madieanne's reviews
328 reviews

The Last Town by Blake Crouch

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

a mind-blowingly brilliant conclusion to the wayward pines trilogy!!

the last town was an action-packed, emotional rollercoaster from page one. i was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down. 

the character growth in the last town was phenomenal. while reading the first two books, i was conflicted about ethan’s character. i honestly wasn’t sure if he would redeem himself in the final installment, but i was pleasantly surprised! 

i couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion to one of my all-time favorite trilogies!

Don't Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

this one bummed me out. i was expecting a gothic ghost story, and i was a bit disappointed by what i got. 

i loved bram's character. she’s strong, resilient, and speaks her mind. i appreciated her willingness to not back down under any circumstances.

the supporting characters were great and well-fleshed out. i could feel the sense of community uniting the characters. all the girls and women in this story truly cared for and continued to show up for one another under dangerous circumstances. 

if I could only use one word to describe the plot, i would say it’s fine. for starters, the pacing was off. the beginning was a tad slow, the middle seemed to go on forever, and the ending felt rushed. the conclusion, though satisfying, was not what i expected at all. as i said, i picked this up hoping for a ghost story, and while there were ghostly elements, this ended up being a far cry from a paranormal story. 

all in all, i would say don’t tell a soul was a mediocre read.

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.0

a lush and vibrant ya fantasy! 

dragonfruit was such a pleasure to read! the story was wholesome and unique, with a magic system unlike anything i’ve read before!

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

a fun, drama-filled ya mystery !! 

pretty little liars was huge during my childhood, and the series was a massive hit in my friend group. i was raised in a strict household where my media consumption was closely monitored. naturally, pretty little liars was off-limits for younger me, so i just had to learn to live with the major FOMO.

that said, pretty little liars definitely lived up to my expectations. it was trashy in the best way possible, and i had a blast reading it. i know the younger me would have devoured this series. 

i 100% get the hype, and i look forward to reading the next book in the series.

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.