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joonswifey's reviews
489 reviews
Broken Flames by M.K. Ahearn
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
i requested an arc of this with so much excitement because i am a zutara shipper til i die, and i was soooo looking forward to it. however…this was a miss.
the characters are 23, but read like they’re 17. this book honestly should be a YA - based on reading level and dialogue alone, let alone characterization - and the few instances of “adult” behavior felt forced. i love good spice, but this book did not need it. at all. it was so out of place it straight up disgusted me. felt like i was reading about children.
the characterizations made no sense to me. i could not tell what their character traits were supposed to be at any point. the prince was kind of a loser - without the redemption arc aspect of zuko’s character, there is nothing endearing about bellamy. without kataras immense intelligence, there is nothing interesting about korraine.
the writing left so much to be desired. i skimmed past large portions by the end and missed nothing. if the book was going to use tropes, they needed to double down on them, not be half assed about it. there needs to be a lot more showing and less telling. and by the grace of god, cut the spice. it adds absolutely nothing & there’s not enough sexual tension or chemistry between the characters to even want that kind of payoff. just a fade to black would be better, honestly.
lastly, the antagonists all felt very cartoonish. they were boring in their cruelty. reasoning and logic is lacking in a lot of plot points - maybe this is cliche but korraine SHOULD have been a princess! give the story some weight! i really was just genuinely bored for most of the story, which made it worse.
i think once positive is that it truly is a slow burn. i don’t think there was any genuine action til around 65% in, which is honestly impressive. but whether that’s a negative or a positive depends on what kind of reader you are. maybe i’d read the sequel just to see what happens next but i would not try very hard to get it.
i feel so bad because i really was looking forward to reading this. but perhaps i will stick to zutara fanfiction. huge thank you to the author for allowing me to read an arc of this, and i am genuinely appreciative of the privilege.
the characters are 23, but read like they’re 17. this book honestly should be a YA - based on reading level and dialogue alone, let alone characterization - and the few instances of “adult” behavior felt forced. i love good spice, but this book did not need it. at all. it was so out of place it straight up disgusted me. felt like i was reading about children.
the characterizations made no sense to me. i could not tell what their character traits were supposed to be at any point. the prince was kind of a loser - without the redemption arc aspect of zuko’s character, there is nothing endearing about bellamy. without kataras immense intelligence, there is nothing interesting about korraine.
the writing left so much to be desired. i skimmed past large portions by the end and missed nothing. if the book was going to use tropes, they needed to double down on them, not be half assed about it. there needs to be a lot more showing and less telling. and by the grace of god, cut the spice. it adds absolutely nothing & there’s not enough sexual tension or chemistry between the characters to even want that kind of payoff. just a fade to black would be better, honestly.
lastly, the antagonists all felt very cartoonish. they were boring in their cruelty. reasoning and logic is lacking in a lot of plot points - maybe this is cliche but korraine SHOULD have been a princess! give the story some weight! i really was just genuinely bored for most of the story, which made it worse.
i think once positive is that it truly is a slow burn. i don’t think there was any genuine action til around 65% in, which is honestly impressive. but whether that’s a negative or a positive depends on what kind of reader you are. maybe i’d read the sequel just to see what happens next but i would not try very hard to get it.
i feel so bad because i really was looking forward to reading this. but perhaps i will stick to zutara fanfiction. huge thank you to the author for allowing me to read an arc of this, and i am genuinely appreciative of the privilege.
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
to be under 300 pages and pack this much delight, grief, and magic into one story is a feat of pure talent. this made me cry and laugh and smile and yearn and pine and grieve, and it’s just a wonderously feel good story. i loved reading it.
Victory City by Salman Rushdie
challenging
informative
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.5
“Nothing endures, but nothing is meaningless either. We rise, we fall, we rise again, and again we fall. We go on. I too have succeeded and I have also failed. Death is close now. In death do triumph and failure humbly meet. We learn far less from victory than from defeat.”
took forever to read this but may US imperialism fall in the same way bisnaga did. exhausting to get through and read like an epic despite being 336 pages. dramatic and prose heavy but tells a story people in power could learn from, if only any of them had the capacity to learn anything at all
took forever to read this but may US imperialism fall in the same way bisnaga did. exhausting to get through and read like an epic despite being 336 pages. dramatic and prose heavy but tells a story people in power could learn from, if only any of them had the capacity to learn anything at all
Billionaires Don't Date Cheerleaders: A YA Sweet Romance by Clara Nielsen, Clara Nielsen
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.25
why isn’t this my life
Celebrities Don't Date Bookworms by Clara Nielsen, Clara Nielsen
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.25
i mean, this is literally self insert harry styles fanfiction without a third act breakup. i can’t hate it!
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
might have been a deeply personal story for this author, but it was also a deeply personal story for me. i felt everything, and then when i took a second to marinate in it, i felt it even more. oh, my heart. my heart my heart my heart.
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
three bts references and a male lead who made me want to rip my hair out with longing.
yeah bro idk what to tell you. queen ali stays slaying my socks off, i love that woman DOWN!!!!! her style of writing tickles my brain. it’s aggressively easy to get completely hooked. loved this one, just like i love everything she writes. long may she reign.
yeah bro idk what to tell you. queen ali stays slaying my socks off, i love that woman DOWN!!!!! her style of writing tickles my brain. it’s aggressively easy to get completely hooked. loved this one, just like i love everything she writes. long may she reign.
My First and Only Love by Sahar Khalifeh
the translation is just not that good, i think. i got so bored. the language is clunky and drones on quite a bit. it’s exhausting to read. it made me really frustrated because i’m trying to read palestinian authors, and the beginning chapters were gorgeous, but there are two timelines and no clarity as to when we’re switching between them and i could not follow the story at all.
Mistlefoe: A Mead Realm Tale by Kimberly Lemming
4.0
I LOVE ALEXIS’S ORIGIN STORY and also kinda wish the fated mates thing happened to this fox demon too idk