madieanne's reviews
324 reviews

The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.0

yeah, this was a bit of a letdown.

my biggest issue with the girl with no reflection is the pacing. it was all over the place. some parts of the story were too long and detailed, and others weren’t fleshed out enough. the ending felt extremely rushed. i honestly think this would have been better as a duology or even a trilogy. there was just so much information, and as i said before, some details were given too much focus, while other details were lacking.

the romance was pretty bad. the FMC and the MMC bickered CONSTANTLY, and i’m not entirely sure where they found the time to fall in love. there are two love interests in this book. while love triangles don’t typically bother me, this one did. the main character, ying, was naive, and her feelings for these two men were all over the place. she fell in love with both men quickly, resulting in a very cringy love story (is there anything worse than insta-love??). 

i’m disappointed. this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and i wanted to love it so badly. 

i guess you win some and you lose some!

Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

(4.5) i honestly don’t know what to say. 

i feel angry. i feel bruised. i feel so many emotions i can't even begin to name them all. this story was gut-wrenching, relatable, and at it's center filled with so much love. it was terrifying, not because of the supernatural elements, but because it's a reflection of the world we live in—a world where women are torn down and used by men for their own gain. 

this book is unforgetable, and i know its going to stick with me for a very, very long time.

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

hands down, my favorite read of the year! i don’t know how victoria roth managed to pack so much emotion and character development into a book under 200 pages. i’m truly baffled. 

thank you mrs. roth for blessing us with this masterpiece 🫡

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

wow. i don’t know where to begin. i have read hundreds of fantasy books, and not one has managed to deceive me the way the prison healer did. when i tell you every aspect of this book is divine, i mean it. 

the pacing was perfect. it was fast enough to keep me intrigued and slow enough to leave me wanting more at the end of each chapter. the characters were lovable and easy to root for. i found kiva and jerins personal struggles very relatable, and tipp was just the cutest little guy. 

the ending genuinely left me bewildered and gasping for air. i haven't felt this way about a fantasy novel in a very long time, and i look forward to seeing where the rest of the trilogy takes me. 

Sinner's Isle by Angela Montoya

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by Rati Mehrotra

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

night of the raven, dawn of the dove started strong, but unfortunately, the last 40% felt lackluster and left me wanting more. there was a ton of conflict and action, yet nothing felt resolved by the end.

i'm honestly so disappointed because the first couple hundred pages were INCREDIBLE. the writing was beautiful and easy to devour. i loved the betrayal plotline, and my heart ached for katya. 

the slow-burn romance was fantastic, but the couple's happy ending felt rushed. as i mentioned, there wasn't a solid resolution to the story. i wish there were an epilogue to clear up some unanswered questions the abrupt ending left me with. 

all in all, i would say night of the raven, dawn of the dove is a pretty solid read.

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.0

“-the ugly princess, the barren queen, the foreign monarch. a string of women with just enough power to be hated and not quite enough to protect themselves.”

god, i don’t know how harrow manages to cram so much emotion into her novellas. i found myself tearing up nearly every chapter. 

i honestly liked this installment of the fractured fables series better than the first. the plot was intriguing, and i thought the evil queen’s introduction was a fantastic idea (her story was very well done). i’m glad a mirror mended wasn’t another take on sleeping beauty. 

this was a great book to end the year with :) 

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

4.0

ahhh, i loved this! a spindle splintered is a short read, yet it still invoked so many emotions. the term “emotional roller coaster” would be an understatement.

zinna was such an interesting main character, and i loved being in her head. she was incredibly snarky and relatable, and i’d be remiss if i failed to mention how headstrong she was. 

i wasn’t expecting much in terms of plot, seeing as this is a novella, but i was pleasantly surprised. harrow managed to pack a lot of action and emotion into such a short book. 

i can’t believe i waited so long to read this! highly recommended!

The Girls from Hush Cabin by Marie Hoy-Kenny
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.

writing is extremely juvenile and hard to get through. 

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

anatomy: a love story is a horrifying and brilliant novel. 

i’m honestly at a loss for words. i loved the writing style, and i found that it was easy to devour. the main characters, hazel and jack, were fantastic main characters. i loved their strangeness. 

the plot was incredibly intriguing. i felt very uneasy while reading, and i’m not sure if the uneasiness came from the graphic descriptions of medical procedures or the general ominous vibe. probably both. 

i was able to put the pieces together and guess the ending, but the reveal was no less shocking and horrifying. i don’t think I’ve ever felt such visceral disgust and rage while reading a book. dana schwartz created a terrific villain.

the epilogue left me hollow and wanting more, so the sequel will be my next read.