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kamrynkoble's reviews
435 reviews
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow. I’ve attempted to finish this book multiple times, and I finally succeeded (after watching the movie—I know, I’m bad). The first part is still slow, but it swiftly picks up for parts 2 and 3.
I am both amazed and horrified. There was so much fascinating food for thought about the world and the Hunger Games, and it’s incredibly interesting to compare this time period to Katniss’s era.
Snow is . . . Something else entirely. I was regularly horrified by his inner monologue, and I wish the movie had a You-style voiceover, as the movie does not properly showcase how sick this man is.
I don’t think I’ve met anyone else who’s as big a fan of the Hunger Games as me, but I’m a Katniss girl through-and-through, so I think that’s why I struggled with this one. But it’s brilliant, and I’m glad I read it. Now I want to reread the original trilogy for the ninth time.
I did listen to the audiobook version, and the slam poetry/speak singing regularly had me cracking up. “La la, la la. La la la. La La, la la la. 😐” The music in the movie was so wonderful (all the callbacks to the trilogy? Genius, perfect, spectacular) so I wish they would find the budget to re-record, especially since the narrator can sing. But I know that’s never going to happen.
I have a feeling I’m going to be still thinking about this book plenty months from now. Suzanne Collins is forever my favorite.
I am both amazed and horrified. There was so much fascinating food for thought about the world and the Hunger Games, and it’s incredibly interesting to compare this time period to Katniss’s era.
Snow is . . . Something else entirely. I was regularly horrified by his inner monologue, and I wish the movie had a You-style voiceover, as the movie does not properly showcase how sick this man is.
I don’t think I’ve met anyone else who’s as big a fan of the Hunger Games as me, but I’m a Katniss girl through-and-through, so I think that’s why I struggled with this one. But it’s brilliant, and I’m glad I read it. Now I want to reread the original trilogy for the ninth time.
I did listen to the audiobook version, and the slam poetry/speak singing regularly had me cracking up. “La la, la la. La la la. La La, la la la. 😐” The music in the movie was so wonderful (all the callbacks to the trilogy? Genius, perfect, spectacular) so I wish they would find the budget to re-record, especially since the narrator can sing. But I know that’s never going to happen.
I have a feeling I’m going to be still thinking about this book plenty months from now. Suzanne Collins is forever my favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Goodreads crashed in the middle of my multi-paragraph review, so now I’m salty. I’ll try to circle back and rewrite more thoughts later.
This was a fascinating memoir. The writing was extremely simplistic despite having a writer to help her and her husband—but it works. I flew through this and have new appreciation for Jill.
This was a fascinating memoir. The writing was extremely simplistic despite having a writer to help her and her husband—but it works. I flew through this and have new appreciation for Jill.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
dark
tense
medium-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
1.0
I’m literally traumatized. The first was a dark romance that pushed some boundaries, but this was a mess of graphic sex trafficking, rape, and torture. Please read the entire trigger warning list before starting this.
I really do not enjoy the writing style here. It’s too immature/informal/belongs on 2014 Wattpad. It often seems like a desperate attempt to be different/edgy and it just doesn’t work for me.
The sex scenes were also not my cup of tea. I hate the MC’s god complex and his dirty talk would make me physically cringe or even sputter in shock.
All of the characters are just . . . Bizarre. NONE of them feel even remotely like real people. The villain’s speech had me rolling my eyes. I don’t think any other book has made me physically react this much.
That IUD bit? Please never speak to me again. And the EPILOGUE?! A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY. Ugh. I cannot believe how high this rating is. I can’t share my kindle highlights in good conscience. Thank you (and I’m sorry) to Danielle for receiving all my horrifying screenshots.
I really do not enjoy the writing style here. It’s too immature/informal/belongs on 2014 Wattpad. It often seems like a desperate attempt to be different/edgy and it just doesn’t work for me.
The sex scenes were also not my cup of tea. I hate the MC’s god complex and his dirty talk would make me physically cringe or even sputter in shock.
All of the characters are just . . . Bizarre. NONE of them feel even remotely like real people. The villain’s speech had me rolling my eyes. I don’t think any other book has made me physically react this much.
That IUD bit? Please never speak to me again. And the EPILOGUE?! A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY. Ugh. I cannot believe how high this rating is. I can’t share my kindle highlights in good conscience. Thank you (and I’m sorry) to Danielle for receiving all my horrifying screenshots.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Blood, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Torture, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death, Child abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Medical trauma, Pedophilia, and Self harm
Minor: Pregnancy
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Well, I am still in shambles. Much like when I finished Fourth Wing, I’n trying to write this in bed at 4am with tears still drying on my face.
