katsintrees's reviews
9 reviews

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

Pretty solid, although I found myself comparing it to the original story a bit, and the beginning and middle portions tend to drag, with some plot points seeming to go not much of anywhere other than to be red herrings for the reader. I feel like it would have been more focused with just two daughters instead of four, and I never found myself really rooting for the main character at any point. But overall, I liked the modern fittings well enough, and it mostly came together at the end, although it felt a bit rushed.

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

I had a lot of fun figuring out the mysteries in this one! I had guessed

Nona might be Alecto, and Alecto might be the soul of planet Earth

at about 1/3 of the way in and I was so surprised to be on the mark, considering how I was never able to deduce the plot lines of any of the other books in the series before they revealed themselves. And that's definitely not a bad thing. I loved all (most...) of the characters too, especially Nona herself. Can't wait for the next one!! I'm sure I'll be rereading the whole series over again in the meantime. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, and Gun violence

Minor: Kidnapping

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.25

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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

4.5

Heists, grit, and snark, what more could you want. 

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-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? Yes

3.25

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Dysphoria

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Violence and War

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

These books are a lot of fun upon rereading, after the flashbacks reveal more and more about the characters and their relationships and unique motivations. The mood whiplash between lighthearted to suddenly heart-wrenching emotional beats are super interesting, but also exhausting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Blood and Body horror

Minor: Alcoholism and War

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Terminal illness

Minor: Abandonment

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Vomit, Grief, and Murder