laurenleigh's reviews
636 reviews

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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

Wow I am unwell and also feeling amazing after finishing this book. After five HUGE tomes in this series, it feels so good to be fully caught up. The character development is absolutely incredible, and the payoff is immense. As it should be for how many hours I’ve logged in this series! As always, I am truly in awe of Sanderson’s work, especially seeing seeds come to fruition that were planted so long ago. I can’t fathom how his brain works, but I am blessed to live at the same time as him.

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

Truly capitalizing on trends here, but I am so here for it. This is very Bridgerton meets The Cruel Prince. In a reimaginingof Regency England, we get a Fae queen, girls competing in trials to win the marriage of the prince, and a dash of enemies to lovers. More like dislike to lovers. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I was only slightly caught off guard by the ending, as I thought this was a standalone. I was excited to see how things would be resolved in a refreshing one-off romantasy, but alas I’ll just have to get the second book when it comes out!

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Okay don’t hate me but this was actually my first time reading this, and I didn’t absolutely love it. It had some wonderful lines that I’ve seen quoted, but I guess I was expecting a lot after hearing for so long that this is such a beloved classic. I think it falls into a category of books that are held up in high esteem largely due to the nostalgia they inspire? It was just a lot weirder and longer than I expected. Maybe Lily will end up loving it now that I’ve introduced it at such a young age! 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.5

*singing Wildest Dreams* “This is getting good now.” An excellent sequel that has me now fully invested in this series. The plot takes you on such a wild ride with so many ups and downs. That roller coaster of emotions really draws me in. There was a lot of good fast paced action happening here, and I hope that exciting pacing continues even as the books get longer. I thought I saw the ending coming, and while I did on some levels, I totally didn’t on others. So fun!

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5

I totally binged this and loved every moment! Sometimes rom coms can feel unrealistic, but I actually thought a lot of this seemed like it could happen. Minus the medical family dynasty, that felt a bit made up. Watching Alexis develop and grow was satisfying. The antagonists in her life were SO annoying, but in a good way that made me feel strongly. I know there are other books in this universe, which I’ll totally read, but I wish we got more of Alexis and Daniel! And their animals!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Slightly less captivating than book 2, but still a very good end to the series. I appreciate the nuance Collins brings into the plot, especially for a YA book. There is rarely a cut and dry case of good vs. evil, and watching our characters wrestle with that was a highlight for me. I knew little to nothing about how the series would end (never saw movies 2 & 3), so I had a number of fun/sad/exciting moments of surprise. Yay me for actually completing a series!! Except now there’s one, almost two prequels to go read!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Backstory: I read The Hunger Games for the first time last year; picking the series back up now. I found this installment so engaging! I didn’t want to put it down. The push and pull of Katniss trying to stay alive and safe while also trying to find and live up to her morals was interesting to witness. Also I love Finnick! I vaguely knew what to expect, but I still had a lot of fun. Even if the dystopian nightmare is hitting a bit too close to home, yikes.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

Buckling in for this ride! This first book was a lot more YA than I anticipated. YA is just such a spectrum these days. I have a feeling the series deepens and intensifies as it goes on. Not to say I didn’t enjoy this book! Badass FMC showing up all the boys in a series of trials? Eats almost every time. There is a love triangle brewing (this was published in 2012 after all), but I actually didn’t mind it at all for whatever reason. It kind of seems like SJM writes okay first books to set the tone for amazing series.

Bar Down by Stef C.R.

emotional hopeful 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

4.5

Very grateful to get to read this ARC after loving The Love Penalty last year! I love interconnected stand alones, especially when there’s amazing found family like this. In this case, I’m particularly enamored with Ash and Robbie’s friendship. I definitely started to fall in love with Ash in the first book, and I liked getting to know his character more. I found him very relatable. I don’t usually like pet names in romance, but Eli’s Finnish words for Ash were so sweet. And damn if the one bed trope doesn’t hit every time!

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

This series is undeniably fun! I appreciated how the world expanded in this installment; I think the series really needed that to not get stale. I still wish Xaden and Violet could just be together and work as a kickass team, rather than the constant push and pull we get in their relationship, but I also understand that tension keeps things moving. Loving to see more of Sawyer and Ridoc in this one! I was a bit more on the fence with this series after Iron Flame, but I’m fully invested now.