hali's reviews
354 reviews

The Marriage Act by John Marrs

3.0

this felt extremely realistic and the implications of “The Sanctity of Marriage Act” were wild. some of the POVs were annoying to read from but other than that i had fun. this author’s books are kind of addictive because they keep a fast pace and tackle the same issue from many angles. consider me a fan.

No Place Left To Hide by Megan Lally

3.0

not as twisty as That’s Not My Name by this author, but well paced enough that i didn’t want to pause. It’s like I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Gossip Girl.

The One by John Marrs

3.5

some of the choices made were just wild. i love this author’s POV on technology and his near-future world.

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

4.0

this was so solid. i’ve largely grown out of this age group BUT YA mystery/thrillers are still often enjoyable and fun to read. plus, i was shocked at the end!

The Horror at Red Hook by H.P. Lovecraft

1.0

Read as research for The Ballad of Black Tom. Not worth it. Mostly boring, not scary, and if I heard one more racial epithet I was going to ask Cthulhu to come and get me itself.

The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste

4.0

The Family Experiment by John Marrs

dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0

scifi thrillers may be my favorite type of mystery/thriller. just like a black mirror episode, i was enthralled with how this near future society operates. i enjoyed many of the POVs - mostly how we didn’t spend too much time with any of them so they didn’t feel grating. 

overall a great read, and i’m gonna check out the other books in this world he’s made.

(this was a 5 until the end where he started explaining waaaaay too much)

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Super interesting and kept me hooked 95% of the time. Not super predictable and the reveals were well earned. 

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

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? No

2.0

hey… how yall doin…

this was a huge disappointment for me. i loved tan’s previous works so much that i auto-bought the deluxe edition of this book. i was very much looking forward to it. but i just can’t with the fake enemies-to-lovers romantasy stuff.

the characters here were not as fleshed out as those in the Celestial Kingdom duology. nor was the plot or the romance or ANYTHING i was supposed to care about. i barely cared about anything happening. a few plot twists made me perk up, but i was quickly bored again.

sue lynn tan please leave the world of the Celestial Kingdom. i know you have more good books in you. this just wasn’t it.

A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

dark funny reflective 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

you too can become a magical girl, as long as you suffer first!

reminds me of Vicious in a way… since in both powers come from trauma.

i wanted this to be longer. or just a straight up manga/manhwa. still, i enjoyed my time with it and the themes throughout.