kt2e56's reviews
115 reviews

The Silent Death by Volker Kutscher

dark mysterious 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? No

3.0

Appreciated the more humorous elements this time around and expansion on certain characters but the plot itself (and explanations at the end) definitely needed some work. 

Rouge by Mona Awad

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

Dragged a little just at first but was as delightfully insane as the other books I’ve read by this author. A super smart horror satire of the beauty industry but also a touching story of grief and the sometimes overwhelmingly passionate love between a mother and daughter. In a way, women are taught that the first woman we’re supposed to compete with and hate is our own mothers but also that nobody will ever love us and care for us the way they do and I think this book really captures how difficult that relationship can be. Some really memorable characters and imagery. You won’t be forgetting this one any time soon.

The Other by Thomas Tryon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.

Just couldn’t get into it

Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

An intriguing, gripping historical crime thriller with some genuine twists and turns every time you think you’ve solved the case.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

Started strong and compelling but I’m not sure how I feel about the answers to every mystery. Also for a book set in 1975, it didn’t feel like it. The time period and details felt so vague despite everyone saying “Hey! It’s 1975!” throughout the book. I also feel like not every POV was needed. Some felt more natural and useful than others

Acid for the Children: A Memoir by Flea

emotional slow-paced

3.5

I like that it’s not really a traditional memoir and is more of a set of vignettes but it took me so long to get through it because I guess the subject matter just isn’t as interesting as I thought it would be

Penance by Eliza Clark

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

Holy shit. A truly blistering takedown of the true crime industrial complex with some really great digs at podcasts like My Favorite Murder, Last Podcast on the Left, and All Killer No Filler in addition to books like In Cold Blood. A great examination of the unreliable narrator and who gets to tell their own story when awful crimes like this are committed but also a surprisingly empathetic and honest look at the wide spectrum of girlhood and what happens when children are failed by the people who are supposed to protect them. There really is just so much going on here and I’ll be thinking about this book and some of the more chilling details here for a very long time.

The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Easily the best of the trilogy. Really delightful to see a more mature, older Raddha. This was such a gorgeous story about motherhood and identity and just like with the first two books, found family. Some really lovely and warm surprises in here. I love the layers each of the characters had. A big reveal at the end regarding a minor character from the series was particularly satisfying. I really like how lifelike each character felt.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

I’m just really not feeling it

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.0

Definitely not as good as the first. Liked the return of characters like Malik from the first book but really wasn’t fond of the different points of view per chapter. I think it could have been just from Malik’s POV or just from Lakshmi’s. Nimmi’s POV was completely unnecessary all together and I think the way the two different plots meet felt a little too forced.