katrod's reviews
493 reviews

The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

3.0

I really wanted to love this book, I really did.  But I just couldn’t get behind our MC.  I just couldn’t believe how dumb she was when it was so clear to me from the start all the bad choices she was making.  This made for a very anticlimactic discovery in the end. 

I also felt like it was so long and at the same time, I essentially learned almost nothing about Haxahaven and the Sons… and didn’t really feel like the build of any relationships made sense.  I didn’t feel any of the history that was supposedly there

I feel bad.  This is a fun concept and I really wanted to like it, but it was just average.  Maybe the next one is better? 

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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? No

5.0

Ok loooooved.  The middle had me doubting… I just think it was a wee bit too long and I was getting kind of disengaged around that halfway mark, especially in the present day chapters.  But DAMN once we hit about 3/4 through I was hooked and couldn’t put it down till I finished.  Sobbed, wept, contemplated life…. Major book hangover with this one.  Rebecca Yarros is swiftly becoming a new auto-buy author for me.

Paper Names by Susie Luo

challenging 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

4.0

I had a love/hate experience reading this book.  It was an immigrant story I’ve not read yet, so in that way, it was really engaging.  There were also some really beautiful passages and phrases that stuck with me.  I liked most of the characters’ complexities (though some were completely unforgivable in my opinion).  

But what threw me off most about this book was the pacing.  First, for 3/4 of the book, I didn’t really understand why the reader should be there.  It wasn’t clear what message the author was trying to get across… just seemed to be a collection of anecdotes from a few different lives.

Second, time jumped around all over the place and I often doing myself getting lost and confused and not knowing where we were in the timeline.  And these time swaps didn’t seem to serve a purpose for the reader.  It was just confusing. 

That being said, I certainly had moments where I felt so swept away in the story and felt it’s poignancy.  I truly loved it at times, but the pacing just didn’t work for me. 

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This book started off really strong.  I started it hoping to just read a few chapters at the airport and I ended up not being able to put it down and reading more than halfway through on the plane. 
 The pacing struggled a bit from there.  

This story is about Palestinian women and the roles they are forced into in their Arabic culture and the unfortunate circumstances they must deal with no matter where they are, whether it be Palestine or the US.  It's about mothers and daughters, cycles of abuse, trauma, and shame.

My only complaints are that things got repetitive after a while and and there were meetings Deya had (with someone I'll leave unnamed) that just parroted self help lines and I wanted a bit more from those conversations.   It was also just so depressing and heart breaking.

Other than that though, it was still a very important story, well written, and I loved the ambiguity of the ending.  Of course, we know what happens, but the final chapter leaves the readers with a small window of imagination, which I really enjoyed. 

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark funny inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.5

4.5.  I was so hooked from the very first page!!! Such unique world building and I just love Schwab’s writing style.   By the end I just had a few qualms.. I think the ending felt a bit rushed and there were a few things that I needed explained, or seemed too easy, but those were just minor complaints.  I’m definitely invested and can’t wait to see what happens next! 

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this one, but not as much as this first.  This one just fell too deeply into the fantasy romance battle tropes and it was too much cliche for me.

Still really enjoyed the story though, and I’m excited the next book will follow Miche!!  It’s definitely time for Raihn and Oraya to move to the sidelines.  Bring on the house of shadow 👥🩸

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

adventurous 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

4.0

I actually liked this one better than These Violent Delights, which seems like is not the norm… but I found this to be much more engaging and enjoyable.

However, Chloe Gong has published 5 books and a novella in not even 3 years, and it shows.  I wish she’d take a little more time to flesh things out and make a bit more sense of her complex worlds.  While I enjoyed the story here, the world building felt rushed yet repetitive at the same time.  I think it could have used more nuance and time in the editing room. 

There were also  a few things that still didn’t make sense by the end… one very big one I won’t mention here, as it’s a spoiler, but it definitely felt like that detail was overlooked rather than kept from the readers to serve a bigger reveal later. 

I still enjoyed this book.  It was a fun new fantasy world and a great filler book for when you’re in the mood for something easy, light, and somewhat predictable.  I really liked the end… definitely has me hooked for book two. 

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

This was a really solid YA read!  You’ve got drama, loss, friendship, budding relationships, coming of age, and secrets!! What could be more fun?

I think overall it was a really great concept but there were just a few areas that felt a bit flat.  Still interesting characters and story though.  I could really imagine loving this as a middle or high schooler, and that’s really who this is for! 

Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A very solid read, but overall I wanted a little more depth.  I think the characters were so interesting that I would have enjoyed really digging in to get to know each one even better.  

That is not to say this book is surface level… no, there is plenty of substance to dive into.  However, with such heavy material, spanning 30 years, and following 3 characters, sometimes it felt like we were just getting into one story when we’d be catapulted to the next and leave that train behind.  

Still, Nguyen’s debut is great work.  He wove an intricate story with uniquely poetic prose and three dimensional characters you couldn’t help but root for despite their flaws.  

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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

I think this is going to be one of my favorites of the year.  It definitely took me some time to get into, but once I started seeing all the dots line up, I was fully invested in this family drama spanning roughly 3/4 of a century.

We’re pulled between past and present, from an unnamed island in the West Indies, to the UK, to Southern California.  It’s a story about love, migration, sacrifice, parents & children & siblings, and about reconciliation. 

Read this if you like:
- dual timelines
- short chapters
- family dramas
- reading about food 😋
- feeling swept away

A very impressive debut for Charmaine Wilkerson.  I can’t wait to see what she does next!