kait_sixcrowsbooks's reviews
224 reviews

The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

2.0

CAWPILE score: 3.28

Did not end up liking this at all. The characters weren’t all that interesting and I didn’t really feel like their actions made sense alongside their supposed motivations. The mini monologues on being queer felt so heavy-handed that they had me nearly rolling my eyes, and I’m frustrated that even though we as the readers get told a lot how complicated Syd’s gender is, we never really get super in-depth as to how; it’s just kept surface level, much like many of the themes throughout. I can see how it can be important to a teen that may not be out or may just newly figured things out, but even then, I feel like there are probably better books out there.

The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

CAWPILE score: 8.14

What a mysterious, gothic story! Set on the eve of World War II, The Animals at Lockwood Manor follows Hettie, a director of London’s mammal exhibit, and Lucy, the daughter of a man who agrees to host the collection during the war. What follows is a tense stay at Lockwood Manor, as Hettie attempts to keep the creatures safe from harm and possibly…a haunting?

I really enjoyed this book: the characters were interesting, and I found the atmosphere to be utterly tense in the way gothic books usually are. The only thing that really snagged me was more so the production of the audiobook than the story itself — it seemed like there were points throughout that the narrator was speaking softly, and while it would be okay with earbuds, I found that it was a struggle to understand her when I was listening in my car. The narrator did this quite a bit, I’m assuming to add emotion to what was going on in the story at the time, but I found it to be difficult.

Apart from that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thinking about grabbing a physical copy of my own!

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

CAWPILE score: 9.43

A lovely Beauty and the Beast retelling that was engaging and tense! I loved the characters, the plot, the intrigue. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the books in the trilogy have in store.

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

CAWPILE score: 7.86

I still have to think on this one. I thought the thèmes the author was trying to get across were handled greatly, but I feel like I’m missing something. Outside of that, though, I loved the characters, and the atmosphere did I’m nearly feel very 1950s-1980s.

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-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

CAWPILE score: 8.29

A lovely fantasy tale that explores themes of patriarchy, power, gaslighting, and more. I was quite surprised with how well this book handled those themes, and the ending certainly didn’t go the way I was thinking it would. Though I will say said ending left me wanting more; I wish it were part of a series!

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

adventurous 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

CAWPILE score: 9

A great mermaid-based horror with intriguing characters and a fun plot. The only downside was the ending — so abrupt, when everything else in the novel was anything but. Still, though, it was one of my absolute favorites and I can see myself rereading this in the future.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

emotional 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? It's complicated

2.0

I did noooot like this. Part of it was the premise itself — since I had this book on my general TBR for so long, I didn’t realize it was a date/instalove type of story until I started into it. On top of that, though, was the writing itself. It just didn’t do much for me. You’re telling me these two characters ✨ fell in love ✨ over the course of the day? Bro, what.

And the voices of the two MCs just…weren’t it. Daniel’s was so annoying to me, and at points Natasha’s voice also grated on me. I read a lot of YA, so it’s not so much a “an adult is complaining about teen books” as it is me disliking the voice in general.

The ending was pretty interesting, though. I did like how

it didn’t end with the both of them together forever and ever

, that was a nice touch. But I don’t think it makes up for the rest of that…story.

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.5

A great book that explores grief, obsession, and how our own views of someone changes who they become after death. I loved the full cast of narrators, too. 

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

1.5

Is it bad to say that I hoped this ended with

Lena being killed, too

? ‘Cause yikes, this book was a big ol’ mess. The characters weren’t all that interesting, the dialogue was cringe-worthy, and the choppy transitions between Lena’s blog and present day made everything feel disjointed.

What’s frustrating for me, though, is that I could see what the author was trying to accomplish. The themes surrounding grief, the memories of our deceased loved ones, and how we choose to remember them were just barely there, but they still were. And god do I wish they were fleshed out more. That’s where the .5 star comes in — I could see what the author was attempting. But that and everything else in the book fell flat like a cake without baking powder.

A Crooked Tree by Una Mannion

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

What a damn book. It follows Libby and her siblings during the summer of ‘81, after her younger sister Ellen was forced by their mom to walk home from the side of the road after mom kicks her out of the car. It focuses on grief, trauma, community, growing up, and the idea around trying to keep things together as it all comes apart around you. I thought this was so so well done, and I loved the audio as well.