ladybugwrites's reviews
275 reviews

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus

funny mysterious 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

3.5

I read Karen McManus's books for entertainment. I don't think either of the rest I've read live up to One of Us is Lying, but they're all fairly entertaining despite that and I do enjoy myself. I'm noticing that McManus does use a lot of the same things in books, though the premise is usually different, the plot in itself and the way it moves forward is not. This is fine and kinda boring at times.

Still, I am entertained and I enjoy myself. I like the characters and I like a mystery where I can hash out theories even if it feels like I've read it before. I only have one book of hers left and I'm hoping I'll like that one, but I doubt I'll by more after this. Even though I liked this one, I think most of the stories are tired and overdone by now, and it's lived it's life. 

But, if all you want is an entertaining young adult mystery that's an easy read, this is absolutely the right place to be.

Dette er ikke farvel by Han Kang

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This is a highly emotional book that deals with a bunch of heavy topics that I cannot review in a coherent way, I think. This is a book that deals with grief, with loneliness (in multiple ways), with being left behind. It's a book that deals with the consequences of a highly traumatic event that affected thousands of people, and it's... it's a lot. It's a book that asks a lot of questions and raises topics that needs to be discussed.

I'm not entirely sold on the ending, mainly because it leaves a few questions unanswered that I felt didn't need to be open-ended. But it doesn't take a lot away from the book, and once again, Han Kang has showed me what an amazing and brilliant writer she is.

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

I was not sure what I expected from this book, but the moment it started, it gave me Terry Pratchett vibes and I was hooked. I didn't need more than that to enjoy this funny book that someone also deals with heavier topics (though not as much, but never in a bad way). I found it entertaining and fun. It didn't keep the Pratchett-ness the entire way through, but it kept the humor and satire of government institutions that I now associate with Pratchett (granted I've only read four of his books so that may be inaccurate). 

Anyways, this was lovely and I'll be checking out more of T. Kingfishers books.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

funny slow-paced

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

3.0

Somehow, this book is three stars, which I say is completely owed to the parts where the books is funny (there's aren't that many, but they hit). This is a book that's occasionally funny, at times fascinating, but mostly so detail oriented that it makes you fall asleep. If I ever read the words "but I don't want to bother the Reader with too many details..." or something along those lines, ever again, I will riot. I think it's meant ironically that whenever this sentence comes up, it's at the end of a long-winded paragraph where he goes into way too much detail.

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This is an okay book. Nothing more, nothing less. It's an intriguinged story filled with vague fairytale references here and there, and vivid descriptions I could appreciate. It's also riddles with cliches I don't care for and written longwindedly in a way that doesn't intrigue me. At no point did I actually long for turning the page to find out what happened, in a way, I turned the page because I wanted the book to end sooner - it was okay and exciting enough for me to finish. The romance is okay, nothing new, nothing I haven't read before, and the plot is honestly retried and unoriginal, though written excitingly enough that it's an okay read and doesn't feel completely done.

This is a book best summed up in one word: meh. I read it, I didn't really care all too much, but it wasn't bad.

Will not be reading the next book, at least I doubt I will unless it falls me in to listen to the audiobook at some point (which I doubt). Probably nothing else from Whitten either, her writing style isn't bad and flows easily with descriptions I like, but it's very longwinded and she includes a lot of things I find unnecessary and repetitive. 

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

3.5

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

One of those books that I will think about for a long time. It's absolutely emotional, tugging at heartstrings left and right, and it paints a picture that reminds of COVID but is different, thankfully. It's a bleak picture with hope and light at the end of the tunnel by the time you get to the later chapters. Whilst I did like the ending, I do also have a few thoughts about how I didn't like it, how it made an otherwise heartwrenching story feel lesser because of it - though I don't think it takes away enough of the story (and it is heartwrenching in its own way).

It's written differnetly than most novels I read and I very much appreciated the format. 

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a hard book to review, mostly because I spent the first half of it not really caring what happened. My mind was preoccupied and I think I've read enough books I don't like lately to the point that I almost wrote this off before I even started reading it (maybe I'm in some kind of slump, I don't know).

I don't have any clear thoughts as of right now. This is somehow a tragedy and a comedy at the same time (Ancient Greek terms of classying works), something the book itself references. And I think that's the think. This book is littered with clever references ranging from classics to pop culture, to the extent that I think it's one of those books that need to be read multiple times, that will be better with the second read and the third. Which means I'll be reading this book again (it is definitely short enough and I enjoyed it enough to do this), because I think these refrences are things to catch better on the second read.

I will take my due time to do this, possibly having forgotten much of the book by the time I do, but I know my memory well enough to know that it won't become a problem, but I absolutely think this is a modern book meant for multiple reads (something I find rare outside of classics, where the author purposfully makes reading the book multiple times part of the books journey [I sideeye Goethe as I write this]).

Until I read this the next time, I'm unsure if it deserves all the hype I have seen online considering the fact that I think it's not that good, but I am hoping that second read will show me exactly how deep this book grows - the seeds of which was sowed during the last quarter of the book.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I think the premise of this book is very intriguing and I love a good body horror aspect, which this definintely nailed. The book is interesting, it's written fairly simply, but leaves room for the reader to speculate. I did enjoy this and I kept coming back to it.

However, I think it lost the plot somewhere in there. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it, despite keeping up my intrest, also lost me. I wanted more answers, and there are definitely too many things left open that I don't know anything about. This to the extent that it's not good anymore.

It's an okay book, but not really much more than that. The .5 stars this book gets is mainly because I think the premise and body horror was good enough to warrant something better than 3 stars.

Morgenstjernen by Karl Ove Knausgård
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

As I first started reading this, I was under the impression I'd finish. It seemed to have a theme around death and I was fairly interested in what might happen. by the fourth or fifth person I'd followed for a few days and seeing this weird star, I didnt care anymore. Also, these characters are not likeable. I cannot explain how much I just, at some point couldnt stand them.

At some point, one character says something about how people have decided to say things are good even when they dont like them, that theyre expected to like it so they act like its great, and this only perpetuates the shit and makes there be more shit. Ironically, this book got a bunch of five and six dice from various critics and I'm certain they must being doing this. Nothing happens in this book, and also, when my dad says it's not really worth it and had critiques and he usually reads stuff like this or that some people find boring, well. that says a lot to me.

might try another Knausgård book at some point, but it's gonna be a while.