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lotecider's reviews
64 reviews
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Honestly a perfect example of what a YOUNG ADULT fantasy book should look like. So many YA books are basically adult books in disguise, but this is true to it's genre.
It's easy to read and digestible despite some of the things touched upon (see content warnings below). It's a slow burn romance, but thankfully the romance doesn't dominate the plot. It enhances it perfectly.
Alosa is genuinely such a wonderful character- she's charming, confident, independent, but best of all, she's all those things whilst also being unapologetically feminine. I feel like so many books and modern day "strong independent women" discard their femininity to be "strong" but Alosa proves you can be all of that and still embrace yourself.
It's not a five star read for me because I feel like small parts of the book were rushed and a bit flimsy in execution. I would have to reread some parts because of this which took away from the otherwise great experience.
It's easy to read and digestible despite some of the things touched upon (see content warnings below). It's a slow burn romance, but thankfully the romance doesn't dominate the plot. It enhances it perfectly.
Alosa is genuinely such a wonderful character- she's charming, confident, independent, but best of all, she's all those things whilst also being unapologetically feminine. I feel like so many books and modern day "strong independent women" discard their femininity to be "strong" but Alosa proves you can be all of that and still embrace yourself.
It's not a five star read for me because I feel like small parts of the book were rushed and a bit flimsy in execution. I would have to reread some parts because of this which took away from the otherwise great experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
adventurous
tense
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? It's complicated
3.75
This book was soooooo much better than the first. I absolutely loved how the characters actually had proper personalities.
I think this book acted like a filler episode, but not in a bad way at all! Important details were found out, crucial developments were made and we got to learn more about the world of the shadow hunters.
The angst and slow burn of the romances, combined with the gradual build up of tension, all came together to make for a harmonious final act of the book.
I think this book acted like a filler episode, but not in a bad way at all! Important details were found out, crucial developments were made and we got to learn more about the world of the shadow hunters.
The angst and slow burn of the romances, combined with the gradual build up of tension, all came together to make for a harmonious final act of the book.
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
dark
funny
tense
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? Yes
3.25
So the plot for this book was actually fun to read and surprisingly thrilling. It's a fast paced book with more smut than plot, but of the plot that is there, it's good. I liked the characters and for some reason I was especially drawn to Aly as a character. I think both main characters were likeable and funny where they needed to be.
I must say though there were a few things that take away from the book. It's easy to read but by no means the best book written and it does take away from the experience if you're not used to reading lower level writing. Furthermore, at times the characters came across as weirdly self aware- it felt like they were recalling their own therapy notes and that was annoying to read/listen.
Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
So this book is extremely smutty. It's enjoyable, though, and surprisingly not repetitive. I would definitely advise EVERYONE to pay attention to the trigger warnings in the beginning, regardless of your taste in this genreespecially since having that kind of scene straight after a murder is not digestible at all
Overall though, a pretty decent read, does it's job ad a dark romance 🤣
I must say though there were a few things that take away from the book. It's easy to read but by no means the best book written and it does take away from the experience if you're not used to reading lower level writing. Furthermore, at times the characters came across as weirdly self aware- it felt like they were recalling their own therapy notes and that was annoying to read/listen.
Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
So this book is extremely smutty. It's enjoyable, though, and surprisingly not repetitive. I would definitely advise EVERYONE to pay attention to the trigger warnings in the beginning, regardless of your taste in this genre
Overall though, a pretty decent read, does it's job ad a dark romance 🤣
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, and Murder
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I've read this book before and whilst the story and the writing and the world and characters brought me the same love and joy I felt when I first read TOG, unfortunately the audiobook format just missed the mark. The narrator is very talented and I'm sure there are many people who've enjoyed this iteration of the audiobook, however it just took away from the enjoyment of this book for me.
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.75
This was so much fun to read!!!!! This book had my literally wheezing because it was just so entertaining. It's cringe, it has predictable tropes, it's completely bonkers in some parts, but all of that makes it all the more enjoyable!!! This book I think is especially a good read if you've been reading really deep/intense literature and you want a bit of a mental break: it's got all the tropes and plot points of a really intense fantasy but it's lighthearted and easy to read!
