landenemily's reviews
51 reviews

Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

Pleasant, meandering. 

Initially didn’t enjoy the character switching but appreciated the viewpoints. 

I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. Examines what happiness means, Pearl, while trying to help her son find happiness I think ends up looking for her own. 

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

funny hopeful informative lighthearted medium-paced

3.75

Greatly enjoyed the informative nature of this book that was kept quite lighthearted and entertaining. Quite a few chuckles and beautifully insightful moments that will stick with me. 
3.75 as there were definitely topics I wasn’t too interested in, thought they were made interesting by the writing style. 

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Thanks, I hated it. Only kind of joking. 
Very difficult and dark. Necessarily so. Hard to put down, deeply uncomfortable and beautifully written. 

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

VERY FUN TWIST. Creative and well executed. I kept thinking that Daisy as a narrator was quite juvenile, and suspected her as the culprit, and ended up pleasantly surprised by this one. 

Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

Quick paced, mind bending stories. Quick finish that I enjoyed! 

Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

Beautifully written and unnerving in the level of detail to the world created here. Found it quite slow moving, though I enjoyed the detail. 
Despite the vivid picture painted, much was left to the imagination or open to interpretation. 
Personally I love the character/timeline hopping, keeps the reader fresh and attentive while moving through the stories with the pace changes. 
Found it harder to get through Control’s sections. His man baby tendencies were a stark contrast to the director or ghost bird who I maybe related to more. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I am not personally a fan of romance (mistook this for more fantasy)
Fairly predictable plot, quite beautiful picture painted of life throughout the cities Addie lived in, which I enjoyed!

My Husband by Maud Ventura

emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

Ripped through this one. I was captivated and stunned the whole way 

The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman

adventurous dark inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

Slow start, but once some of the characters connected it flowed so quickly. 
Beautifully written and painted a wonderful image of the city. Romantic despite the impending dark ending. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

The pages flew by. Practically yelling at the pages to have the characters talk to each other!! 
I enjoyed this one immensely, Marcellus was charming and a magical touch to the story. 
Cameron’s childlike demeanour, though understandable, was so annoying. 
Touching and heartwarming story of grief and finding your place in the world.