in general. There is world building that feels realistic, and as Percy is our guide into this new world you feel confused with him until someone explains something. His inner monologue is very fitting for a 12 year old boy and makes him all the more lovable as a protagonist. I really enjoyed these. Sometimes it's obvious that they're kinda written for kids, but not in a way that makes me want to put the book down. 
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? No

5.0

In my review of the third book, which I just wrote, I said that the first book was my favorite, but I think I was wrong. I think the second book is my favorite and it is mainly because they introduce my favorite character Tyson. I love Tyson! He made me cry a few times because he's so sweet and silly. We must protect him at all costs and make sure he is adored. Percy gets a fair bit of development in this book as well, it's easy to see him growing up and maturing some. I like that you can see his development in the Half-Blood world throughout the books.
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

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adventurous funny 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? No

4.5

I thought this was a really good book! This is my first time reading all the Percy Jackson books, and the third was was by far many of my friends favorites. Now, I don't exactly see why. I thought it was good, but as far as the rest of the series (book 4 and 5 have not been read yet) the first one is still my favorite. There were genuine moments of frustration with a few characters, because I'm very defensive of Percy as he's the main character we've grown to love over three books! All in all a very good read and I'm excited to continue the series.
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

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emotional 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? Yes

0.5

I'm giving this half a star and that is literally so generous. That half-star only comes from the fact that there are some quotes in this book that I like. Other than that, this book was a nightmare to read. The main character is extremely mentally ill and it follows an almost Dear Evan Hansen-like plot where she gets a job and starts impersonating a dead woman because she doesn't want that dead woman's friend to feel sad. I literally don't have anything else to say other than I only read this book because my best friend was like "Please, read this, I hated it," and I have to finish books out of spite. One of the only positives is that this book is short. But there are no consequences for any of the main characters actions and nothing is resolved at the end.
I am glad that the cat didn't die though.
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Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn by Ballad Kitaguni, Gege Akutami

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

4.0

Short stories where everyone is happy and there is no real plot, you mean so much to me. The only reason this isn't five stars is because sometimes the writing was just...odd? I'm not sure how to describe it but it would suck me right out of the story and I would become overly aware that this is just a book. Perhaps that's just a me thing, these stories are really fun and I loved the first and last one.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Chamber of Secrets is not my favorites of the Harry Potter books, and I'm not here to give you a professional literary analysis in my review. What I am here to do is tell you that I enjoy rereading my favorite series from my childhood and I like these books and I'm annotating them and I love them a lot. Harry and Ron's relationship means so much to me and I will adore those two lil British boys until the day I die. Anyway, Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book so.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Honestly, I wish I liked this book more. I had heard really great things and went in very hopeful but the main character Lynette is ANNOYING. She switches up too much and her paranoia makes it hard to connect with her as a reader. The plot kept switching who the "big bad" was, to the point that by the time we got to the real reveal, I was expecting another twist and was annoyed. Another gripe I have, and I will admit that I don't know much about Grady Hendrix as an author, but I didn't like the fact that a man was speaking about the brutality women face as entertainment. It felt preachy about how women go through so much and in horror movies are used as entertainment while being necessarily brutalized. But...I'm not the target audience for that? Like obviously I, as a woman, know that women are treated as a prop in horror movies. But maybe I just wasn't the target audience for that message? It just felt weird when I was reading that and knowing it was written by a man who will never understand what it's like to be a woman and face those ideas.
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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? No

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The murder-mystery plot keeps you hooked all throughout, but the characters are loveable enough that you like to keep up with them. I like when romance books have the romance as a subplot and something different as the main focus of the book. This book ticks all the boxes on that. I originally was going to only rate this book 4.5 stars, because I feel like 5 stars should be for something special, but once I started reading I couldn't stop and I was happy with the results at the end, so that's 5 stars in my book. When you get to the line "My friends are with me and I'm not afraid," just know the tears won't be stopping until you've finished the book.