I was super excited for this one. I preordered the hardcover and the ebook, an honor that is really just reserved for SJM at this point. Are my sprayed edges messed up? Yes. Are the pages Bible thin and with size six font? Yes. Did I catch multiple typos and errors? Also yes. But I was refreshing my phone’s kindle app in the car at midnight, which is something I’ve never done before. I just like to add a little ✨history✨ for myself in these reviews.
You know, I work in publishing. I am highly suspicious of Red Tower’s model. I would’ve waited longer to give them more time to figure their stuff out, and I hope they learn from how this launch went. And someone, anyone, please get RY some media training.
Onto the actual book!
Listen. I read Fourth Wing in 2023. I promise I didn’t skim. And I STILL kept finding myself majorly confused. There are so many characters, places, and odd concepts that just flew right over me. Blame it on me being a baby fantasy reader, but it was BAD how many times there was apparently a big reveal or Violet was SOOOO worked up about something and I was trying to dance around Google spoilers to figure out what in the world was going on. With this amount pages, I was disappointed by how many times I had to stop, confused. I can’t even remember the last time a book has done that to me like this. Honestly, I’m terrified for book #3 because I know I’m going to forget even more.
I’m still a little iffy about the YA-ish tone. It really reads as YA + sex scenes. Which is fine, but I think I’d like it even better with a little more maturity and nuance.
Why did I give it four stars? Again, the ending just nailed me. Mama Sorengail, Andarna, Xaden . . . It was too much for my weak heart. UGH! The last twist literally made me recoil in shock and disbelief after I’d already been crying.
I’m starting to really care about Violet. She kind of feels like a little sister to me—I want to shake her sometimes, but it’s out of love and wanting her to be better.
I could go on for hours. Oh my word. Well, despite all my issues, I did enjoy this one and Empyrean #3 will surely get the hardcover/ebook preorder combo.
I was super excited for this one. I preordered the hardcover and the ebook, an honor that is really just reserved for SJM at this point. Are my sprayed edges messed up? Yes. Are the pages Bible thin and with size six font? Yes. Did I catch multiple typos and errors? Also yes. But I was refreshing my phone’s kindle app in the car at midnight, which is something I’ve never done before. I just like to add a little ✨history✨ for myself in these reviews.
You know, I work in publishing. I am highly suspicious of Red Tower’s model. I would’ve waited longer to give them more time to figure their stuff out, and I hope they learn from how this launch went. And someone, anyone, please get RY some media training.
Onto the actual book!
Listen. I read Fourth Wing in 2023. I promise I didn’t skim. And I STILL kept finding myself majorly confused. There are so many characters, places, and odd concepts that just flew right over me. Blame it on me being a baby fantasy reader, but it was BAD how many times there was apparently a big reveal or Violet was SOOOO worked up about something and I was trying to dance around Google spoilers to figure out what in the world was going on. With this amount pages, I was disappointed by how many times I had to stop, confused. I can’t even remember the last time a book has done that to me like this. Honestly, I’m terrified for book #3 because I know I’m going to forget even more.
I’m still a little iffy about the YA-ish tone. It really reads as YA + sex scenes. Which is fine, but I think I’d like it even better with a little more maturity and nuance.
Why did I give it four stars? Again, the ending just nailed me. Mama Sorengail, Andarna, Xaden . . . It was too much for my weak heart. UGH! The last twist literally made me recoil in shock and disbelief after I’d already been crying.
I’m starting to really care about Violet. She kind of feels like a little sister to me—I want to shake her sometimes, but it’s out of love and wanting her to be better.
I could go on for hours. Oh my word. Well, despite all my issues, I did enjoy this one and Empyrean #3 will surely get the hardcover/ebook preorder combo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Sexual content, Death, and Death of parent
If You Tell by Gregg Olsen
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
4.5
This was the best true crime nonfiction I’ve read so far. I flew through it.
I know this is a personal preference, but I liked that this focused on an active narration and witness/victim perception. I prefer this style to true crime that’s mainly comprised of court docs, police records, and criminals’ journals. This still summarized the police and court case, but it’s not the focus. It was organized well, wonderfully paced, and struck the right balance of being thorough without being laborious to read.
