itsmelaurenc's reviews
111 reviews

Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros

dark sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Doesn’t feel like a YA book. I kept forgetting the main characters were teenagers.

Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

emotional inspiring medium-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

3.5

Felt like a Hallmark movie.

The Crystal Crypt by Philip K. Dick

adventurous tense fast-paced

4.75

Leaving this for my reference later since I’m binging all Dick’s short stories:

So the Terras on Mars are leaving in droves because of some war starting between Terra and Mars. 3 rebels used a weapon that sucked an entire Martian city (the crystal crypt) into a box they could easily travel back to Earth with and use for intelligence. Martians had a “truth box” that every Terran had to say whether they knew anything about a destroyed city, so obv it didn’t work on the 3 rebels bc the city wasn’t technically destroyed, just commandeered. Unfortunately for them, on the ship to Terra they started talking to another passenger about it thinking he wanted to join the rebellion and he was a Martian agent the entire time. They got caught.

The Defenders by Philip K. Dick

fast-paced

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

4.5

Leaving this for my reference later since I’m binging all Dick’s short stories:

Basically these people are in this bunker because of nuclear war with Russia. They built robots called leadys who could withstand the radiation and continue the war. They built them with the ability to build and fix themselves and they discovered the human race needs a set amount of years to forget their issues and live peacefully. But the people in the bunker didn’t know, so 3 dudes they went up and forced the leadys to let them out. The leadys kept trying to tell them life wasn’t viable but it was a lie, nuclear war ended years ago and the physical land had healed. The leadys sealed the entrance to the bunker so the 3 dudes were trapped outside. The leadys said the Russians figured it out earlier than they did and were already on their way but only a small group because the Russian leadys also sealed them out from their bunker to keep the rest of the population safe from war. Everyone on the surface was unarmed and told to find a way to live in peace. The book ends with the Russians and Americans finding common ground to rebuild civilization, hoping when the time came for the bunker populations to be released they would have an example of a peaceful society to live by.

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis

funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing

4.0

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

Total Recall by Philip K. Dick

funny fast-paced

3.0

Leaving this for my reference later since I’m binging all Dick’s short stories:

This dude is living a super boring life so he goes to a place where they can implant memories, which is cheaper than paying for trips. He has a strong draw to Mars so he pays them to implant those memories. They decide on making him a secret agent that was sent there on a job so the memories would have enough depth that they would feel real. Turns out tho that actually happened so when they tried to implant the memories they actually un-erased the old ones. He’s like the best agent ever so when the government brings him in he’s at a standoff with them. They offer to fix his memories one last time as a peace offering but it ends with him still remembering what happened when he was a secret agent on Mars.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

mysterious reflective 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

4.75

Read the Afterword at the end

Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Just wish she read it more in her genuine voice.