leighlikestoread's reviews
86 reviews

This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpas

emotional 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? Yes

3.0

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

After starting this book from getting badgered by my dad, this was a delightful read. The mix of the police and the supernatural is really interesting and as a Brit also entertaining. The main character is a little bumbling but I am hoping that this develops in further books. The writing doesn’t really grip you (and there is a lot of saids) but the plot and lightheartedness of the story should! Definitely looking forward to carrying on this series and seeing what else Peter Grant gets up to. 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

Continuing my re-read of the Harry Potter series and apart from the nostalgic value surprisingly didn’t enjoy this book as much as I remember. Everything moves incredibly quickly. However the adventure of the golden trio is enjoyable enough to carry on following. 

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

I really enjoyed this book and the world that has been created within its pages. It has a good vibe about it. The adventure to find this dangerous book is one that is fun to be taken along with and I really like the interactions between Irene, Kai, and Vale. However, despite this, there isn’t a lot of growth from the start to the end and it is more just following the continuation of the journey to find this book and the chaos-filled interactions that they have to overcome. It is also quite predictable which makes the read both more casual and annoying to an extent.

for example when Bradamant comes up before going on the mission, you know she is going to come up and try to hijack the mission. As well as the warning of Alberich, as soon as that happens you know there is going to be a showdown.

All in all I did really enjoy this read and it’s world. I have also just learnt that there are more in this series and will definitely be continuing the series and see where it takes me!

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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

I LOVED this book. I spontaneously picked it up but I think old people solving murder might be one of my favourite new genres. This is a very well written multi pov novel which works really well with the plot and keeps the “who done it” going throughout the novel whilst also letting the characters develop. The lightheartedness is so lovely and makes for a really easy and enjoyable read. 

The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart

dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

I absolutely adore the podcast that this author has and so went into this book with high expectations. It is very gripping and you can tell that the author is incredibly informed in this field. However, I did find there to be a lot of serial killer name dropping throughout the book which seemed unnecessary. The time change at part two makes you need to stop reading for at least ten minutes to figure out what’s going on as well as re-jumble the narrative of the previous part just read which is very clever but also really quite confusing and a bit disjointing. The plot was very fast paced and I couldn’t get the finish quick enough to find out what had happened however I do think that it didn’t live up to the expectation I had for it and had it been a longer book more could have been drawn out of it. Will definitely give the sequel a go though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, and Murder

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

I honestly loved this book so much more than I thought I would. It’s funny, sweet, and spicy as heck and is the perfect lighthearted read that had me constantly reaching for my tabs constantly. I loved the development of Anastasia and Nate’s relationship and the friendships developed with the rest of the characters. A perfect lighthearted and steamy read. Lots of recommendations going to my other half from this book!

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

Despite the not 5 Star rating I think this will definitely be on my list of favourite books. The world of old magic and spirits in North Russia is such a joy to be sucked into and I could imagine them vividly when reading the story. The battle between The Winter King and The Bear is less important in the story than the battle between religion and old magic which is interesting to navigate through. Vasya is such a fantastic character and I hope the rest of the series involves her adventures with The Winter King.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

This book is exactly what it says on the tin… it’s a book for Hunger Games fans who’ve grown up. The storyline of this is amazing, a vigilante hero who has to fight their way to justice. You find yourself rooting for Darrow throughout the book and want justice for him and for the Reds. This book was a little gorier and darker than I thought it would be and definitely makes it a darker more grown up take of the “vigilante of society storyline”. The world of Society on Mars is a really interesting one that Pierce Brown had created and am very excited to continue on my journey on it with the rest of the series and see how things turn out for Darrow. 

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-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

5.0

This book gave everything I needed from it and then some. The slow burn romance, the enemies to lovers, fates, curses, magic… everything! I don’t think I’ll ever not love what Stephanie Garber writes and am anxiously waiting the final book of this trilogy in September. The amount of love I have for the main characters is ridiculous and I honestly could not put this book down.