Take a photo of a barcode or cover
corabookworm's reviews
246 reviews
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
Very similar to book 1, in that it is more weird vibes than plot and characters. It’s got all of the observations and mysteries of Annihilation, but in a creepy military/corporate world instead of the wildernesss. No questions answered but it was interesting at least, especially towards the end.
The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Cheesy YA vampire romance. The plot as a concept was interesting, and it was a quick and entertaining read, even if the writing was mediocre and the characters were annoying (the MC kept insisting she had a moral code but also didn't follow this code and was fine with her vampire friends eating random people). And the 40yr old vampire in 16yr old body falling in love with a teenager was a little off-putting. But also people are making WAYYYY more of a fuss about it in reviews for this book than in reviews of vampire/fae books with straight romances so honestly whatever. More weirded out by the fact that she kept comparing the girl to her younger self. Like make up your mind are you mentally 16 or mentally 40. And they didn't have much chemistry except when they were kissing. But overall the book was at least entertaining! Just probably aimed for younger audiences than me.
Content Warnings
Mostly just what you would expect from the summary. Past abusive relationship described. Lots of parental neglect mentioned. Vampires, so blood and death but not super graphically. One short sex scene.
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
LOVED the first half of this book. Second part was a little slow and kind of lost it's train of thought. But super interesting story about dictionaries and language and women and feminism! Liked the authors note about which women and characters were rooted in real history.
Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Brilliant fantasy book! I was surprised by how much BIGGER this one seemed compared to the first book, but it was really good. Inara’s story especially. The only problem is that for a lot of the book, Kissen was on her own and her story didn’t seem to really MATTER much. But I liked overall.
Content Warnings
Lots of fantasy violence and blood and death in this one.
Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Little Thieves is probably the best YA series I've ever read, and this book was the most perfect conclusion a reader could ask for. In Holy Terrors, a series of murders framing the Pfennigist (Vanja) throws her back into the courts of nobles and royalty, into a web of old friends, lovers, and enemies. I'm going to be honest, Painted Devils left me a little nervous for this series. I loved it, but it was a tad repetitive, and the ending put Vanja in a scary position. But this book fixed all of that and more.
First, the plot. The first half of this story is a murder mystery rife with political intrigue. It's all really well done, and I loved seeing characters from Book 1 pop up in either very sweet or very evil ways. And then the second half takes a wild turn into some kind of magical multiverse story that I only slightly understood but also loved. The way everything twisted together was really interesting, and it was packed with all the drama and humor of the first two books.
More important than the plot, however, was Vanja's character development. She is one of the realest and messiest YA protagonists I've seen. She can be childish and petty, but also funny and brave and kind, and seeing her reflect and grow in this book was absolutely incredible. Her relationship with Emeric is especially close to my heart. They fell in love in book 1, (slight spoilers ahead!) had angst about sex in book 2, and in book 3, they reunite after new romantic experiences and months apart, finally facing the reality of their relationship. They've hurt each other, but they also love each other, and watching them grapple with these ideas was so brilliant. I was rooting for them the entire time. (It's also just so important to show relationships like this in YA books, that emphasize the importance of communication and caring and AGH I just loved it.)
There's also the amazing cast of side characters. Featuring some of my old favorites (Giselle and Ragne, finally!) as well as some new stars (a rambunctious kitten named Junior, a bastard prince, and Lilje, who actually became one of my favorites). And of course many characters that I hate with a passion. Each one is well-developed, with a striking personality and interesting relationships and lives outside of Vanja's story, making the characters feel more real and the world and story feel much bigger.
I wish I could better put into words how much I loved this book. It tied up all the loose ends perfectly into an ending that both broke and healed my heart (what is it with Margaret Owen and endings that make me want to cry?) and it wrapped up Vanja's character development perfectly. All of these characters hold such a special place in my heart, and I can't wait to reread this series again and again. If you enjoyed Little Thieves, you'll love this final book in the trilogy.
