keysmashhh's reviews
172 reviews

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

emotional informative sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Plot: 3/5
Character: 4/5
Relationships: 4/5
World-Building: 4.5/5
Genre: 4/5

a really really good historical fiction book it just took me agessssss to read because it was very slow pacing-wise. All the important and shocking events take place in the last 75 pages which means that 2/3rds of this book is very good but not very engaging - meaning I put this book down a few times and completely forgot about it. The descriptions of the island were stunning and generally i felt that the quality of writing was superb. I liked the slow build to the relationship between Maren and Ursa - usually id complain it was too slow, or not enough payoff at the end but in their case i think it was always a doomed love and the book doesn't shy away from that fact. the book makes some interesting comments on women's roles, and the way religion is used to supress people, and a particularly striking moment is during the witch trials which felt very intense and had me very emotional whilst reading. i've read a few of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's books, a long long time ago, i remember feeling similarly about them, that she's a great writer but there was something that kind of felt like the book tripped itself up, in this case it was the pacing. in terms of historical accuracy i don't know too much about Scandinavian history but in terms of my knowledge of the witch trials and King James' book it all seemed to be fairly accurate. I liked the dual perspective i think it provided an interesting cross section of society explored and gave real depth to both characters. In Maren's case i really felt for her as she looses her brother, fiancé, sister in law, nephew mother and the love of her life across the course of the book and you really feel she has no escape - even the ending is confusing and ambiguous but doesn't leave much room for hope.

The Metamorphosis (AmazonClassics Edition) by Franz Kafka

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

my first kafka book! honesty i do see what the obsession is all about, this book was so...compelling. i don't know if it was supposed to be but i found it super funny at moments, some of the quotes were genuinely laugh out loud. there was a lot said in such a short book but i think it was the perfect length, i just picked up this book when i wanted something simple on my kindle and it fulfilled that function perfectly. i definitely want to read some more books by kafka i'm just not sure which book to read next. this book was weird in the best way possible and despite having a premise which shouldn't work as a compelling story i was genuinely hurt as Gregor got more and more neglected by his family. especially his sister going from trying to care for him to just seeing him as more of a burden than a brother and calling him "it" rather than "him" - it really upset me to read. truthfully, im sure there are much smarter people out there who read this book and can pick out the subtleties of the themes and messages of the book, but i was just reading this one for fun but i can totally see it being a great book to really delve into and analyse. some themes i kind of picked up on whilst reading was this idea of just how useful are you to society if you're suddenly unable to contribute, i think its really interesting that tension between duty and family. the feelings Gregor has of guilt at being unable to work, unable to provide and take care of his family are very strongly described, especially the scene where hes listening to his sister play violin and the guests aren't paying attention and he says he wishes he could hug her and tell her he appreciates her music ("because no one valued the recital as he longed to value it") that made me really emotional. i see how people have more socialist/marxist readings of this book too, its obvious the comments on worker exploitation, especially the character of the boss, the line "you are neglecting - i mention this only incidentally - your commercial duties" is objectively hilarious and full of irony, but the very fact that people are alarmed not that Gregor maybe unwell but that he may not be able to work is very telling. unrelated but all the lines of Gregor feeling awkward about making too much noise or worrying people by just existing were painfully relatable, he is the true overachieving socially anxious eldest sibling representation we needed in society, thank you kakfa. 
BEST QUOTES:  "earlier when the door had been barred they had all wanted to come in to him, how, when he had opened the door...no one came any more" / "they were cleaning out his room; taking away from him everything he cherished" / "in this overworked and exhausted family who had time any longer to worry about Gregor more than was absolutely necessary?" / "was he a beast that music so captivated him. It was as if the way to the unknown nourishment he craved was revealing itself"

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

dark funny fast-paced

4.0

this book walked so NBC Hannibal could run
I was inspired by Hozier's "Eat Your Young" to read the short book by Swift - it's satirical, funny and also deeply disturbing.
Quotes: "I could name a whole country which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it [salt]"  very interesting when put into context the future for growing Irish/British tensions in the 1800s

