jessicamusch's reviews
205 reviews

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.0

I got bored even though I love space but maybe kids would love it 

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

Oddly absent of substance for a book about depression. 

Very dark and disturbing with no major realisations from the protagonist. Also the protagonist is unlikeable but also unrelatable - rich and beautiful. I feel this book might have landed differently if somewhat relatable in its characters. 

Dusk by Robbie Arnott

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

My enjoyment of this book was hampered by the audiobook quality - the breathy pauses and small mis-speaks need to be edited out. 

I think the book lingers too long on descriptive panoramas of Tasmania when it should be progressing the narrative. 

I say this as an Arnott fan and completionist - Flames is one of my favourite books. 

I did enjoy the overall book concept which I understand is rooted in history, and the telling of harsh colonial conditions. 

So, perhaps I’ll give this another go when I can get my hands on the physical book to see whether my issues were mainly the audiobook or the story itself. 

The Auction by LovesBitca8

adventurous dark medium-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous slow-paced

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

1.0

NOTHING HAPPENS

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? No

5.0

Tears of joy 

The sequel might possibly outdo the original … the characters are so incredible and have such depth 

I’m so very glad I read this series 

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

adventurous challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

The Right Thing to Do by LovesBitca8

lighthearted fast-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

challenging mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

Babel by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging informative medium-paced

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

2.0

I wanted to love this so much... But it just wasn't great.

The premise is so excellent - a retelling of the Opium Wars set in dark academia, with many footnotes blending fact and fiction. 

However, Kuang forgets who her audience is and perhaps doesn't trust us to draw our own inferences. The fact that British = bad is so overstated that it gets a little tiring - hello?! I have decided to read this book. I agree that colonialism was(is) terrible. But I don't need it repeated in almost every footnote. I think it would have been more effective to have footnotes contain only facts, and let the audience (or even the main narrative) work out that what happened was unjust/racist/self-serving ect. 

What I liked - overall premise, use of footnotes, setting, relationships between main characters 
What I didn't like - over-explaining, quick movement between plot points

I won't let this make me give up on Kuang, as I adored Yellowface, but I guess I'm just disappointed as I was so keen for this