gaiadances's reviews
340 reviews

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

3.0

this series needs to pick up the pace or something idk what’s wrong with it. the last book was the same where it escalated like crazy in the last 100 pages and then ended on a  cliffhanger for almost no real reason 

Worry by Alexandra Tanner

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

darkly comedic exploration of two highly dysfunctional sisters with extremely toxic and somewhat abusive parenting. i liked the writing and character study but this is definitely a no plot just vibes kinda book. i did find myself feeling a bit dissatisfied by the ending because it ended absolutely nowhere just like how it began but i was really hoping for something more (not a resolution, but something)

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

3.0

decent enough story and plotline but did not really deliver on what it promised. the dark academia setting wasnt utilised or explored well enough 

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

neither character was particularly likeable and the redemption arc of a child pedo was a huge miss for me. the writing itself was quite bland but the story keeps you reading because of both the mixed media element and the absurdity of the plot with all its shock value moments

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

broke my heart over and over and over again 

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

emotional reflective sad medium-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

shattered my heart into little peices and gently wove it all back together again at the end. sisterhood is the most complex relationship of your life 

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

deeply sad and deeply moving story of love, grief and the ocean. julia armfield's writing is some of the most lyrical and beautiful writing i've ever read and i really enjoyed this book despite the fact that it ends with more questions than answers, more doubt than certainty. i dont even know whether leah ever returned to the surface or whether miri constructed that whole experience to come to terms with her own grief. 

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-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

3.0

decently enjoyable romance i loved the plus size and Latina representation from the FMC. funny i read 2 librarian books in a row though lol. Ben was genuinely infuriating from the beginning his stupid fat phobia was so obvious plus how he kept marce on a string leading her on while low-key emotionally cheating on his long term gf. i really think he deserved a worse fate. i liked that theo and marce managed to work out their own issues and communication problems well.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

a very solid romance that still tugged at my heart but didn’t really hit the same way beach read and happy place did for me. i think this might be the weakest EH book i’ve read (book lovers is slightly better than this) but i really did like the characters in this book. the friendship and daphne’s own character development was really well done. i think miles was slightly lacking in terms of exploring his family background and emotional state. i loved the fact that libraries were key to this story as an avid library lover.