elaichipod's reviews
223 reviews

Salt & Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher

mysterious 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

3.75

Factotum by Charles Bukowski

fast-paced

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

3.0

This book felt the predecessor or forefather of many litfic books with unlikeable main characters. It also reminded me of The Fermata, which is about sexual hedonism. I didn’t like that book and I didn’t particularly enjoy this one, either. It was crazy to me that despite the immense amount of self-sabotage, Henry could just keep moving forward and was almost always able to find a new job. Strangely enough, I always had hope for him and assumed that he would get his act together for the next job.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

This book was so adorable! I loved how it felt like a cozy, Halloween-y movie. I loved Mika and all the other characters. The fact that Mika's personal struggles and the main external issue were so intertwined was very appealing to me.  I had been craving a found family situation and this book really fulfilled that for me.

The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I didn't really find this book to be engaging or memorable. It wasn't awful, but I see almost no reason why I should read the 2nd book.

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.

I had no idea what was going on. I get that this book is meant to be a spinoff of a previous series, but the entire plot was evading me. It's too dense and confusing, so I lost interest.

Rescue Me by Christy Reece

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.0

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

3.0

Like most romance books with cartoon covers, Bride was corny and predictable. The whole lost sister plot was not engaging me at all. I just didn't care about Serena's disappearance. I did not like Misery's name and every time I was reminded of it, I was just more disappointed. The ending was very haphazardly written and it felt like I was watching a episode recap rather than the actual story. Also, the fact that vampires are not immortal in this book was wild!! I know vampire rules shift around based on the source, but I naturally expect vampires to live forever. It was very obvious that Ali Hazelwood was a werewolf romance reader on Wattpad (which, btw, is totally fine) because I've never seen such negatively written vampires before. However, I think Hazelwood should continue to write monster romances because this book was way more interesting than the STEM ones. I would recommend this to my book friends who enjoy werewolf romances but I would not reread this book.

Savaged by Mia Sheridan

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

Nothing happens the first 40% of the book. I wanted to DNF a couple times. It was corny at times but I like that the romance isn't the main focus in the book. 

Lover by Bea Northwick

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0