leighlikestoread's reviews
86 reviews

The Last Book on the Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History's Most Notorious Serial Killers by Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

The research that has gone into this book is commendable, and I really enjoyed Marcus Parks narration of it. However, the constant jokes between talking about stories that are very serious feels very insensitive and crass as they aren’t funny jokes, you can tell they are just trying to force humour into it. It feels offensive to the victims of these crimes to carry on with it. 

Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald

emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

I simply adored this book! When reading it I couldn’t stop physically smiling. I loved the take of Persephone and Hades, it makes Persephone resonate even more that she did everything out of choice. The tension of their relationship was fantastically written and kept you on your toes

until they finally declared their love,

and their characters are developed so well. The balance between the romance and comedy makes it the perfect read. I also loved Styx as a comedic side character. Basically… read this!!

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

dark informative reflective slow-paced

2.75

I did really enjoy this book and it was such an eye opener both into Matthew Perry’s life and into the world and complexities of addiction. 
It was however quite repetitive which was a bit irritating. Some of the book I think is very much blaming his problems on others but as a MH victim myself I do understand it. 
The ending is sad with his new look on life knowing that he dies so soon after. 

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

I am so glad my friend Amy recommended me this book! The dynamic between Jordan and Pike is so interesting and I found myself feeling frustrated along with them. Pike is also such a loveable character and the journeys of guilt he goes through is so heartwarming. His speech and the end too just had me it was perfect. I usually don’t fall for the male character (usually just on an obvious sexual vibe) but man I fell for Pike Lawson, I’d like one of my own please. The spice was lovely and at a tasteful level (there could be more though). I did cringe at a couple of moments during the book I did cringe a little hence the 4.5 rating. 

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

3.75

This book was the perfect lighthearted romantic read that I needed to escape the world. The mixture of high society regency era with the involvement of fae is a blend that worked so well and was so easy to lose yourself in. I love both Dora and Elias as characters and their interactions and stories grow so well together and the romance at the end is just adorable. I also love the ending so that Dora can be whole again. 
It is quite a short book and I think there is scope for this to be a much larger book with a lot more world building especially for the portion where she is in Fae. It could double in size and i think i would enjoy it still to the same level. 

Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo

funny fast-paced

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

3.25

This book feels like an exact combination of This Vicious Grace and Daughter of the Pirate King. It is an easy read with a fantastical world and is predictable throughout. You can just lose yourself in the Six Isles (to some degree due to the lack of intense world building) and enjoy the romance between Selestra & Nox. 
I would’ve liked the magic system to be explained a little more as the only part of it I fully understood was the soul eating of it all. 
All in all I enjoyed this read and was a nice and easy one to end the year on. 

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

5.0

I simply adored this book and its genius. The depth of the storytelling made Empis seem like such a real place in my brain, and this a real story. It had everything I wanted from it and I am actually quite sad that I’ve now finished it. It’s also solidified the fact that I must get a German Shepherd and they may or may not now be called Radar. 
Stephen King is an expert writer and storyteller and I now cannot wait to read more of his work. 

The Accidental Medium by Tracy Whitwell

dark funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.25

This book was actually quite amazing… magical, ghosts, and murderers? What more could you want? This book despite having somewhat dark plot points (talking to ghost etc.) is incredibly lighthearted and really quite funny! Tanz and Shiela make such an amazing duo and the breadth of characters is something really nice to see. I ate up this book as it was so enjoyable and I kept wanting to see what was going to happen next! 
Cannot wait to read the rest of this series. 

Now She is Witch by Kirsty Logan

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

If I had to describe this book with one phrase only it would be “feminine rage”. It was incredibly intense and interesting with the tackling of female oppression through sexuality and religion. 
It was strange to read this book for many reasons; one being that nothing really happened whilst events were taking place and there was a lot of confusion as to the existence of Else, and the other being the structure. The structure of the book is something really clever but slightly strange to read… origin stories are with no punctuation so are like reading a rambling of inner thoughts whereas the plot is structured. 
This book is interesting but strange. 

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

I will always be a fan of any Lucy Foley book, her writing is just incredible and her ability to create such intricate plots with twists and turns left, right and centre is amazing. 
I knew I would love this book after reading The Guest List, however I think I loved this one even more! The growth of all the characters as well as all of their secrets being slowly unveiled is really intriguing! It’s such a hard story to put down because you just want to find out the next thing and try and get another clue. 
The ending was such a surprise and something I completely did not see coming! Loved it!