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jayecard's reviews
162 reviews
The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The world was really cool and well described, but sadly I felt that the characters were incredibly bland. There was a lot of detail when it came to places and environments that I loved, but when it came to characters' thoughts and feelings, it suddenly was incredibly simplistic. Tom, the main character, is just sorta there for most of the plot and does virtually nothing, nor does he have a lot of interesting thoughts or emotions about it all. It didn't help that the ending felt incredibly dissatisfying.
Bonus points for letting a major female character be way outside of beauty standards though. The fact that Hester's face is described without trying to pretty up her scars and disfigurements was something I genuinely appreciated.
Bonus points for letting a major female character be way outside of beauty standards though. The fact that Hester's face is described without trying to pretty up her scars and disfigurements was something I genuinely appreciated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Excrement
Moderate: Violence, Murder, War, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Child death
Minor: Slavery
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
1.0
loved the part where a girl recovered mentally by becoming more "normal" and "girly". loved the part where they made fun of women not shaving. loved the part where a fat girl becomes "good" and it makes her magically thin. and the part where sophie begs her friend for help, takes that help, then accuses her friend of stealing her crush in a consistent three chapter cycle? loved every second. /sarcasm
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Das Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-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
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
A girl recovers from a disability in a way that may be considered disrespectful by a modern audience
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
Child Sexual Abuse and horrible handling thereof by the parent
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I thought this book would be 80% con schemes and lying and smart manipulation, and 20% character, or so. The book is more like, 20% con stuff (which is ok), and 80% character, which is to say 80% horribly abused and traumatized teenagers finding ways to deal with it (which is done extremely well). It's a very fast read, style is alright, with the most difficult parts of the content done damn well. But check the trigger warnings for sure, the heavy stuff caught me off guard for real.
tl;dr: Full ass recommend, but check content warnings first
tl;dr: Full ass recommend, but check content warnings first
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit, Abortion, and Alcoholism
She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
This book should work, but doesn't.
In concept, Alex is a woman with commitment issues due to emotional trauma who struggles to make relationships work. In practice, she's a walking red flag who finds it "challenging" not to "accidentally" flirt with other girls.
In concept, Molly is an awkward goody two shoes who can't talk to her crush. In practice, she gives up at any minor inconvenience to feel sorry for herself, then thinks that she shouldn't do that, and then does it again.
I like flawed characters. I do not like it when I'm meant to sympathize with characters who know exactly what their problem in life is and then do nothing about it anyway. It's "okay", because those problems go away when they meet each other. And I absolutely hate how this book treated Alex's and Molly's false love interests: One has her character retconned entirely, the other gets strung along all story and then left standing alone with no explanation.
The dialogue is just forced enough to feel off. The way Molly is put in egretiously awkward situations for the sake of making her look like a sad puppy gets annoying way too fast. Bestie, you're not the doormat, you're a floor black hole. The only person sabotaging her is herself, yet it feels like we're meant to sympathize with her for all the hard situations she's in. Girl, if you went to sit in the back, because your crush didn't hear you when you asked: "Is this seat taken?", then you most literally only have yourself to blame. I know it's hard, but at some point, you have to put in the effort. Which is her entire character arc, which becomes all the more insufferable by how she knows EXACTLY that this is her problem from the very beginning, and then spends the entire book doing fuckall about it, until Alex literally forces her.
There are redeeming qualities in this book, but I was looking for a cute queer read, and I got so thoroughly disappointed and had to DNF (I skimmed the rest) the book and go write an angry rant. If you want the aesthetics of a cute romance, this is ok. If you want a romance with well written characters, you can find better.
In concept, Alex is a woman with commitment issues due to emotional trauma who struggles to make relationships work. In practice, she's a walking red flag who finds it "challenging" not to "accidentally" flirt with other girls.
In concept, Molly is an awkward goody two shoes who can't talk to her crush. In practice, she gives up at any minor inconvenience to feel sorry for herself, then thinks that she shouldn't do that, and then does it again.
I like flawed characters. I do not like it when I'm meant to sympathize with characters who know exactly what their problem in life is and then do nothing about it anyway. It's "okay", because those problems go away when they meet each other. And I absolutely hate how this book treated Alex's and Molly's false love interests: One has her character retconned entirely, the other gets strung along all story and then left standing alone with no explanation.
The dialogue is just forced enough to feel off. The way Molly is put in egretiously awkward situations for the sake of making her look like a sad puppy gets annoying way too fast. Bestie, you're not the doormat, you're a floor black hole. The only person sabotaging her is herself, yet it feels like we're meant to sympathize with her for all the hard situations she's in. Girl, if you went to sit in the back, because your crush didn't hear you when you asked: "Is this seat taken?", then you most literally only have yourself to blame. I know it's hard, but at some point, you have to put in the effort. Which is her entire character arc, which becomes all the more insufferable by how she knows EXACTLY that this is her problem from the very beginning, and then spends the entire book doing fuckall about it, until Alex literally forces her.
There are redeeming qualities in this book, but I was looking for a cute queer read, and I got so thoroughly disappointed and had to DNF (I skimmed the rest) the book and go write an angry rant. If you want the aesthetics of a cute romance, this is ok. If you want a romance with well written characters, you can find better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I'm a ba-*inhuman screeching*-ie girl in a *sobbing crying throwing up* world life in plastic it's *unidentifiable crunching noises*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Kidnapping, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Gore, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use
How to Make Coffee: The Science Behind the Bean by Lani Kingston
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Concise, informative, easy to read. Covers all the most essential essentials of coffee in one little book. If you're looking to get started on your coffee knowledge, this is the best point to begin.