darryn_gray's reviews
119 reviews

Winter Turning by Tui T. Sutherland

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Now that I'm even further into this series and we're meeting more character who actually did grow up in their tribes, I like seeing them try and get out of their old habits and learn how messed up some of their traditions truly are.

In this one you can actually feel a change in Winter as he goes from the icewing who only cares about his ranking, to a true dragon who is conflicted on keeping with his family or going back to his friends

Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland

adventurous lighthearted 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

4.0

Pretty decent start for the next part of this series! Excited to see where it's going next

The Heartstopper Yearbook by Alice Oseman

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Perfect for any heartstopper fans!

The Brightest Night by Tui T. Sutherland

adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

I love seeing the character from different perspectives,and I love seeing how things change depending on who you're reading as. I also felt so bad for Sunny in this book! But I loved learning more about her than just the "always happy one"

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

5.0

You already know how I feel about TBDATE. The short story added in this book might have made me cry harder than the original story. Adam Silvera is horribly good at breaking my heart, and it's honestly rare for a book to make me actively cry, especially when I go into it knowing I'm going to cry

The Dark Secret by Tui T. Sutherland

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

This one hasn't quite been my favorite of the series so far, while still enjoyable, it didn't quite have a lot in it until the end, not like the other books do. That still didn't mean it wasn't enjoyable! Just a lot more of a filler in my opinion

Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and the Secret of the Grande Chateau by Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

Honestly a really fun book. There's a lot in it that brings itself out from just being like every other mystery book and I really appreciate that, it has it's own personality and emotions, it breaks rules and uses things most other books don't to its advantage. This book throws you right in, almost making you feel like you picked up the 2nd or 3rd book in a series with some of the references to something that's happened in the past, but not enough that it leaves you confused about what's going on. Arin Hanson Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills did a surprisingly good job with this book! It deserves more attention that it's gotten so far

The Hidden Kingdom 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

4.5

This one might be my favorite of the series so far, that might just be from knowing the characters a lot more, but also from the growth they've gone through. They've been nice to listen to, making work a lot easier to get through

Vanilla by Billy Merrell

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? It's complicated

4.0

This book reminded me of one of the relationships I had just gotten out of around the time this book was given to me. And after reading it, I can see why they gave it to me. If I would have read it around that time, it might have just hurt me more; having healed and grown, this resonated more with me in different ways, it didn't just hurt, it was seeing how sexualities can change and shift and how that can even change and shift how you are with the person you're with.
This book is wonderfully written using the poetry to its advantage, framing it like the characters are actually writing these for others to read and someone just came and pieced all the writings together. It sometimes gets a little confusing in spots, but nothing that doesn't get cleared up just a few pages later.
This book is so realistic feeling, and I love it even more for that. It's not your average soft, cute, gay love story, it's more. It has pain and anger, and people thinking wrong with emotions clouding their brain and things that you can only hope the characters later on learned how wrong they are for it. It depits a perfect scene of exactly what it was trying to do

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

slow-paced

2.0

Wow this book lost me fast. The beginning was painfully slow. The ending felt rushed. There were spots in the middle that were kinda getting me interested because it then just went right back to more research. I wish some of the more creepy parts would have happened more often, but littler stuff. Everything that did happen was pretty big, but it'd take forever for them to happen. I liked the idea of using the neighborhood app as part of the plot, and I wish that was used for something creepier. The book felt like it was doing in a way different direction than it was