darryn_gray's reviews
135 reviews

Dauntless by Elisa A. Bonnin

adventurous challenging 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

3.75

I have started to realize how much harder 3rd person books are to listen to, especially with names that are so similiar, but once I got the hang of it, it really did become a fun book. It had some cool rules to it's world that made it a unique story. But by the time I actually had started to realize who was who name wise, we were already starting to get really far into it. 
If you don't struggle with names like I do, I really recommend it.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Southern gothic queer story. There's nothing else to say about it! Super cool and crazy story that kept me hooked until the very yet.

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow! Gatsby is my comfort classic book and when I found out about this one, as a trans man, I was HOOKED instantly. The title is perfect even based on the original story let alone the ways this one twists it.
This isnt just a play by play rewrite of the story just now with little details about it being t4t. It takes a lot of the original ideas and scenes and expands upon it and changes it in a way that only would fit this telling of this story.
AND THE ENDING. If you know the original ending, NO YOU DON'T. 

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

Odd, but when I say odd I don't mean in a bad way, I mean it in a- the book is wild and crazy and the only word I can think of to describe it is odd. It kept you unsure of where it was going to the very end

Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and the Express Train to Nowhere by Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills

adventurous challenging lighthearted mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

This book had the same amount of meta fun parts from the first ones that I really enjoyed in this one, however, I didn't find the plot quite as strong, some of the turns felt really forced. The first book is certainly stronger, but this one is still a fun read if you enjoyed the first one.

Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min

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

5.0

Yet another book I completely adored! It was simply and fun and made me happy! I could read a book like this forever

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

OKAY HI
I chose this book because of a filter on tiktok to read for trans rights readathon and I didn't expect to love it so much. The only sport I really know is hockey, and yet this book didn't make me feel like I shouldn't be listening to it just because it was all about soccer.
While the book had minor mentions of transphobia, it wasn't JUST about transphobia, which is something I find really rare in trans books. 
I 100% recommend it.

The Flames of Hope by Tui T. Sutherland

adventurous 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

3.75

For the ending of a series it was really good. The whole series kept itself going really nicely. It wasn't a bad book in any sense of it. I had just really wished the 3rd arc was a little different. That instead of just bringing in the characters we already knew, it focused more on just the new ones, had them figure out their own problems. Then maybe for another arc you could have brought them all together. That being said, fantastic series that kept me interested all the way through, and I'm not normally a dragon person like that

The Dangerous Gift by Tui T. Sutherland

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Another one that just more felt- odd, like a filler. It helped bring more towards a dragon we never really needed to know so much about and right now just feels very random for the overarching story, however that doesn't mean it wasn't an intersting book. It kept my intesrest, just over all for the whole story it really feels weird at this moment

The Poison Jungle by Tui T. Sutherland

adventurous challenging 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

3.25

This one to me felt the weakest of all of the books, not writing wise, but it didn't lead the plot as far as some of the others do. While it continued things, it also felt like it was bringing the characters just in circles, they started with one plan they had tried to mention a few times, then went back to that same idea multiple times. It wasn't a bad book, just not one of the strongest