juchinnii's reviews
233 reviews

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

Love the writing style as I expected, but didn’t do it for me quite like Circe did. Stories about hubris just make me angry tbh. 

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

Pretty slow first half but it picked up after that. Kind of frustrating with all the “for your own good” secrets that come back to bite everyone. 

Also didn’t like how… disposable(?) Elvira felt. Like she was mentioned halfway through and it took me a moment to remember who she was, then she shows up but she’s killed really before she feels like a real person just to further Inez’s emotional need for revenge I guess? Reminded me of the dead mom/dead wife trope - it was so abrupt and felt like a cheap ploy to further Inez’s character.

Also also, the magic kind of felt like an afterthought in some ways. Like yes the main plot hinged on it, but I would forget I was reading a historical fantasy and not a historical fiction for large chunks of the book. Then they’d randomly pull out a magic sandal or tie like “oh yeah this is a thing we can do”

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

I liked this much better than the first book. I realized I just thought elspeth and ravynn were boring, the other viewpoints are much better. Honestly loved elm and ione. The rhyming was still annoying but there was a lot less of it. My biggest complaint is how obvious everything is. Like yes it’s YA, but the foreshadowing is so heavy handed. I was agreeing w the nightmare the whole time - everyone is an idiot. 

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

Do yourself a favor and get a physical book so you can easily flip to the family tree and back, it will be necessary and it would be annoying with an ebook.

I’ve read Cordova’s YA Brooklyn Brujas series but she’s really in her element here, this is my fav of her books so far. Much generational trauma. Found the lack of communication within the family v relatable 🫠

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

adventurous dark 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

3.25

Interesting world, surprisingly involved for how short it is. Didn’t love the end, but understood it

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Was less horror and more a character driven story about grief. Mackenzie just annoyed me near the end - her growth happened, but at a painful rate with much backtracking. 

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Main plot points are fairly predictable, but a satisfying conclusion nonetheless

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

3.25

Maybe I just don’t like literary fiction? Much to consider. Was bored. Obvious plot.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

I feel like I would’ve liked this book way more if it were 100 pages shorter. The descriptions were beautiful, but a touch excessive and veering into telling not showing. The story itself was compelling, but I found myself wanting to fast forward through sections - part 2 especially gets repetitive. Also the MC’s back and forth on the love interests got a bit annoying, but that’s probably a me problem. Other than that she was a strong protagonist. I have no real desire to read the sequel though, which says a lot. 

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

emotional lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Cute but I’ll never be a fan of a fell in Love in less than two weeks story