First, the plot. The first half of this story is a murder mystery rife with political intrigue. It's all really well done, and I loved seeing characters from Book 1 pop up in either very sweet or very evil ways. And then the second half takes a wild turn into some kind of magical multiverse story that I only slightly understood but also loved. The way everything twisted together was really interesting, and it was packed with all the drama and humor of the first two books.
More important than the plot, however, was Vanja's character development. She is one of the realest and messiest YA protagonists I've seen. She can be childish and petty, but also funny and brave and kind, and seeing her reflect and grow in this book was absolutely incredible. Her relationship with Emeric is especially close to my heart. They fell in love in book 1, (slight spoilers ahead!) had angst about sex in book 2, and in book 3, they reunite after new romantic experiences and months apart, finally facing the reality of their relationship. They've hurt each other, but they also love each other, and watching them grapple with these ideas was so brilliant. I was rooting for them the entire time. (It's also just so important to show relationships like this in YA books, that emphasize the importance of communication and caring and AGH I just loved it.)
There's also the amazing cast of side characters. Featuring some of my old favorites (Giselle and Ragne, finally!) as well as some new stars (a rambunctious kitten named Junior, a bastard prince, and Lilje, who actually became one of my favorites). And of course many characters that I hate with a passion. Each one is well-developed, with a striking personality and interesting relationships and lives outside of Vanja's story, making the characters feel more real and the world and story feel much bigger.
I wish I could better put into words how much I loved this book. It tied up all the loose ends perfectly into an ending that both broke and healed my heart (what is it with Margaret Owen and endings that make me want to cry?) and it wrapped up Vanja's character development perfectly. All of these characters hold such a special place in my heart, and I can't wait to reread this series again and again. If you enjoyed Little Thieves, you'll love this final book in the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Pregnancy, Classism
No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Read for school. Interesting. A little too slice-of-life-y for me.
The Corpse Queen by Heather M. Herrman
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Intriguing and disturbing. I loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Grief, Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Abortion, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
- Really interesting magic/monsters
- Romcom style plot (matchmaker character falling in love with the people hes trying to set up)
- Characters were fine but sooooo whiny which got super annoying especially with audiobook
- Proper love triangle
- Overall I enjoyed but didn’t love
- Romcom style plot (matchmaker character falling in love with the people hes trying to set up)
- Characters were fine but sooooo whiny which got super annoying especially with audiobook
- Proper love triangle
- Overall I enjoyed but didn’t love
The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Very quick and enjoyable read! Less treasure hunt and more political drama, but said political drama was interesting, as were the family dynamics. Definitely fun enough that I'll read the sequel. But not particularly unique in terms of YA fantasy.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
ok, thoughts:
- religious and historical plotlines could have been explored more. they played a big role in the book, but somehow also didn't?
- i did enjoy the allusions to religious and historical conflicts, however
- ending was satisfying, i suppose, but happened very quickly and left me feeling like the story was rushed/unfinished
- i enjoyed the different character perspectives a lot
- characters felt a little inconsistent (couldn't tell if i was supposed to hate or like characters, but not in a cool they're flawed and complicated, more like they were abusive at first but then given a halfhearted redemption arc?)
- honestly whole book could've been stronger if it were drawn out and the characters and plot given more depth, but for a simple standalone fantasy, it was fine
overall, an enjoyable fantasy novel set in historical spain
- religious and historical plotlines could have been explored more. they played a big role in the book, but somehow also didn't?
- i did enjoy the allusions to religious and historical conflicts, however
- ending was satisfying, i suppose, but happened very quickly and left me feeling like the story was rushed/unfinished
- i enjoyed the different character perspectives a lot
- characters felt a little inconsistent (couldn't tell if i was supposed to hate or like characters, but not in a cool they're flawed and complicated, more like they were abusive at first but then given a halfhearted redemption arc?)
- honestly whole book could've been stronger if it were drawn out and the characters and plot given more depth, but for a simple standalone fantasy, it was fine
overall, an enjoyable fantasy novel set in historical spain