heathere19's reviews
338 reviews

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

dark hopeful mysterious tense 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

3.5

It was a fast start with a slow middle and quick ending. The magic was unique but also hard to follow at times. There was a little bit of mystery as well. 3.5 rounded up to 5 for the twist ending that I wasn't even thinking about. 

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

I liked the ending of this book. It had really good closure and depth for a mystery. However, this book was a little too long. It felt like it dragged in some areas. I would've rated it a 3.5 but then the ending was interesting and got better. I wished I marked all the clues myself because I just had to trust the characters were right. I am not sure what to call this genre but it was a unique story. Contemporary mystery?

Secrets of the Catalogue by Amelia Spencer

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

adventurous funny informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Very entertaining book with mostly 1 character in over half the book. Andy Weir is one of fee authors who can write an interesting story with lots of conflict and minimal characters. It's FULL of science that I just don't understand through the written word, but I trust the math! Very nice but unexpected and plausible ending though! 

How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.5

I'm glad she was able to tell her story. it seemed it was very therapeutic for her. I just thought it was slow moving and somewhat if a repetative story. that might make be sound bad, but since she had to stay in the same place for so long, not much changed as far as her life. yes, it was a pretty bad life but her mom made it so much better for her. I'm glad I read it, but it just wasn't exciting to read all of the time. the beginning was also hard to get into to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

What a fun read! There were so many plot twists! I thoroughly recommend!

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

This was your typical Hallmark romance Christmas story. It was cheesy, cliched, but I loved all of it! was it a little predictable? yep! Was it also fun to read in December? Yep!

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad 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? No

3.75

It took me awhile to finish this one. It was kind of a slow start but it picked up in the end. I did have spoilers about the ending so I stopped reading it until I forgot some, so it was still kind of a surprise for some of it. I love and hate that this is all based on true stories in history. I could never leave my child on their own with strangers. Crazy things happen in war!

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

adventurous funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was too romance for me. It's interesting but it's a little too in much and predictable. I enjoyed reading it. I didn't think there would be that much flirting and wanted more of the story and world. This one is a little overrated, in my opinion, but will.

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

this was a very slow week burn for me. I finished it out of respect for another book club member who chose it. there were parts that were great and interesting to read, but it was very inconsistent. I didn't understand what was going on until section 2. and there are only 3 sections total in the entire book and absolutely no chapters... so it was hard to find a stopping point. the ending was pretty ambiguous too but not in a great way. it's a thriller but more character driven than plot.