jshawreads's reviews
511 reviews

Red Skies Falling by Alex London

adventurous challenging dark fast-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

4.0

Chainsaw Man, Vol. 3 by Tatsuki Fujimoto

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

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

3.75

Chainsaw Man, Vol. 2 by Tatsuki Fujimoto

adventurous dark funny lighthearted 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

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring sad 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

The Cull, Volume 1 by Kelly Thompson

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.0

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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

4.25

A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Starfire by Naomi Hughes

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to Netgalley and Naomi Hughes for a free electronic copy of Starfire in exchange for an honest review.

Peregrine Kent has no memories from the time before he was found in a glint mine. But what he does have is a burning desire to see the stars unobstructed by the barrier protecting the planet from the ancient beasts of the universe. When an opportunity arises for Per to learn more about the mythical star dragons, he takes it and is thrust into an adventure of unlocking his past, facing his present, and looking to the future.

Starfire has a great concept, dragons in space, who doesn't want that? Per is a great MC, and reading the POV of someone with OCD and navigating the world around them is really interesting. Anthem, Per's sister, is a great female support character, strong, passionate, and protective.

I have to admit, I did guess the "twist" pretty early on, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. My only real criticism is that I feel like the book ended maybe 60% through the story, and I wanted more in this world. Hopefully, a sequel, or something more in this universe, will come!

A great sci-fi/fantasy read!

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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

Thank you to Netgalley for a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Floating Hotel is the story of the Grand Abeona, an elegant and luxurious spaceship hotel, journeying around the galaxy. A magnet for the lost and those with pasts best left in the past, the Abeona is staffed by a colourful crew of misfits, outsiders, and runaways, thrust together into a found family.

Floating Hotel manages to perfectly blend cosy, slice of life stories, intriguing characters, and sci-fi, with a plot that seems loose at first, but really ramps up from around the halfway mark. Managing to increase the stakes and urgency but maintain the heart, this book is exceptional. I particularly loved Carl, Daphne, and Dunk, but the whole cast of characters was fantastic.

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket

adventurous challenging funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0