danijoy's reviews
135 reviews

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-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

Meyer! You pulled me into your world and I’m obsessed! This fantastical future and its people are relatable, grounded, and feel real. I’m incredibly excited to continue on with this compelling story!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

adventurous mysterious reflective 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

3.0

The quiet character moments between Holmes and Watson were my favorite part of this story. While undoubtedly an expertly crafted mystery, I found myself spacing out towards the mid-point only to check back in for the finale.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective fast-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

4.75

Staggeringly beautiful. I questioned whether Klune would be able to aim as high as Cerulean, but I stand very much corrected. This adventure is just as soulful, healing, and family-oriented as the first. Klune’s writing in this book, in my humble opinion, offers the world one of the best examples of how to use fiction to simplify intricate human emotions and experiences and call out injustice in a loving way. I say, Klune must have some magic himself to be able to pull off such a splendid feat.

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

What an excellent introduction to Watson and Holmes! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Part two was…interesting…I appreciated the backstory for the murderer but it made the book feel disjointed. I will say, it came together in the end! There might have been a better way to fit both narratives together, but overall a stellar read. 

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I am still contemplating my final evaluation for this gothic French classic. I thought I wasn’t going to like the book a few chapters in. But - once I embraced the operatic melodrama of it all, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. One critique I wanted to make relates to the third person future retrospective on past events narration that Leroux goes with. It’s hard to show versus tell when characters are sharing about past events (it also removes tension when I know specific characters survive in the end). However, something about Leroux’s strategy/writing style makes me okay with this ultimate narration choice? It’s perplexing. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I still say the musical is superior! 

Untangle Your Emotions: Naming What You Feel and Knowing What to Do About It by Jennie Allen

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

Another solid book by Jennie Allen! 

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective 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

3.75

I am still grappling with how I feel about this short novel. Out of all the sci-fi books I’ve read this year (and I have read quite a few), this one felt THE MOST alien. So alien, in fact, that I found it bizarre. However, I find myself asking why it’s bizarre. It’s truly no more fantastical than many other fiction books. 

That being said, I would read C.S. Lewis’s grocery lists. There’s something so eloquent and pure about the way he writes. He draws one in and forces one to reflect upon not only the universe they live in; but also, (and perhaps even more terrifying and beautiful), lovingly forces you to confront your God-given heart and soul. As a clever Goodreads reviewer pointed out: “You don’t review C.S. Lewis. He reviews you.”

Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World by Jennie Allen

challenging hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

It’s always wonderful when God leads me to read a book at exactly the right time in my life. I’ve heard good things about Jeanie Allen, but I had never read any of her books before now. I highly recommend picking this book up if, like me, you find yourself done with living life alone. She makes an excellent, Biblically-backed case for why community living is what God always intended and why we’re all suffering from intense loneliness - especially if you live in the U.S..

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-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

3.5

I found this book to be very quaint and cozy. I’m always a fan of the found family theme. 

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

Thank you King for this memoire about your life and on writing. More contemplative and less instructional. But still very informative and inspiring. I really enjoyed it. I’ll try to avoid adverbs when possible.