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claudiaslibrarycard's reviews
1084 reviews
Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Society of Lies is an impressive debut by Lauren Ling Brown. Set at Princeton University, this dark academia-esque mystery is the story of two sisters ten years apart. Maya is an adult now, living with her husband and young daughter. Naomi is set to graduate from Princeton when she dies under suspicious circumstances. Maya and Naomi have both faced immense struggles, losing their parents at a young age and facing discrimination as biracial students in an elite setting. While they have been close in the past, over recent years their relationship has strained.
Told from the perspectives of Maya now and over ten years ago when she herself was also a student at Princeton as well as the perspective of Naomi in the past, this book builds tension well. The journey into the secret societies feels realistic and terrifying. I thought this book was very well paced, with the exception of some parts between 80 and 87% where I felt it wasn't moving as fast as I would have liked; I was ready for more answers!
My criticism of this book is that the perspectives of Naomi and Maya were indistinguishable aside from certain character names in their chapters. If I stopped mid-chapter, I was always confused when I picked back up. Overall this was one heck of a ride and I cannot wait to see what Lauren Ling Brown writes next.
Told from the perspectives of Maya now and over ten years ago when she herself was also a student at Princeton as well as the perspective of Naomi in the past, this book builds tension well. The journey into the secret societies feels realistic and terrifying. I thought this book was very well paced, with the exception of some parts between 80 and 87% where I felt it wasn't moving as fast as I would have liked; I was ready for more answers!
My criticism of this book is that the perspectives of Naomi and Maya were indistinguishable aside from certain character names in their chapters. If I stopped mid-chapter, I was always confused when I picked back up. Overall this was one heck of a ride and I cannot wait to see what Lauren Ling Brown writes next.
That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story by Huda Fahmy
4.0
Knocked a star off for unnecessary HP references
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Told in two timelines, The Sicilian Inheritance is a richly woven story of Sara Marsala's journey to uncover the roots of her family and the story of her great grandmother, Serafina, who lived in Sicily in the early 1900s.
This novel was beautifully narrated and I found the audiobook so immersive. Unlike many dual perspective/timeline stories, I felt drawn and tied to each perspective. Sara is so relatable, her restaurant and marriage have both failed in recent years and she is struggling to come to grips with what her life will look like now, all while traveling and fiercely missing her young daughter. Serafina built a life in the 1920s that had been previously impossible for women in Sicily and her personality is tenacious.
I think this book delivers a bit of everything, mystery, romance, historical elements, and contemporary struggles all come together to create a story that I couldn't put down. If you were a fan of The Frozen River, this hits many similar notes. Highly, highly recommend!
This novel was beautifully narrated and I found the audiobook so immersive. Unlike many dual perspective/timeline stories, I felt drawn and tied to each perspective. Sara is so relatable, her restaurant and marriage have both failed in recent years and she is struggling to come to grips with what her life will look like now, all while traveling and fiercely missing her young daughter. Serafina built a life in the 1920s that had been previously impossible for women in Sicily and her personality is tenacious.
I think this book delivers a bit of everything, mystery, romance, historical elements, and contemporary struggles all come together to create a story that I couldn't put down. If you were a fan of The Frozen River, this hits many similar notes. Highly, highly recommend!
The Trials of Lila Dalton by Laura J. Shepherd
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
The Trials of Lila Dalton has a fascinating premise, Lila Dalton is a barrister in a courtroom with no memory of how she got there and truly no memories at all. She soon comes to realize that she is defending someone accused of a mass bombing, and she may be seeing people who aren't really there. Not only that, Lila Dalton is on an isolated island that she is completely unfamiliar with. Confused and worried, things get worse when Lila begins receiving threats.
I went into this book nearly blind, in part because the synopsis is cryptic and doesn't not give much away- a refreshing change of pace. This wasn't my typical style of mystery novel, but I enjoyed it enough to finish it somewhat quickly. I found the ending a bit confusing, and I often wondered if I would have understood more if I was British or had more background knowledge about their politics and subcultures.