Poetics by Aristotle

informative fast-paced

3.0

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Plot: 3/5
Character: 3/5
Relationships: 3.5/5
World-Building: 3/5
Genre: 3/5

this book is utter trash but im so trash for it. its literally insane i cant believe its a real book but i also am so grateful it does. aaron is hideously toxic but i cant bring myself to care because its so damn addictive to read. adam is just so bland in comparison like on his own im sure he would be fine but like when aaron is there he just looks so...meh. i spent the whole third of the book when aaron wasnt there going like...why am i reading? where is my guy? juliette's a cool character, also a bit bland and suffers the typical 2010s YA protagonist pitfalls (eg. the "im such a twig, im so light, im basicaly emaciated at all times - which is just repeated constantly) kenji is great - adds some comedic value, even if its a bit...interesting, its better than adam who i never really find anything he says to promt a strong reaction from me unlike...aaron who prompted many strong reactions including throwing the book across the room, making me repeatedly close the book and stare at a wall for a minute and lots of squealing. the plot was a bit...meh to be fair it wasnt as compelling as i thought it would be, i found the sequence of actions to be a bit all over the place and the pacing was wack but i couldnt bring myself to care in the scenes with aaron but without him i was just like can we keep moving. also the ending was just like no not it lol - really the final scene the big climatic ending scene was here getting...an outfit wow. the world building has hints of potential but other times its just kind of fell flat or felt cringy and a bit too preachy. also the name Omega Point yeah no thats not working for me. despite its MANY MANY glaring flaws i will be buying the next one because aaron is compelling enough to make it worth it

The Persian Boy by Mary Renault

emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

Plot: 4/5
Character: 4.5/5
Relationships: 4.5/5
World-Building: 4.75/5
Genre: 5/5

Quotes:
"great anguish lies in wait for those who long too greatly"
"I hope both gods were satisfied, I danced only for him"
"I sat in the hot torchlight tasting death and being pleasant to those around me as I had been taught when I was twelve years old"
"He drew them as a comet draws its tail, by his light and fire"
"It is better to believe in men too rashly, and regret, than believe too meanly. Men could be more than they are, if they try for it."
"But those whom King's love are always envied"
"The wars for the world had started; these people were fighting to posses him, as if he were a thing, a symbol, like a Mitra or the throne"

Redline by Emma Barlowe

funny 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

3.75

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Relationship: 4.5/5
World-Building: 4.5/5
Genre: 4/5

found out about this book through following the author online and their other works which I LOVED and I had a fun time reading this too! such a simple detail but i loved the way all the chapter titles were named after alcoholic drinks - something that feels more sinister when you realise Noah's very real issues. Noah was a good main character just the perfect balance of lovable and deeply flawed, I also really liked David to be fair I just wanted to give him a hug the whole time. The reveal about the true nature of Oxbow was actually shocking to be fair, I knew they seemed a bit off but the idea of a team manipulating their drivers against each other felt very sinister. You can tell the author is an f1 fan, it comes across in the confidence with the knowledge of motorsports and the little references for other f1 fans - as soon as I saw the reference to Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as teammates I understood what that meant and how David and Noah could become that way. I have to say i preferred FG but and its a big but there's a huge difference between this and that they're almost incomparable and i think that's good. FG is a fantasy-eque motorsport setting whereas Redline is very grounded in the reality, with a more American showbiz twist, of motorsport and I liked that. I think the book is a little on the short side, I would have liked just...more...of the book! I liked the balance of relationship and racing - surprisingly I thought I'd be more annoyed in the racing bits but I was having so much fun! 

fool's gold by Cazio

emotional funny tense slow-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.25

Plot: 3.5/5
Character: 3/5
Relationships: 3/5
World-Building: 3.5/5
Genre: 4/5

so she wanted to shag death????? i literally do not get this book but ok go girl 
some of the plot twists were super predictable like sylas being death - percy being evil i didn't see coming though 
not sure i'll read the 2nd book as this one was just so-so
but i liked the vibes of a gothic-murder-mystery-romance, it all fitted together quite well
some bits were written really well and some bits felt a bit cheap and rushed 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Plot: 3.5/5
Character: 3.5/5
Relationships: 4/5
World-Building: 3/5
Genre: 3/5

is it the best written peice of literature? no 
does it have me screaming, gasping and giggling out loud? hell yeah
are the plot twists predictable? most of the time 
do i still find myself being suprised? somehow
is dorian better than chaol? defiantly 
hotel? trivago