maevekilcarr's reviews
282 reviews

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I thought this was so well written and constructed. Some of the best YA characters and plot. Doesn’t shy away from being dark but really delves into themes of empathy and compassion that spoke deeply to me ❤️

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

3.5

Goosebumps vibes

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Uniquely crafted and very immersive. I just wasn’t on board with the romance 

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Loved the setting and the characters!! I just vastly favored one POV over others 

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

challenging dark mysterious sad 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? No

3.0

Didn’t really captivate me, it was just a decent read

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.0

It’s the setup to the world so it’s not going to be the absolute best, but I cannot wait to continue 

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Incredible writing. Truly haunting in a way I’ve not ever experienced from a fantasy novel before

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark inspiring 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

Thoroughly engaging read that’s a tad difficult to follow at times, but still fast paced and sucks you right in 

The Passage by Justin Cronin

adventurous challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

Totally agree with the review I read that said the first quarter of the book felt like completely separate than the rest of the story. The characters that were introduced just didn’t grip me as much as those in the first quarter did. 

Also, Amy is barely in this book LOL. This just needed a lot of editing and reformatting. It was outrageously dense and painful to read at times 

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

2.5

The first half, phenomenal. The story just took a nosedive in the second half unfortunately