claudcloud's reviews
257 reviews

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I liked this quite a bit!! My main issues are with the plot and the pacing, as there's not really anything that we haven't seen before, and the novel feels like it drags in the first half before moving with the speed of light in the second, but the medieval vibes were really nice, and I enjoyed the characters - even if I wanted them to have more juice. The overall message of the novel was also really nice and heartwarming, so that's a plus as well!

All These Sunken Souls by Circe Moskowitz

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I am, quite decidedly, not a horror girlie by any stretch of the imagination - I can barely watch a horror movie trailer and get freaked out for weeks. But this was quite enjoyable!!

Some of the short stories were definitely weaker than others, but there were some standouts that I really enjoyed (my favorites being 'Be Not Afraid', 'The Consumption of Vienna Montreau' and 'Mother, Daughter and the Devil')!

The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

3.25

This sounded like a dream come true from the premise and the synopsis, but unfortunately, it fell short for me. While I enjoyed the world and the Chinese and Vietnamese inspiration, I felt like I was just dumped in with 0 explanation or world-building - which makes sense, since after starting to read I figured out that 'The Red Scholar's Wake' is part of a much larger Xuya Universe; but then this is marketed as a standalone? I was able to figure it out as I went and get the gist of things, but it was still thoroughly confusing.

As for the rest, I would best describe this book as not-weak-but-also-not-strong. We barely get a sense of who these characters are, the writing is beautiful but repetitive, and the whole of it just struggles to make me care that much about anything, even the romance. I had an okay time with it, but I wouldn't revisit it or find myself picking up more by this author.

Fangirl, Vol. 3: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Fangirl, Vol. 2: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell, Sam Maggs

emotional relaxing 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? Yes

4.0

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

2.0

Sadly, I don't think Ali Hazelwood is for me. The one redeeming quality of this book was how much I related to Bee's sense of 'everyone always leaves so what's the point of feeling anything in the first place', and I do appreciate Ali's advocacy for women in STEM and for the unfair treatment of less privileged social groups in academia! But reading what is essentially 'The Love Hypothesis' with slightly (and I mean very slightly) different characters was... not worth it.

Also, the 'I'm so minuscule that he dwarfs me in every way' trope needs to leave and get out expeditiously!!!!!

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Jean-Yves Moreau 🤍

Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

3.0

I really, really loved the exploration of neurodivergent brains and the obvious care that Anna-Marie put into their book! It definitely felt like a love letter to their communities, and the overall message of embracing every single part of you is absolutely great!

That being said - the characters, while endearing, feel a little too flat (especially the supporting cast), the plot is barely there (why didn't we explore more of the lore surrounding the lake? What stories were being told about it? What legends did Bastián grow up with? I wanted to learn so much more!!), and the pacing felt off throughout the whole novel. I would absolutely still recommend this to younger readers, especially the kids in my life who are just discovering the world of books and who would definitely enjoy this - I just personally feel like I'm not having the best time with YA anymore.

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater

emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This series... beautiful writing (as is to be expected after TRC), incredible story-telling, a world that feels just out of touch, which makes it all the more compelling. Amping the dreaming aspect up all the way to 1000% is the best choice Maggie could have done.

There were times that I was left with more questions than answers, though - and I get that that's sort of the name of the game, but I would have liked a bit more clarity. How exactly are sweetmetals made and why did we not know they were a thing until now (surely Declan and Ronan would have done extensive amounts of research for Matthew even before the events of this trilogy)? Why were the visions different to the actual events in the end? How was Ronan truly able to Deux Ex Machina his way into bringing the ley line back? What the fuck is Boudicca's deal???

While valid questions, none of them matter all that much at the end of the day. I'm just so glad I got to live a bit more with these characters and fall in love with new ones. I knew I would hold Ronan and Adam dear forever while reading the first series, but this new story has just catapulted Ronan all the way to the top of the ranks right alongside Parrish. I would burn the world for him.

Going into it, I expected reading this final trilogy would be bittersweet, and it is, very much so. I genuinely didn't want to finish it. But I'm so happy I got more.

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater

challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

seventeen_i_don't_understand_but_i_love_you.mp3

That last chapter fucked me up in the most delicious way?!??!?! And I'm so excited to see what the final book has in store for... everyone and everything?!?!?!

Ronan Lynch you haven't done a single thing wrong in your LIFE and I will go to war for you anytime!!!