hellcatjennie's reviews
52 reviews

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Phew. 

This one took me a fat minute to finish because the monotonous parts were miserably long. I also read several books in between. I loved the first book so much and had high hopes for the second. The only parts worth mentioning are their time with Phillipe which I wish so badly we had more time with him and their time in Prague was a tense yet exciting few chapters. Also, their relationship upgraded to PG-13, which is an upgrade for them in my opinion. I wish that the author would’ve had a better editor since there were parts that were not only repetitious but down right boring. Hopefully the third book is more promising, sometimes bigger books do not equate to being better. I’ve seen many people complain about the introduction of various characters that are later discarded in the book I felt like Harkness just wanted to flex her Elizabethan knowledge which, hey if you know it might as well put it somewhere while in Rome - or in this case 16th century England. All in all it kept my attention so I can’t say I loathed reading it in the slightest.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

dark mysterious 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

4.25

 "You are afraid to die?" "Yes, every one is." "But to die as lovers may—to die together, so that they may live together.”

Goodness, can’t a woman be a lesbian blood-sucking fiend in peace?

Seriously though, I genuinely enjoyed this book. It was gothic, sapphic and I can say this was more interesting than Dracula’s premise in my opinion. I hold Dracula in high regard, but it could’ve been shortened and been just as memorable. Irish authors just know how to use their landscape to create a simultaneously eerie feeling and magical one as well for the reader. Laura and Carmilla could’ve been vampiric lovers and I’ll stand behind the fact they could’ve stood the test of time.

"Dearest, your little heart is wounded; think me not cruel because I obey the irresistible law of my strength and weakness; if your dear heart is wounded, my wild heart bleeds with yours. In the rapture of my enormous humiliation I live in your warm life, and you shall die—die, sweetly die—into mine. I cannot help it; as I draw near to you, you, in your turn, will draw near to others, and learn the rapture of that cruelty, which yet is love; so, for a while, seek to know no more of me and mine, but trust me with all your loving spirit."

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I’m not exactly sure why people rated this book so harshly. It’s littered with gorgeous language and good story telling. Sure Diana can be infuriating when it comes to Matthew, but oh well it’s a book about vampires and witches. The children bit was the only part I was the least bit interested in, because I despise a random pregnancy trope. Overall I really admired this book for what it was. It was a fun and thrilling fantasy novel about vampires and witches, what more do you need? The historian in me was having the time of her life, so anyone saying this book was garbage is being overly critical in my opinion. Granted I’m very aware of the flaws it possesses, my opinion stands. One of my favorite reads of the year.

Recipe for Second Chances by Ali Rosen

emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-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

3.75

I read this dangerously fast. At first I really did not like the main character, but then it was because I realized we had a lot in common from before I’d met my boyfriend. I was avoidant of a real relationship, and scared to go after what I wanted because of whatever traumas caused me to behave in that way. I came to really relate to Stella and root for her, not to mention scream internally because Samuel is legit the perfect book boyfriend. I would recommend this for a quick and light beach read, or even a short flight. I flew through it, and kept grinning throughout the novel. My only complaint was that there were a lot of parts that felt repetitious, but it didn’t take away from the good parts by any means, just something I noticed that wasn’t particularly my favorite. Other than that, no notes, twas a good read on a Friday afternoon.

The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

4.25

I really enjoyed this short story, it had captured my attention immediately and won over my heart. Silvia is a wonderful story teller and I will have to read more of her work, since this was but a taste of how spectacularly she is able to capture so much in a short amount of time. This read like a fairy tale, werewolves and lovers are a delicious recipe for a wonderful story!

The Quarry Girls: A Thriller by Jess Lourey

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

3️⃣.5️⃣ Book Club Read 

If you love murder mysteries you’re sure to devour this novel. Lourey captures the 70s wonderfully, the setting is fully captured, and keeps the already known story fresh and exciting. It was a little slow for me in the beginning, however once you get to the meat of this scandalous towns story you cannot put this book down! I felt like I was listening to a murder podcast through the lens of someone experiencing it all first hand. She always manages to make the fictitious parts fun as well. Will be reading her again in the future!

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

funny lighthearted tense fast-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

3.75

Emmy and Luke 5ever! Lowkey wish Teddy and Gus got together cause PHEW the tension between those two was palpable. 

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

funny lighthearted tense fast-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

2.5

I loathe pregnancy/marriage at the end of the book, like the author thinks that “wraps it all together”, no. Also, the spice level in this book was the only thing that kept my attention, but other than that it was pretty cringe, not gonna lie. 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted fast-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

3.75

Little Weirds by Jenny Slate

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

After reading this book I feel like Jenny Slate had a piece of my brain and more often than not wrote down a lot of my internal dialogue as I travel through my day to day. She’s colorful that’s for sure, she bares all and leaves no trace of regret. I think I needed this book at different parts in my life so that I could further express the ever present chaos of my thoughts, loud and proud. A+ delivery of every word, she could write another book and I would be very grateful for it. Little Weirds delivers and leaves you wanting to see everything through her kaleidoscope lenses with not just wonder but tenderness.