hannah_banana_'s reviews
43 reviews

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

5.0

This may be one of my favorites of the year. So many different stories woven in- nothing polished over or suddenly wrapped up neatly. This may be the best paced and satisfying end to a novel I’ve ever read.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.75

This is a book that opens with 2 struggling emotionally immature people who experience nearly no development or growth in themselves or in the play all the way to the end. It seems like an underbelly of relationships, but in a frustrating monotone way, not a thought provoking way.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Fast read, creepy, unexpected ending. Haunted house whodunnit

Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang

adventurous dark informative sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

It didn’t end wrapped up but that’s how every great, unpredictable, complicated book is. I enjoyed the accurate industry and locational info as someone with a correlated job in a similar industry in SF.

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler

4.0

Relatable and timely for someone experiencing heartbreak, beautifully written, great character development and plot. I’d say it moves like Night Circus- it doesn’t get anywhere fast but it’s enjoyable to ride along

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Miscarriage

Persephone Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer

fast-paced

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

1.0

I LOVED Aphrodite Made Me Do It for its plot and meaning outside and along with the story of Aphrodite. This required a knowledge of the Greek mythology and didn’t add to it. There was nothing in it that seemed relatable, interesting, or even particularly pretty. It’s in the voice of Persephone saying “here’s a general idea of what happened to me in the story” and nothing else.

What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars by Brendan Moynihan, Jim Paul

1.0

Shitty book written by someone who got lucky in early stage capitalism and thinks he’s special

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

adventurous dark mysterious relaxing 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

I loved this. Fast, original from what I’ve read before. I knew what was going on with the main character Cooper immediately starting the book, but genuinely did not guess the ending. This book is not deep but it’s fun and appropriate for reading on my backpacking trip through the woods :)

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book had an interesting and original premise. Twist in the miss for about Calla and Theo was predictable. The twist about how Calla came to be there originally was anticlimactic and pointless. Ending was blah, but not terrible. Sometimes books are good because of the journey and not it as a whole. This is one of those books. I enjoyed reading it, it took 2 days and I kept wanting to keep reading. That makes it a good book to me.