Some of the other reviewers commented that this was too much “what” and not enough “why.” I, for one, prefer not to have authors inject their own personal opinions and speculations. I appreciated the afterword which spoke more to psychology, and a bit more analysis of Shelly specially would’ve been interesting. But for someone who reads a lot of true crime, I liked the author’s “position” in telling the narrative—telling, without injecting himself.
It’s so evident that the three children of the abuser were highly involved in this project. I was invested in these girls, and had real emotional reactions to what they and the other victims faced.
This includes heavy trigger warnings for abuse/torture of all kind against adults and children. If you’re sensitive to these elements, I’d recommend checking out a more thorough warning.
If you’re looking for a riveting and perfectly executed true crime book, I recommend this one!
I know this is a personal preference, but I liked that this focused on an active narration and witness/victim perception. I prefer this style to true crime that’s mainly comprised of court docs, police records, and criminals’ journals. This still summarized the police and court case, but it’s not the focus. It was organized well, wonderfully paced, and struck the right balance of being thorough without being laborious to read.
Some of the other reviewers commented that this was too much “what” and not enough “why.” I, for one, prefer not to have authors inject their own personal opinions and speculations. I appreciated the afterword which spoke more to psychology, and a bit more analysis of Shelly specially would’ve been interesting. But for someone who reads a lot of true crime, I liked the author’s “position” in telling the narrative—telling, without injecting himself.
It’s so evident that the three children of the abuser were highly involved in this project. I was invested in these girls, and had real emotional reactions to what they and the other victims faced.
This includes heavy trigger warnings for abuse/torture of all kind against adults and children. If you’re sensitive to these elements, I’d recommend checking out a more thorough warning.
If you’re looking for a riveting and perfectly executed true crime book, I recommend this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Murder, Death, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Blood
No Exit by Taylor Adams
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
This is honestly one of my favorite thrillers I’ve ever read. I devoured this and was constantly thinking about it when I couldn’t be reading it.
It was super twisty and kept me on my toes. The ending also made me cry—I don’t think I’ve EVER cried over a thriller! This was a great one. Perfectly plotted and worth studying.
It was super twisty and kept me on my toes. The ending also made me cry—I don’t think I’ve EVER cried over a thriller! This was a great one. Perfectly plotted and worth studying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault
Requiem by Lauren Oliver
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
I . . . am disappointed. I LOVED this trilogy in middle school, and I remember dying trying to wait for this book to come out. I remember feeling let down by it then, but I couldn’t remember anything about it for the life of me even though I could’ve given you a rough summary of the first two books all these years later.
The positive was the writing. I love Oliver’s style. It’s atmospheric and the perfect amount of descriptive.
Everything else . . .
We’ve just lost so much about what made this story compelling. At this point, it’s a survival story, and there was absolutely zero emotional or romantic spark between Lena and Alex OR Julien. It almost felt like a different narrator. I was actually more intrigued with Hana’s chapters as she unraveled her fiance’s secrets.
The ending. Don’t even get me started. I literally hate it. I had to go back because SURELY I had missed something and that wasn’t the end. I knew it was the climax, but it just completely blasted over ANY resolution. It felt unfair after all we’ve been through with these characters.
I can’t help it. I have to compare it to Mockingjay. Mockingjay felt like a stark difference from the first two books of a YA dystopian trilogy, but it was necessary and balanced AND had an extremely satisfying ending—the perfect amount of closure and open ending. Requiem had literally none of that. Like surely this isn’t the last book. Ugh. I’m sad. 2.5 stars.
The positive was the writing. I love Oliver’s style. It’s atmospheric and the perfect amount of descriptive.
Everything else . . .
We’ve just lost so much about what made this story compelling. At this point, it’s a survival story, and there was absolutely zero emotional or romantic spark between Lena and Alex OR Julien. It almost felt like a different narrator. I was actually more intrigued with Hana’s chapters as she unraveled her fiance’s secrets.
The ending. Don’t even get me started. I literally hate it. I had to go back because SURELY I had missed something and that wasn’t the end. I knew it was the climax, but it just completely blasted over ANY resolution. It felt unfair after all we’ve been through with these characters.
I can’t help it. I have to compare it to Mockingjay. Mockingjay felt like a stark difference from the first two books of a YA dystopian trilogy, but it was necessary and balanced AND had an extremely satisfying ending—the perfect amount of closure and open ending. Requiem had literally none of that. Like surely this isn’t the last book. Ugh. I’m sad. 2.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual content
Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
I literally don’t know how to rate this book. I’ve been trying to decide for days.
