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lilradridinghood's reviews
483 reviews
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
medium-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? Yes
3.0
This was a re-read after over ten years. I didn't like it as much as I remember. Rose is a petty, jealous child. The best thing about this book is that it introduces Adrian.
The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
There is simply nothing good to keep me going.
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
2.0
I got into this duology for the romance because that's what the first book was about. I don't care about most of the things happening here.
The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
4.75
I almost DNF'd in the beginning because the harassment from the other alchemists is pretty gross and upsetting, but the first test is honestly the worst of it. I do wish Zilan had companions other than her love interest and cousins, because platonic friendship is cool and I didn't like her cousins that much once their tests began. But I do love the prince. He's really inept in a cute way, yet not stupid enough to be useless or annoying. And I like how the romance is given time to develop. I also think Zilan is a good protagonist who does some pretty metal things to succeed. The plot of the book was super compelling, and the twists are WILD. It really kept getting better and better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I feel like the different parts of the plot aren't well connected. There's the romance with the Lake House aspect, and then there are dumps of mythological lore along with an ongoing war between gods. It's like the gods are just in the backdrop to add stakes to the romance. My favorite part of the book is the magical correspondence. The romance is really beautiful and sweet, but don't read if you just want a rivals to lovers story. The rivalry is barely there.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
4.0
I probably would've DNF'd or given it one star if I read it for the first time today, but I was really into this series in middle school so re-reading it was really fun and nostalgic. I can't bring myself to give it anything less than four stars. But man I totally forgot how much they mention self-harm. Those parts made me uncomfortable. The age gap is an ick too, but how could I forget Rose and Dimitri?
The audiobook is kind of annoying. I don't like the voices given to characters who aren't Rose. But it's bearable on 2x speed if you need the convenience.
The audiobook is kind of annoying. I don't like the voices given to characters who aren't Rose. But it's bearable on 2x speed if you need the convenience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm
Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It's the 1950s, and an ex-cop who was just fired for being gay get hired to investigate a murder in a place that is secretly full of queer people. I thought the mystery was interesting and the main character was developed well through his internal conflicts. He has guilt over not doing more to help queer people when he was a cop, and he's also conflicted about finding the murderer in the first queer chosen family he's ever seen. There is some graphic homophobia portrayed in this story, but it's not just there for the sake of the setting. It serves a purpose in showing us how characters react to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I did overall enjoy reading the book, but there are pretty glaring flaws.
Ying disguises herself as a boy and leaves home to investigate her father's murder, and she just so happens to get the chance to enter the trial to join the engineering guild. Her goal to get into the guild quickly seems to overshadows her goal to learn about her father's death, and I don't think the story balanced these plot points evenly. The engineering tests are interesting enough, but I do wish the stakes were higher. I felt like if Ying failed she could just go back to her original plan of trying to learn more without undergoing the tests. Ying herself is an ok protagonist, but I think she's pretty mean to her best friend. Ye-kan was truly the best part of this book. But I think I kept reading more because I was curious of the plot than because I cared about the characters.
The writing was mostly pleasant to read, but one pet peeve of mine is when the character seems to always notice someone's eye color. She was really obsessed with the eye color of her love interest's family.
Ying disguises herself as a boy and leaves home to investigate her father's murder, and she just so happens to get the chance to enter the trial to join the engineering guild. Her goal to get into the guild quickly seems to overshadows her goal to learn about her father's death, and I don't think the story balanced these plot points evenly. The engineering tests are interesting enough, but I do wish the stakes were higher. I felt like if Ying failed she could just go back to her original plan of trying to learn more without undergoing the tests. Ying herself is an ok protagonist, but I think she's pretty mean to her best friend. Ye-kan was truly the best part of this book. But I think I kept reading more because I was curious of the plot than because I cared about the characters.
The writing was mostly pleasant to read, but one pet peeve of mine is when the character seems to always notice someone's eye color. She was really obsessed with the eye color of her love interest's family.
Well, That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
I hate the main female character. She's a spoiled disrespectful child who thinks her culture is dirty. She has to resist the urge to roll her eyes when someone tells her to call an older family member by the proper respectful term instead of just by their name. She yells and swears at her mom. She's terrible. The main guy is just a boring rich kid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism