claudcloud's reviews
264 reviews

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

dark mysterious reflective 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? No

3.5

All I have to say about Warner so far is that I aspire to be at the same level of delusional that he's at, and that Tahereh is going to have to work very, very hard to get me on board with him in the next books (I trust her, though, and curious to see how his character evolves!)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

adventurous dark reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

Part two of healing my inner child by going back and reading all of the incredibly hyped-up series that I missed? More likely than you'd think!

My first Tahereh Mafi was, in fact, her newest series, so I already knew that I would absolutely love her writing and her voice (which I did!) I quite enjoy Juliette as a character, and in spite of the fact that this is the basic dystopian that we all already know and love, I'm ready to experience it in full and see where we go from here, especially since this first installment felt like it was only scratching the surface!

The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

I wish I liked this book more, because I could heavily relate to Jas and her fears and I was able to see a lot of parts of myself in her (which also left me with a little bit of hope because of the ways she changes and grows, so that's very nice!)

In spite of that, though, I felt like most of the other characters were a little underdeveloped, even Rahul, who is lovely and a very good person and friend, but who is absolutely a pushover and lets Jas walk all over him just to keep her in his life (we're forced to wonder - is she even worth it at this point?)

I'm also learning that very explicit spice every three or so chapters just isn't for me, and I personally don't vibe with it and much prefer when things are implied and fade-to-black (or not there at all). This one is on me, though, for picking up something that was clearly a very spice-heavy romance, and I probably won't in the future since it's not something I enjoy!

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

adventurous emotional reflective sad fast-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? No

4.5

Will officially die at the altar of Annabeth Chase 👏🏻

This is such a fantastic series, and this last volume was definitely my favorite one (so far)! I couldn't put it down, and I'm so happy to have finally experienced Percy's story for myself!

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

adventurous emotional reflective fast-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? No

4.5

Oh this one was so fantastic... the labyrinth was SO interesting and all the challenges they face in it were so well-written and real... not to mention Percabeth kiss in a volcano?!?!?!??!?!? No notes. Phenomenal. Very excited to get to the last-but-no-longer-last book of this series (and equally excited for the sixth one in SIX DAYS, wow, I unintentionally timed this perfectly!!)

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

adventurous inspiring 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? No

4.5

My favorite PJO installment so far simply because it has 1. Thalia 2. Nico di Angelo and 3. the very first Percabeth crumbs, which is a recipe for success if you ask me! I just really love these kids is all 🥺

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

adventurous 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

Actively healing my inner child by becoming a Percy Jackson kid in my late twenties is the best decision I could ever make for myself ✌🏻

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

challenging dark 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

I think I'll be spending the rest of my life trying to understand what the hell I just finished reading - in the best possible way.

I had my gripes with this book, but the thrilling atmosphere, lush writing and compelling, although deeply, deeply fucked-up characters spoke to my very soul! Couple that with the fact that I've loved Shakespeare for years (though I won't pretend to be as well-versed in the Bard's work as these fellows are), and this was the perfect start to autumn for me 👏🏻

Please come yell at me about it once you read the final line. I have SO many thoughts swimming around in my little head!

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Beautiful, beautiful writing, that shines when coupled with the atmosphere of Gatsby and the 1920s and renders it all the more vivid than the original, while still paying tribute to its themes and critiques of high society. Jordan and the exploration of what it meant to live through those times not only being queer, but also foreign, broadened the scope of the book immensely and added a much-needed level of depth that Fitzgerald perhaps failed to capture - however, I wanted this exploration to be even more incisive, to be relentless and cut right to the quick of America's rottenness. That, coupled with the magical realism elements that felt all too quick and never reasoned enough, made this book a wonderful experience, but which also felt lacking in some ways.

With all that being said, though, Nghi Vo is an incredible talent without a shadow of a doubt, and I very much look forward to reading more of her works!

Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was my first foray into Olivie Blake's books and... I really enjoyed it???

Does 'Alone With You in the Ether' have its issues? Yes, absolutely. The characters are deeply, deeply fucked up, to the point where I would encourage anyone wanting to give this a try to look up a TW list before doing so, the plot is rather meandering, and the writing can be pretentious for pretentiousness' sake at times. But I ate it all up anyway???

This is exactly the kind of pretentiousness that I actually like and want, and I don't know how she did it, but reading both Aldo and Reagan felt like finding little pieces of myself all throughout them both. I do wish that their codependency was more directly addressed and resolved on the page, and I wish that we could see them getting the help that they need and start to understand how to navigate their relationship more healthily, though, which is the main gripe that I had with the book.

All of this to say that this book is 100% an experience, and I feel fairly certain that I'm going to love everything that Olivie writes (excited to read her other books!!)