jenniferspainter's reviews
321 reviews

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

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adventurous emotional informative reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.0

I love a good historical fiction book. I loved learning so much about World War I through the lives and relationships of these fictional characters. Follett writes in so much detail that I feel as if I come to know the characters and places and I become invested. I’m sure that’s the point since the size of the book would overwhelm me, were I NOT invested. This one was a whopper of a book size wise. I’ll probably take some time before I read (listen to) the next two books in the series. The details of the Russian Revolution and some of the WWI battle scenes list me a bit as far as interest, but otherwise, I enjoyed the fictional stories woven into the facts of history. It’s so interesting to learn of all the political choices and feelings that gave rise to the war and birthed the Soviet Union. I learn history best through personal stories. I wish all of my high school and college textbooks had been written as historical fiction. 😂Ethel was a favorite character but I also loved Maude, Walter and Gus. Fitz was a villain but I guess you have to have those in any good story. I look forward to continuing the saga of these characters and their families in the next book.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-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

4.0

This was a great book! It had all the elements of a YA novel but I loved the puzzles and Avery as the strong female main character. The ending left a lot of unanswered questions because there’s a sequel. This was a fresh break from some of the darker adult thrillers I’ve read lately. It reminded me so much of the way I felt reading Nancy Drew when I was young.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

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mysterious tense 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? Yes

2.0

I wasn’t impressed with this book at all. The cover is beautiful but that’s about it. I felt the plot left much to be desired. First of all, I seriously disliked Elin. I can’t count the number of times her character acted in a stupid way that didn’t fit the situation. It was like watching a cheesy horror movie where you yell at the screen when the babysitter falls for the killer’s easy lure. Elin kept rushing off to various places BY HERSELF in a hotel with a killer loose. 🙄 She was kind of a basket case...all over the place. And then that Epilogue! What was that about? Issac? It’s like the author was trying way too hard with this book. Maybe I’m especially jaded because I’ve read so many thrillers. If you want a good gothic thriller then go read a Ruth Ware book.
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

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dark emotional informative inspiring sad 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? No

5.0

It’s been two days since I finished this book and it’s still haunting me. When I started it I was immediately pulled in, enthralled and horrified all at once. I had no idea there was such great controversy regarding the book. I had no idea people thought it was racist and completely misguided. For me, as a white woman born and raised in North Carolina, this book broke my heart. I realize it is fiction, and as such it is written to be more dramatic in general than real life might be. Regardless of that, the details of the struggle of the migrants opened my eyes to an aspect of the world that I knew nothing about. This book moved me greatly.
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Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

What do I even say about this book? I don’t know where to start. “I hope you like mushrooms” seems appropriate. 😂 Seriously, in my opinion, this book is like a really badly written Stephen King book. The first 3/4 of the book had me scratching my head and wanting to quit. It felt so disorganized, and when the penny finally dropped, it was a B rated horror movie mess. Actually this would probably make a fantastic horror movie for Netflix. I normally like the dark and twisted suspense/mystery/horror genre but this book really put me off. Another issue that probably added to my distaste for the book was an extremely poor audiobook narrator. She’s probably the worst narrator I’ve ever experienced. She was robotic and stilted. Her inflections were way off the mark and her English accent is terrible. Am I not I just a ball of sunshine today? 😂 This book seems to be super popular with other people but if I were you I would just wait for the inevitable movie.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-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

It’s too soon to tell, but this might end up being my favorite book of 2021. It completely captured my imagination. While I don’t go in on the quantum physics or the parallel universe theory, I was fascinated by this concept and thoroughly enthralled by all of Nora’s lives. I loved the philosophical adages that were sprinkled throughout. This book gave me so much food for thought. It is a definite must-read for anyone.
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Broken by Karin Slaughter

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emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

Another great book in the Will Trent series. I loved getting a glimpse into Sara’s history in Grant County since I never read any of the Grant County books. I also enjoyed the progression of Sara and Will’s relationship in this book. Will gets a personal look into Sara’s life and past. For some reason I liked Lena. The end left the matter of her character open so I’m thinking she might show back up in a later book.
The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

This book was riveting and at the same time heartbreaking. Like an accident from which you can’t look away. Such a great read that definitely made me reevaluate my privilege as someone who has traveled the difficult road of infertility and multiple miscarriages but who also was blessed to be able to have two children. I could really empathize with both Meghan and Agatha. Agatha is the villain that I wanted to hate but instead just felt sympathy and sadness. I applaud the author for not ending Agatha’s life in the end. I think that would have made me even more sad.
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The One by John Marrs

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was fast paced and really really good! It’s a fascinating concept and the individual stories kept me guessing. Mandy’s story surprised me the most. So many twists and turns! I loved this one!
The English Wife by Lauren Willig

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emotional mysterious tense 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

3.0

I’m very torn in my feelings on this book. It is long with too many things going on in the plot so that it feels jumbled and confusing at times. I definitely feel like it could have been edited better. I had such a hard time with the weakness of Bayard’s character but really really loved Janie and Annabelle. The book ended with a big enough dramatic bang but I was frustrated that there wasn’t at least a tiny tidbit at the end to tell the reader that Annabelle lived. I would have loved an Epilogue where we see Annabelle watching her children ride the donkey in Paris...or something along those lines.