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kassidyscatalogue's reviews
87 reviews
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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? No
3.75
If cozy Sci-fi is a thing, this is it. What a fun read. I loved being brought into this alternate Kaiju world and learning about how they work and live. As someone who has an interest in wildlife I loved reading about the mechanics of the different kaiju and how all the science matched with real life biological concepts pretty well. I loved that even in tense moments Scalzi found always to make me chuckle to myself with fun banter and witty remarks. The kaiju pet names were also one of my favorite things as well, I mean, who wouldn't cheer for Edward and Bella.
I did find some parts to drag on a little, even with this fast paced novel. Particularly some of the dialogue scenes between Jamie and the "villain."
I'm glad I was recommended this as my first introduction to Scalzi. I hope I can dig a little deeper into his darker works and still find some of the same fun this book offered.
I did find some parts to drag on a little, even with this fast paced novel. Particularly some of the dialogue scenes between Jamie and the "villain."
I'm glad I was recommended this as my first introduction to Scalzi. I hope I can dig a little deeper into his darker works and still find some of the same fun this book offered.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
What a ride it is to be put into the mind of Coriolanus Snow. It is so interesting to see how he twists reality so that he can make himself the good guy in his mind. He really did think what he was doing was right, even if it ripped apart his love with Lucy Gray and his friendship with Sejanus in the end.
I enjoyed being brought into the past and seeing how the hunger games and Snow himself have evolved throughout the years and where a lot of his motivations came from. We could finally see why he disliked district 12 and Katniss so much in the original hunger games books.
Collins did such a great job connecting this story with the other hunger games. I loved to see the callbacks to the lake, the mockingjays, even The Hanging Tree song.
I enjoyed being brought into the past and seeing how the hunger games and Snow himself have evolved throughout the years and where a lot of his motivations came from. We could finally see why he disliked district 12 and Katniss so much in the original hunger games books.
Collins did such a great job connecting this story with the other hunger games. I loved to see the callbacks to the lake, the mockingjays, even The Hanging Tree song.
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I received a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to netgalley and Redhook Books.
I went into this book with very little knowledge of the plot or anything honestly. I didn't read the description and only picked it up for the author and the cover art. With that in mind, I did have a good time diving head first into Carmilla and Laura's stories.
I thought Laura took the whole "love at first sight" thing a little too seriously. Within a 5-minute conversation, she is instantly obsessed with Carmilla. I just didn't find it realistic or believable how fast this happened. I feel like the whole book follows this theme as well. All of the events throughout the book happened too fast to really instill any emotions from me. As soon as I understood what was going on, we were off onto the next adventure. Additionally, I felt like we didn't really get to know the main characters themselves too deeply. We barely learned De Lefontaine's history with her past lover, so I didn't really feel like her struggles throughout the end of the book held much weight.
The other thing that bothered me was that the book seemed to be trying too hard to sound smart. I'm thankful I read this on Kindle because I had to look up a word on almost every page. It may just be that I'm not studious enough to have learned a lot of these big words, but it did isolate me a little bit as the reader.
Other than those two things, I did have a good time with the book. About halfway through things picked up and I started to actually care about the characters. I enjoyed the few spicy scenes and the love between Laura and Carmilla grew on me.
I went into this book with very little knowledge of the plot or anything honestly. I didn't read the description and only picked it up for the author and the cover art. With that in mind, I did have a good time diving head first into Carmilla and Laura's stories.
I thought Laura took the whole "love at first sight" thing a little too seriously. Within a 5-minute conversation, she is instantly obsessed with Carmilla. I just didn't find it realistic or believable how fast this happened. I feel like the whole book follows this theme as well. All of the events throughout the book happened too fast to really instill any emotions from me. As soon as I understood what was going on, we were off onto the next adventure. Additionally, I felt like we didn't really get to know the main characters themselves too deeply. We barely learned De Lefontaine's history with her past lover, so I didn't really feel like her struggles throughout the end of the book held much weight.
The other thing that bothered me was that the book seemed to be trying too hard to sound smart. I'm thankful I read this on Kindle because I had to look up a word on almost every page. It may just be that I'm not studious enough to have learned a lot of these big words, but it did isolate me a little bit as the reader.
Other than those two things, I did have a good time with the book. About halfway through things picked up and I started to actually care about the characters. I enjoyed the few spicy scenes and the love between Laura and Carmilla grew on me.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
Wow. I think this has to be my favorite book of the year.
I've always loved the story of King Arthur, Merlin, and the round table, but this is such a fun and creative take on the legend. Deonn modernized Arthur in such a unique way and really made me care about the characters and what was going to happen to them.
I was really impressed with Bree's story of grief and ancestral trauma that she fights through to become such a strong main character. The way Deonn sprinkles in the history of the slaves and the treatment of black people in today's society was really eye opening to me and even added to what Bree has to go through while also just trying to survive classes and her own family issues.
I also appreciated how casual Deonn integrated lgbtq+ individuals. Greer was definitely one of my favorite characters with how supportive they were of Bree and defiant of anyone who tried to slander them for being different.
I can't wait to read the next book and find out how the story continues with Sel, Nick, and Bree.
I've always loved the story of King Arthur, Merlin, and the round table, but this is such a fun and creative take on the legend. Deonn modernized Arthur in such a unique way and really made me care about the characters and what was going to happen to them.
I was really impressed with Bree's story of grief and ancestral trauma that she fights through to become such a strong main character. The way Deonn sprinkles in the history of the slaves and the treatment of black people in today's society was really eye opening to me and even added to what Bree has to go through while also just trying to survive classes and her own family issues.
I also appreciated how casual Deonn integrated lgbtq+ individuals. Greer was definitely one of my favorite characters with how supportive they were of Bree and defiant of anyone who tried to slander them for being different.
I can't wait to read the next book and find out how the story continues with Sel, Nick, and Bree.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, War
Minor: Rape
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0