lauren_miller's reviews
761 reviews

The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim

Go to review page

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

4.0

The Golden Goal by Annah Conwell

Go to review page

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

3.75

The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

in terms of vibes alone, this reminded me a lot of Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn, especially with respect to abuse and loneliness. Hazel is not solitary by choice,—she takes up the mantle of purpose superimposed upon her without question, and everything that happens after leads us down a long and winding path, with front row seats to the feeble, fallible, incredibly simple but oh so cruel and dramatic nature of human beings. I was engaged but not necessarily impressed by the first two thirds, but the ending really sold me, however expected—perhaps even cliché—it was. my biggest critique is that Hazel’s voice didn’t seem to change much despite how much she ages. that said, I found her an acceptable protagonist and did ultimately warm up to her choices, as well as her relationship with Leo. and despite my notes, truthfully I did binge this audiobook in less than 48 hours, so…
Lavender Clouds: Comics about Neurodivergence and Mental Health by Bex Ollerton

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
DNF @ pg. 21

honestly, ironically, i'm too anxious to read this. it's just stressing me out...
The Empress by Kristin Cast

Go to review page

adventurous 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? Yes

2.5

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

unfortunately, I did not enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. 

I was disappointed to find the tarot cards played no part beyond the setting, not even with regard to the power of the empress card. as someone who has dabbled for quite a few years, I was hoping for more "lore" or intention behind the use of pentacles and cups.

I was also really frustrated by Hannah. I know the author probably meant for her to seem relatable, but I found her pathetic and kind of clueless. I guess it should've been a clue when she didn't put pressure on her own stab wound... her inability to curb her self-righteous behavior should've gotten her killed or ended their ruse several times, and each time she "got away with it," I found myself a little more reticent to continue. I also don't shy away from smut in books, but the whole "good girl" thing was really lost on me; Hannah already had very little autonomy, so having her submit to Cain like that just felt like too much, you know? and don't even get me started on the whole maxing out her credit card thing. if you've been harping the whole book that the FMC is poor, it's so out of left field to have her defrost her credit card and max it out in the name of a makeover, even if she is going to disappear to another realm. it just felt so inauthentic to her character... 

lastly, the ending was a bit ridiculous. I firmly believe that no member of royalty, let alone two, would allow
such a transfer of power to occur
, regardless of the fact that Cain and Hannah saved the whole kingdom. I also doubt the kingdom of cups would have sent such a message; if my envoys were murdered on the side of the road, I'd be preparing for war, not willing to continue trade negotiations... when I say everything was wrapped up in a far too convenient, happy bow, I mean it. I did consider DNFing several times, and the other readers that did, I salute you. this was not for me and unfortunately, I do not think I would willingly recommend it without a million disclaimers first. 
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

what the actual ffffff
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

holy shit.

upon reflection: it's actually hilarious that so many of my favorite booktubers & tokers have given this 1 and 2 star ratings. and used the phrase "fast fashion books." were we even reading the same book?? obviously this is not the peak of literature, but as someone who reads and edits books for a living... y'all are just cranky lol. is it a bit too long? yep. were there more sex scenes than necessary? ha, welcome to modern romance. was it cookie cutter? i should think the fuck not.

the biggest thought I had when reading Fourth Wing is that it was wayyy better written and far more serious than I was expecting given all the commentary about it. and this sequel is no exception. in fact, i would actually dare to put this opinion out there: In terms of "serious" YA dystopian writing, I would say it goes The Hunger Games > The Empyrean > Divergent. the quality is there, but we're talking entertainment, not World Fantasy or Hugo awards.

to end my rant, I will concede that yes, maybe medium plays a huge part in people's reviews (which is NOT being acknowledged by the general masses). if I had physically read every single word of this 500+ page book, I might be singing a very different tune. but I didn't. I listened to this nearly 29-hour audiobook in 12 hours flat and had a fucking ball. so I will stand by my 5 stars. at the end of the day, I had a great time and that's what really matters.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

Go to review page

4.25

this little story is SO engaging!! the weaving of Polish myth with modern-day Chicago was really cool, and the characterizations, especially Dymitr, were so whole despite such little space. it's also rare that I find myself both grossed out and a little afraid, but the whole concept of a bone sword... incredible. I cannot WAIT for the next installment!! 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

would I have been happy if it had ended here? yep, entirely so. and given the fact that I'm writing this after finishing book 5, which for me had a whole host of issues I'm dying to debate, I stand by this even more. it would have been convenient though, and I understand why certain things had to happen. just know that in an ideal world, you-know-who would've gotten in a few more tricks before making an exit and you-know-who would have come out unscathed AS THEY DESERVE.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine

Go to review page

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-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

4.25

our epic conclusion...

tbh, I saw a LOT of this coming. the twists and turns, maybe not, but the ultimate outcome? yep, tracked that from book 3(?). I'll be honest,
Morgan deserved better, and so did Wolfe. instead of having  her go down in a blaze of glory, Wolfe's father should have stepped up to defend the great archives—2 obscurists is better than 1, and he had so much to atone for doing nothing and leaving his son to suffer at the hands of the former Artifex Magnus—alongside her, even if he was injured. if the most important part of the library is under siege, you would think the Obscurist Magnus should be there to help; just because the Iron Tower was compromised at one point doesn't mean the he was the ONLY one there capable of defending it. that's such a disservice to the other obscurists and to Morgan. as such, I'm pretty bitter about the ending. I know that this is how it goes, especially in YA series, that someone beloved has to die, but the way it was done really irks me.
. there were still moments I really liked, though. in particular, Thomas's time in the tomb of Heron was super cool. in another life, I would have wanted an entire spin-off series about Thomas and his engineering career; his brain is one I would die to root around in. 

overall, despite the shortcomings of this ending, I really loved this series. the audiobooks were very engaging and made a 5-book series feel like blip of time. I absolutely WILL be peddling this series to everyone I know that enjoys a good dystopia. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings