Scan barcode
grimalkintoes's reviews
140 reviews
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
“Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you.”
I was absolutely floored by Emily Henry's latest release, Book Lovers. I initially picked this one up for the grumpy-x-grumpy-enemies-to-lovers storyline but stayed for the nuanced characters and their unique, yet all too familiar existences. Tangled up in family expectations, guilt, and a deeply rooted longing for lives that seemed just out of grasp, Charlie and Nora felt dynamic and fully-realized. I cannot recommend this one enough. Read it with your crush at the local bookshop. Or by yourself. Because as Nora learns, putting yourself first is just as important as finding someone to love and be loved by.
I was absolutely floored by Emily Henry's latest release, Book Lovers. I initially picked this one up for the grumpy-x-grumpy-enemies-to-lovers storyline but stayed for the nuanced characters and their unique, yet all too familiar existences. Tangled up in family expectations, guilt, and a deeply rooted longing for lives that seemed just out of grasp, Charlie and Nora felt dynamic and fully-realized. I cannot recommend this one enough. Read it with your crush at the local bookshop. Or by yourself. Because as Nora learns, putting yourself first is just as important as finding someone to love and be loved by.
The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
Alex Jennings' debut novel is a starburst of color. Set in an alternate New Orleans known as NOLA, this urban fantasy is full of delightfully disorienting magical psychedelia — zombies, haints, and living songs, oh my! Take this book out with you to a local jazz bar.
The Ballad of Perilous Graves is a unique love story to the culture of New Orleans and the traditions that carry on despite the wreckage of the Storm. Jennings transports us to the streets of NOLA through atmosphere, unorthodox wordplay, authentic vernacular, and spirited dialogue. Jennings is by far a name to look out for in the magical realism and afrofuturism world.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Book Group for a free, physical ARC of this novel.
Expected publication date: June 21, 2022
The Ballad of Perilous Graves is a unique love story to the culture of New Orleans and the traditions that carry on despite the wreckage of the Storm. Jennings transports us to the streets of NOLA through atmosphere, unorthodox wordplay, authentic vernacular, and spirited dialogue. Jennings is by far a name to look out for in the magical realism and afrofuturism world.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Book Group for a free, physical ARC of this novel.
Expected publication date: June 21, 2022
The Golden Season by Madeline Kay Sneed
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Madeline Kay Sneed's debut, The Golden Season is a complicated and tender tale. Following Emmy Quinn and her father, Steve, this novel traces the complexities and challenges of queer identity, familial love, culture, community, and faith. For the queer folk who were raised in the Bible Belt, or for the people who are haunted by a place that refuses to claim them, this is a must-read. My therapist will hear about this one.
Special thanks to Libro.fm for a free, electronic ALC of this novel.
Expected publication date: May 31, 2022
Special thanks to Libro.fm for a free, electronic ALC of this novel.
Expected publication date: May 31, 2022
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-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
4.0
Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a bitter drug-induced dream — hazy and bizarre, mostly melodramatic. The characters are delightfully deranged and unlikeable and Moshfegh's writing coats the back of your throat in a white medicinal powder, suffocating and unforgivable. I recommend choking this one down with lemon water and animal crackers.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 3 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 2 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 1 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hide by Kiersten White
dark
slow-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
2.0
Special thanks to Libro.fm for a free, electronic ALC of this novel.
Expected publication date: May 24, 2022
The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught.
The prize: enough money to change everything.
Kiersten White's debut adult supernatural thriller, Hide is not a fun ride. Set in an abandoned amusement park, fourteen competitors are tasked with playing a high stakes game of hide and seek. The payout? $50,000 in cash. The complication? It might not just be people hunting them.
While this was certainly a suspenseful novel, I don't think that I can give it a higher rating than 2☆ in good faith. The character development was weak, the pacing slow as hell, the backstories too complicated, and the world-building drab. This novel had an opportunity to truly shine in the horrific genre-bending of innocent childhood games, but it didn't quite rise to the challenge.
If you're a fan of The Hunger Games and/or Squid Game, though, I do recommend it as a book to listen to in the background or pick up if you have nothing else queued up on your TBR.
Expected publication date: May 24, 2022
The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught.
The prize: enough money to change everything.
Kiersten White's debut adult supernatural thriller, Hide is not a fun ride. Set in an abandoned amusement park, fourteen competitors are tasked with playing a high stakes game of hide and seek. The payout? $50,000 in cash. The complication? It might not just be people hunting them.
While this was certainly a suspenseful novel, I don't think that I can give it a higher rating than 2☆ in good faith. The character development was weak, the pacing slow as hell, the backstories too complicated, and the world-building drab. This novel had an opportunity to truly shine in the horrific genre-bending of innocent childhood games, but it didn't quite rise to the challenge.
If you're a fan of The Hunger Games and/or Squid Game, though, I do recommend it as a book to listen to in the background or pick up if you have nothing else queued up on your TBR.
Revival Volume 1: You're Among Friends by Tim Seeley
dark
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Tim Seeley's rural noir, Revival, is a bang-up revitalization of the zombie-genre — the contextual mythos birthing something new and refreshing. Set in a rural Wisconsin where corpses have risen to walk among their community as regular folks untouched by death, the story follows Officer Cyprus as she navigates apocalyptic consequences of (un)dead proportion.
"Everyone thinks it's a miracle. But then they whisper and point. Ask me to heal them. My teeth just keep growing. I have to pull 'em out, so I can wear my dentures. Keeps me awake. I feel them moving around in my jaw... pushing up like sharp little daisies."
"Everyone thinks it's a miracle. But then they whisper and point. Ask me to heal them. My teeth just keep growing. I have to pull 'em out, so I can wear my dentures. Keeps me awake. I feel them moving around in my jaw... pushing up like sharp little daisies."