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daniellestarredpages's reviews
232 reviews
Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
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? No
5.0
The Specimen by Jaima Fixsen
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Isobel Tait was an amazing protagonist to follow, and Fixsen should be applauded for the character work in this book.
The emotional toll this tragedy took on Isobel was well described, and her behaviour reflected this throughout the book. At first, I was worried about how Isobel would get away with being the Doctor's housekeeper when he met her in person and there was a public incident at a viewing of his specimens, but the author wrote a brilliant character and included very believable scenarios to explain how Isobel got away with her "espionage".
I mentioned before that I loved following Isobel, but the reason was that she was such an intelligent character. The author didn't try to add tension or increase the length of the book by having Isobel make stupid decisions that put her in danger or have her fail to execute poorly thought-out plans. Isobel was a very methodical character, and she covered all her bases and planned and reacted appropriately to the situations she found herself in.
Through a connection with Isobel and the case of her son, we begin to follow the detective who is actually interested in solving the case. He was another brilliant character who was written to be intelligent as well as kind. I enjoyed his side plots just as much as Isobel's time living and working in the doctor's house.
This book tackled the very dark history surrounding medicine, specifically anatomy in the 1800s, and in my opinion, it did a very good job giving a perspective of the family members left behind after these crimes.
While I enjoyed my entire reading experience, I do think the ending was a bit rushed.
Thank you to Netgalley and Poison Pen Press for an ARC of this book.
The emotional toll this tragedy took on Isobel was well described, and her behaviour reflected this throughout the book. At first, I was worried about how Isobel would get away with being the Doctor's housekeeper when he met her in person and there was a public incident at a viewing of his specimens, but the author wrote a brilliant character and included very believable scenarios to explain how Isobel got away with her "espionage".
I mentioned before that I loved following Isobel, but the reason was that she was such an intelligent character. The author didn't try to add tension or increase the length of the book by having Isobel make stupid decisions that put her in danger or have her fail to execute poorly thought-out plans. Isobel was a very methodical character, and she covered all her bases and planned and reacted appropriately to the situations she found herself in.
Through a connection with Isobel and the case of her son, we begin to follow the detective who is actually interested in solving the case. He was another brilliant character who was written to be intelligent as well as kind. I enjoyed his side plots just as much as Isobel's time living and working in the doctor's house.
This book tackled the very dark history surrounding medicine, specifically anatomy in the 1800s, and in my opinion, it did a very good job giving a perspective of the family members left behind after these crimes.
While I enjoyed my entire reading experience, I do think the ending was a bit rushed.
Thank you to Netgalley and Poison Pen Press for an ARC of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions by Nalo Hopkinson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Unfortunately, I DNFed this collection.
I found myself uninterested in most of the stories. And then the few stories I read that included a version of Jamaican Patwa/Patois, I wasn't a fan of the way Hopkins wrote the dialect. I think Hopkins had too much Standard English in the dialogue that was supposed to be Patwa and it felt very inauthentic.
I found myself uninterested in most of the stories. And then the few stories I read that included a version of Jamaican Patwa/Patois, I wasn't a fan of the way Hopkins wrote the dialect. I think Hopkins had too much Standard English in the dialogue that was supposed to be Patwa and it felt very inauthentic.
Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Unfortunately, I DNFed this book. I got about 30% into the book and was completely bored with the story. I was initially uninterested in the MC but as the story continued he just annoyed me and I didn't care to follow him.
The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All by Sumiko Arai
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was genuinely so entertaining and cute. I loved the art style and the colour scheme. I was immediately attached to both characters and I loved their interactions.
The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power by Terry J. Benton-Walker
2.0
I was very disappointed with this read. When I requested an ARC of this book, I was under the impression that the characters of colour wouldn't suffer or at least would suffer less than "The White Guy". However, even though the white guy does indeed die first in every story, they often die off-page or in less graphic ways than the characters of colour. I was also disappointed in each and every story in this anthology, even the stories from authors whose works I had previously enjoyed. Maybe I'm not a short story reader but many of the stories felt like nothing happened, but then in some cases, I felt like nothing happened but I didn't actually want to read a continuation of the stories. Overall I felt this was a very weak anthology.
All Eyes On Me- 1 Star
Hedge - 3 stars
The Golden Dragon -3.5 Stars
Best served cold - 3 stars
Docile Girls - 4 stars
Gray Grove - 3.5 stars
Everything's coming up roses - 2.5 stars
Heaven - 1 star
Break through our skin - 3 stars
Wasps - 2.5 stars
Hell Is Other Demons - 2 stars
The Road To Hell - 1.5 stars
All Eyes On Me- 1 Star
Hedge - 3 stars
The Golden Dragon -3.5 Stars
Best served cold - 3 stars
Docile Girls - 4 stars
Gray Grove - 3.5 stars
Everything's coming up roses - 2.5 stars
Heaven - 1 star
Break through our skin - 3 stars
Wasps - 2.5 stars
Hell Is Other Demons - 2 stars
The Road To Hell - 1.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Car accident
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5