eliajor's reviews
229 reviews

Defy the Fates by Claudia Gray

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

3.25

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective

• 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

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

Protect Abel and Noemi at all cost. I loved the way the author characterised Abel and his robotic 'logical' way of thinking and how it slowly evolved to incorporate his own feelings and thoughts. I loved the banter between Abel and Noemi, especially how we get to see (not be told) how each of them start to like aspects of the other. Abel is simultaneously knowledgeable (duh as a robot) but naive and innocent even, which makes. his introspection all the more precious when he makes a breakthrough. And yes, I too have fallen for his dry humour. Though I knew early on what Mansfield's plan was for Abel, I was still hit hard by his inner thoughts and turmoil. Who knew I could relate to a robot of all characters. 
I do believe Mansfield programmed Abel with a 11/10 charisma for the final few chapters because I was making inordinate amounts of noise.
AND THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED ONLY IN 2017? Even though it's marketed as a YA, it feels more than the label it was given. Yes, it's accessible to anyone and yes the romance can feel slow, but it's a book that I treasured the experience of. 
DEFY THE STARS? More like defied and defined my expectations of Claudia Gray's future work.

Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

Dragged on alot during the middle but I loved the last 1/4th of the book

A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin

adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Tell but not show but make it 400 pages with characters as thinly characterised as the pages this was printed on. Really didn't like anything. Shu was underwhelming. Ning was annoying. The romance with Kang was underwhelming too. Too predictable that I almost gave up before I was halfway through the novel. I feel like there was alot of mythology and an adventurous plot that needed more than one book to fully cover. Some areas Ning came across were interesting but this book suffers from way too much telling. The villain of the whole series was the most underwhelming flop of this duology it's almost comical. By the power of "spirituality" we can overcome this wrathful god in the span of 1 chapter.

Human Acts by Han Kang

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I was recommended this based on great reviews and now I'm making it everyone's problem with how bland it is. Even saltwater has more flavour and depth than the romance between Effy and Preston. I hated their relationship. While I sympathise with Effy's relationship with her mother and her struggles against misogyny in an academic setting, I do not like her. Nor Preston who apparently can make Effy forget her traumas by

sleeping with her wow who needs therapy

. The damp atmosphere of Hiraeth Manor was spooky and mysterious but the mystery was something I solidified within the first 1/4 of the book, making the ending a serious disappointment. There was alot of folklore that flew past my head and at some point I stopped caring about the Argant vs Llyr struggle. 
” You don’t have to take up a sword. Survival is bravery too ” And depression is just all in your head. Wow, look at that mental illnesses and trauma is cured just from surviving.