Overall, this is a twisty, mysterious story with legal elements and commentary on extremist groups. Slightly nontraditional in its approach, I think it might be a good fit for fans of Sci-fi and political suspense.
I went into this book nearly blind, in part because the synopsis is cryptic and doesn't not give much away- a refreshing change of pace. This wasn't my typical style of mystery novel, but I enjoyed it enough to finish it somewhat quickly. I found the ending a bit confusing, and I often wondered if I would have understood more if I was British or had more background knowledge about their politics and subcultures.
Overall, this is a twisty, mysterious story with legal elements and commentary on extremist groups. Slightly nontraditional in its approach, I think it might be a good fit for fans of Sci-fi and political suspense.
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Homebody by Theo Parish
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Homebody is an informational graphic novel that integrates aspects of memoir. With lovely illustrations and creative representations of what it is like to be at home in one's body, Theo tells the story of finding their nonbinary identity and sharing that part of themself with the world.
Look In the Mirror by Catherine Steadman
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
3.5
Look In the Mirror is a quick moving mystery thriller that will be perfect for a vacation or staycation read. I flew through this quickly and went in without reading much of the synopsis, I recommend you do the same if this book sounds fun to you.
When Nina's father dies, she finds out she is inheriting a large home in the British Virgin Islands- a place she never knew her father had even been to. So Nina travels to BVI and trouble begins. Told in almost alternating perspectives of Nina and Maria, a young nanny at a mysterious assignment, seasoned thriller readers will see where this book is going but that won't make it less tense!
This is a plot forward, puzzle kind of thriller, with minimal character development to keep the story concise and well paced. I have previously read and enjoyed The Family Game and Something in the Water, also by Catherine Steadman, and I'd say this is in between the two in terms of the style of the plot. This is a good choice if you like isolated settings and a few loose ends.
When Nina's father dies, she finds out she is inheriting a large home in the British Virgin Islands- a place she never knew her father had even been to. So Nina travels to BVI and trouble begins. Told in almost alternating perspectives of Nina and Maria, a young nanny at a mysterious assignment, seasoned thriller readers will see where this book is going but that won't make it less tense!
This is a plot forward, puzzle kind of thriller, with minimal character development to keep the story concise and well paced. I have previously read and enjoyed The Family Game and Something in the Water, also by Catherine Steadman, and I'd say this is in between the two in terms of the style of the plot. This is a good choice if you like isolated settings and a few loose ends.
Cinderland by Amy Jo Burns
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
Okay first I want to say I love Mercury and Shiner, so I came to this to complete Amy Jo Burns backlist. It is a very different type of book, putting aside that it is a memoir Burns uses a different writing style here that feels very detached and made it very hard for me to feel connected as a reader.
Having worked in abuse prevention, I wonder if this was a coping strategy to write about the events of this memoir. But also from my professional perspective, I was bothered by the frequent use of "we," "us," "his girls," and so on. Burns wrote her memoir about sexual abuse, not a collective group memoir. I think again that may be a coping strategy, but I didn't feel comfortable about generalizing and applying her perspective and feelings to the other victims.
Having worked in abuse prevention, I wonder if this was a coping strategy to write about the events of this memoir. But also from my professional perspective, I was bothered by the frequent use of "we," "us," "his girls," and so on. Burns wrote her memoir about sexual abuse, not a collective group memoir. I think again that may be a coping strategy, but I didn't feel comfortable about generalizing and applying her perspective and feelings to the other victims.
Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Keep Your Friends Close is a good book for when you need an easy read but don't want a light, fluffy romcom. This is a domestic/female friendship story that I'd say straddles the middle of the cozy mystery to dark thriller continuum. Not to give too much away, but this is one to pick up if you like revenge, mommy friends who aren't as they seem, rich people behaving badly, and short chapters.