First of all, it’s disturbing. Please look up all the trigger warnings—I’m serious. I went in knowing that it was going to be like that, and the author gave a warning ahead, so I’m not going to hold any of the disturbing content against her. If you like dark, this is definitely that. If you don’t, don’t touch this.
Oh, Z. I struggle with this MMC. His personal justice missions felt like something tossed in there to make his assault/stalking “okay.” He’s a sick guy and not a good romantic lead. But again, if you like villains and bad boys, go for it.
A lot of the sexual content bordered on funny to me—I kept sending pictures to a poor friend and my husband got so tired of hearing passages read out loud. He is beyond ready for me to be done with this.
I was also annoyed with a lot of the repetition and seemingly lack of stylistic editing. How many times did she specify that her stomach is FLAT? My flat stomach, her flat stomach, over and over and over again. One chapter it was at least four times. And I don’t need to hear that Daya’s eyes are sage green every time they’re mentioned. They were even called “orbs” once. Hello, Wattpad. I would’ve had a lot of tracked changes if I was editing this one.
ALL THAT TO SAY—this entertained me. I liked the murder mystery, the creepy house, all the crime subplots. And it ended on a wicked cliffhanger so I will definitely be reading the next one.
If you go in expecting a super dark/triggering book with loads of violence and sexual content and reads a bit like a popular Wattpad novel, you’ll be fine.
First of all, it’s disturbing. Please look up all the trigger warnings—I’m serious. I went in knowing that it was going to be like that, and the author gave a warning ahead, so I’m not going to hold any of the disturbing content against her. If you like dark, this is definitely that. If you don’t, don’t touch this.
Oh, Z. I struggle with this MMC. His personal justice missions felt like something tossed in there to make his assault/stalking “okay.” He’s a sick guy and not a good romantic lead. But again, if you like villains and bad boys, go for it.
A lot of the sexual content bordered on funny to me—I kept sending pictures to a poor friend and my husband got so tired of hearing passages read out loud. He is beyond ready for me to be done with this.
I was also annoyed with a lot of the repetition and seemingly lack of stylistic editing. How many times did she specify that her stomach is FLAT? My flat stomach, her flat stomach, over and over and over again. One chapter it was at least four times. And I don’t need to hear that Daya’s eyes are sage green every time they’re mentioned. They were even called “orbs” once. Hello, Wattpad. I would’ve had a lot of tracked changes if I was editing this one.
ALL THAT TO SAY—this entertained me. I liked the murder mystery, the creepy house, all the crime subplots. And it ended on a wicked cliffhanger so I will definitely be reading the next one.
If you go in expecting a super dark/triggering book with loads of violence and sexual content and reads a bit like a popular Wattpad novel, you’ll be fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Rape, Gun violence, Murder, Stalking, Violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Blood and Child death
Minor: Pregnancy
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This one was so cute! My husband and I have both been Percy Jackson lovers forever, so I read this aloud to him while he drove. I still vividly remember The Last Olympian coming out when I was in fifth grade. I wish I could tell a VERY distraught Kamryn that there would be more pure Percy Jackson to come. 💗 I thought this series was over then and it was so fun to revisit this series literally fourteen years later.
It was interesting to see so many modern references when this doesn’t take place much later than TLO. I mean he was sixteen, and then seventeen. I definitely felt the time jump in references, though. Boomers and man buns galore.
We both laughed a lot, and the quests were fun. A light, quick read that still had heart. Also, it seemed like more is to come . . . I will always, ALWAYS preorder any Percy Jackson books! We have about three copies of each of the other book in this series since we were both such huge fans, and it’s sweet we get to share a copy now. But who gets to have it on their shelf?
It was interesting to see so many modern references when this doesn’t take place much later than TLO. I mean he was sixteen, and then seventeen. I definitely felt the time jump in references, though. Boomers and man buns galore.
We both laughed a lot, and the quests were fun. A light, quick read that still had heart. Also, it seemed like more is to come . . . I will always, ALWAYS preorder any Percy Jackson books! We have about three copies of each of the other book in this series since we were both such huge fans, and it’s sweet we get to share a copy now. But who gets to have it on their shelf?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Oh my word! Gah. Those are the two things that keep popping in my head.
I love this. This was a huge step up for me from AB and TOG and I still enjoyed both of them. I love these characters so much already and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
I love this. This was a huge step up for me from AB and TOG and I still enjoyed both of them. I love these characters so much already and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Minor: Slavery and Sexual content