karlaunderbrink's reviews
130 reviews

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky

dark funny tense slow-paced

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

4.5

this is my fuel to all my hatred for men.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

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

2.75

it would almost be a 3 star if it was less of a matter of fact book, i think the writing was beautiful but it was quite plain in its themes. i still enjoyed it though but i thought i was going to like it more.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

i understand why it’s a classic but i don’t understand the adults that are obsessed with it. it was a fine book and i used to be obsessed with it as a kid but now that i’m reading it as an adult i found it quite soul-less. 

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

hot vampire lesbian shows how the victorians hated the gays and vampires equally.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

dark emotional mysterious 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

very gory, made me feel icky. the perfect murder mystery.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

i really really enjoyed the book, it would be one of my favorite books of all time if not for the sex scenes with Reiko. they were so uncomfortable and they really took me out of it.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

“Bland” and “flat” are two words I would use to describe Normal People by Sally Rooney. I had very high expectations for this book and I’m sad to say I was very let down. It read like a John Green book but lacked charm. I hated Marianne, which genuinely makes me sad because I wanted to resonate and understand her. I don’t understand why this book is so popular and loved but I’m hoping the show is better.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

my head feels bottled after just finishing. i wish i had something thoughtful to say but all i feel is like i’ve been through hell and back, which is good, but also not? 

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

4.5

the idea of sleeping an entire year has crossed everyone's mind at some point (i hope) but it's always been a passing or intrusive thought, nothing one would take actual action upon. well, one person did it, sort of. our nameless narrator, a hot rich but deeply depressed new york socialite
fell into deep depression after bottling up the emotions brought on by the death of her parents. while these things are quite common and majority of the working class has had to deal with the death of a parent and move on with their lives, our spoiled and bratty main character does not. who can blame her though, no one taught her how to deal with her emotions and her privilege has always allowed her to dodge them. even though you want to absolutely hate her for what she does and the way she thinks, all you can do is sympathize. there is this grit and emotion that is deep inside of us and this book contextualizes that and makes it palatable. the point of it is less about feeling pity for the character but a criticism on our capitalistic society and how the "less fortunate" have little to no time to process their emotions before going back to feeding the machine. but even when the rich have all this time and money they still can't process their own emotions so really, can humans ever live without grief? that is the question this book answers.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.25

When i first heard of the book on tiktok and other social media places I heard about how sad the ending was. How everyone cried when reading it. I didn’t really have that reaction. It was more so a feeling of peace. I knew what the outcome was going to be since the beginning since the prophesy is stated very early on, and when it happened I just felt at peace. In all honesty I think I felt more sad or cried more in the middle of the book than in the end. This however does not mean it was not good or enjoyable, I enjoyed it very much and I’m very glad I read it. It made me reflect a lot on my own life and relationships and grudges I’ve held before that I regret now. The only negative I will give it is that it caused me to have a pretty bad reading slump around the first 50 pages. I could not read for 2 months because of it but after I was able to get past it I finished the book in about a week. Overall, I really really enjoyed it and I loved the characters and I grew to like all of them for different reasons. I would definitely recommend this.