It has a tasteful amount of spice (chilli rating 🌶🌶🌶) where it doesn't interfere or dominate the plot so it's quite palatable, but obviously if you're not into it you can skip it without feeling like you're missing major parts of the story.
I've been torn whether to give this book a 3.5 or 4 in terms of rating. In terms of negative aspects of the book, I'd say the end was a bit underwhelming, though it's not a completely let down for the book, and it felt like the energy that was constant throughout the rest of the book kind of just dropped towards the end. I also feel like it's definitely not a book everyone would enjoy if you don't like reading predictable stories. So for those reasons I've given it a 3.75 :)
It has a tasteful amount of spice (chilli rating 🌶🌶🌶) where it doesn't interfere or dominate the plot so it's quite palatable, but obviously if you're not into it you can skip it without feeling like you're missing major parts of the story.
I've been torn whether to give this book a 3.5 or 4 in terms of rating. In terms of negative aspects of the book, I'd say the end was a bit underwhelming, though it's not a completely let down for the book, and it felt like the energy that was constant throughout the rest of the book kind of just dropped towards the end. I also feel like it's definitely not a book everyone would enjoy if you don't like reading predictable stories. So for those reasons I've given it a 3.75 :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn
emotional
reflective
slow-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? Yes
5.0
The main character is lovable and with every page I wanted to find out more and more about his story and how it'll unfold. I also think the characters around him only added to this; they were all likeable and believable. As Yunjae goes through the events of the story, his lack of emotional response did not take away from how raw and impactful some of the events were and it reallt shed a light onto how important emotions are- and how sometimes they can be detrimental to us. I love how genuine the relationships he's formed feel and the ending was perfect too. This book reminded me a lot of the Korean drama "A Beautiful Mind"
This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
An actual waste of time and unlike the characters in this book, i don't have the ability to time travel to make up for lost time.
I did not enjoy this book at all. It was so hard to understand- I found myself having to reread parts and use ai to understand what some phrases/sentenced even meant. I get some people would pass it off as poetic and descriptive but it was just straight up unreadable and poetry is meant to enhance the story, not drag it down and make it incomprehensible.
There was not enough world building and you don't really find out anything about the characters to grow fond of them. The plot points don't really make sense and I don't think I would've understood anything if it weren't for previous reviews and ai ðŸ˜.
The plot had so much potential- a time travel adventure and a forbidden romance trope honestly sounded so so so interesting and something I'd enjoy but the execution was not there at all. I almost fell into a reading slump just trying to get through this book :(
I did not enjoy this book at all. It was so hard to understand- I found myself having to reread parts and use ai to understand what some phrases/sentenced even meant. I get some people would pass it off as poetic and descriptive but it was just straight up unreadable and poetry is meant to enhance the story, not drag it down and make it incomprehensible.
There was not enough world building and you don't really find out anything about the characters to grow fond of them. The plot points don't really make sense and I don't think I would've understood anything if it weren't for previous reviews and ai ðŸ˜.
The plot had so much potential- a time travel adventure and a forbidden romance trope honestly sounded so so so interesting and something I'd enjoy but the execution was not there at all. I almost fell into a reading slump just trying to get through this book :(
A Galaxy Next Door, Volume 1 by Gido Amagakure
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
funny
lighthearted
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
I found this book to be a super fun read! I don't normally like contemporary romances but honestly this book was so good! It reminded me of plots from Kdramas so maybe that's why lol.
Interesting plot, tasteful spice and characters that you root for! I think the only annoying thing that stops me from giving it 5 stars is that for me personally Rowan's narrative just talked SO MUCH about his feelings- like the narrative kept telling us and telling us, and it kind of limited the emotional impact of the book. It's not the bad though, it's completely tolerable so I won't knock off an entire star for it!
Spice level out of 5: 🌶🌶 +½
Interesting plot, tasteful spice and characters that you root for! I think the only annoying thing that stops me from giving it 5 stars is that for me personally Rowan's narrative just talked SO MUCH about his feelings- like the narrative kept telling us and telling us, and it kind of limited the emotional impact of the book. It's not the bad though, it's completely tolerable so I won't knock off an entire star for it!
Spice level out of 5: 🌶🌶 +½