cyberdumps's reviews
123 reviews

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

the beginning got me hooked, but by the end it all became complicated and i ended the book with more questions than when i started. 

Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.25

this was an average reading experience. i didn't connect with the characters, and the only thing i was invested in was codi and ricky's friendship. it does have a hopeful, inspiring ending to it, but it just felt too happy-ever-after-esque. everything miraculously working out in the end didn't really make it realistic, in my opinion. the characters also felt two-dimensional including the main character, codi. 

A Welcome Reunion: A Short Story by Lucinda Berry

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

this book got me out of a massive reading slump. it was disturbing, and the setbacks that the characters went through really stuck with me. the only thing i don't quite understand is there wasn't any in-depth explanations about why janie was that way, so i couldn't quite grasp the reason why she was behaving like that. but all in all, it was great, and i'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work. 

For Esme—With Love and Squalor, and Other Stories by J.D. Salinger
Did not finish book.

i did not know what was going on

One of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose
Did not finish book.

the sex scenes made me uncomfortable ngl

When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

beautiful, beautiful writing and history. absolutely devoured this book. 

As I Descended by Robin Talley

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

this was so boring and long-winded. i couldn't see any chemistry between lily and maria, and a lot of the storyline felt surface level that majority of the time i had difficulties trying to understand what was going on. 

Red Queen by Christina Henry

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.25

boring.

Alice by Christina Henry

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

the premise was interesting, but i don't think the author executed it well enough. although the main characters (hatcher and alice) had background stories, their own strengths and weaknesses etc., they lacked depth especially alice. i didn't understand her majority of the time, so it was quite frustrating to comprehend the decisions that she made. another thing that can be improved is the final scene when alice met jabberwocky. for the amount of suspense that the author built it towards, the ending was anticlimactic. i thought "oh, it was that easy?" it felt absolutely stagnant and unmoving.  

despite these criticisms, the story itself was pretty enjoyable. it was intriguing to see the plot unfold and i will be continuing the series.