lanidon's reviews
1770 reviews

The Fate of Stars by S.D. Simper
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

DNF @ 30%

Feels so juvenile even when it's trying to be dark and grown up

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

DNF@ 15%

A book like this requires a compelling, charming main character and this one simply doesn't charm me. She feels like she's circling the drain of the same points over and over, it doesn't seem purposeful or directional

Also the book keeps switching between first and third person and that's just a sloppy mess. It's the same voice and feels like the same narrator, simply one says I and one said Margo. It will switch within a paragraph, so strange

The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning

4.0

The overall story and works is so good, but the fandom part is insufferable and cheapens it plus the theme is really heavy handed

Fall for Him by Andie Burke
Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

DNF @ 32%

Listen I think this is clearly thinly veiled Teen Wolf fanfic and I was prepared for that. I will be genuinely shocked if you tell me it's not. The book starts mid action mid scene with no opening. One character is an energetic go-getter with ADHD who drives a jeep named 'Dylan' and the other is a begrudging grumpy buff animal lover who takes time to warm up to people named 'Derek'. It feels like they just switched Stiles name to the actor who played him and made Derek Kira Korean, otherwise they're pretty much identical to the show

All that being said, this is the bottom quartile of Teen Wolf fanfic I've read. I truly didn't care after the initial setup. Every single trope was thrown in there haphazardly. It felt goofy and sloppy and I didn't actually feel a connection between the two as people

Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

I really love Nat's writing, this was just destined to not be for me. The narrative voice in this is third person but so omniscient that it feels like first person. So we get the narrator's thoughts, the MC's thoughts, and then the theoretical commentary from people in the MC's life. When combined, it just overwhelmed me and took me out of the present of the story. I dnfed because I didn't want to finish and risk giving Nat a bad rating when this is truly a me problem

Under Your Spell by Laura Wood

4.0

The best part about this is the family dynamic. I was really hoping it was set to be a series about each other the sisters because I loved them so much. This is a lovely, slow burn, guy falls first, fade to black, musician romance. I love how rich the world around them feels despite them being isolated most of the book. I love how much they talk and get to understand each other before getting together. It's really solid throughout and I look forward to more from the author (please please sapphic sequel thank you) 

If this is fanfiction about some real britpop boy, nobody tell me okay

Between Dragons and their Wrath by Devin Madson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

I listened to two hours of this book and we were still barely introducing the three main characters, they haven't even had an inkling of their quest yet and certainly haven't met each other. There's slow and then there's two hours of introductions prior to exposition

The writing style didn't grab me. Only one character felt even vaguely interesting. The magic seemed like it had potential and then I didn't enjoy the execution. The dragons seemed cool and then they started talking and being sassy and I was out. This just lacked a spark to keep me interested. There are elements that could work, but it wasn't working for me

It really sucks because I work with glass and having a book about dragons made of glass with a glassblower who uses dragon scales as materials sounds absolutely epic

Love and Monsters by Max Walker
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

DNF @ 17%

I simply cannot respect someone whose favorite of ALL Doctor Who companions is Amy, this is why you should not include pop culture in books....

Also halting the entire book to have a 101 lecture of bisexuality is just cringeworthy writing on the level of a 2013 Tumblr post that ends with a picture of Dean Winchester winking

Cross the Line by Simone Soltani
Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.

DNF @ 11%, I realized the start was so bad it could never recover for me

This is info dump tell tell tell central. The characters directly address the audience to explain their whole lives like this is an AA meeting instead of slowly unfolding for us. Also I hate hate hate when characters are already obsessed with each other before the start of the book, it is always lazy writing to not put the work into developing the romance and showing why they are good together. You can't just tell me those moments happened off page and move on. 

Also the FMC is complaining about how her life is so hard because she hasn't gotten a dream job in the two weeks since she graduated. Meanwhile she has loving parents who are willing and able to financially support her indefinitely, a brother who can fly her around the world like it's nothing, and an obsessed celebrity handing her said dream job out of thin air. I wish we all could have such terrible lives

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

5.0

I was starting to think I just don't find horror scary when I'm written form but this proved me wrong. I'm not sure every element is the most unique, but together it adds up to a very fresh and original feeling story. It has a scattershot approach that keeps you confused until the end and even then doesn't give you all the answers. I think this will frustrate some and hook others; I'm certainly one of the latter 

Also taking applications for a Charlie in my life, I love her forever