maryp20's reviews
42 reviews

Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy

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adventurous funny hopeful 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 absolutely adore Girl Abroad! This was so much fun, lighthearted, and so funny. We get to see a young woman out in the world in a new place learning how to be an adult. We see friendships, mistakes, love, heartbreak, self-identity, and just great experiences be formed and found. I adored the plot line of her research project and I was just as excited to find out what happened as Abbey was, I truly think it was a great way to keep the story moving along. I think this moved at the perfect pace for a standalone but I wouldn’t object to more content with these characters, they are my babies. My only thing was some mild frustration with Abbey in the middle of the book dealing with this love-triangle; I got to a point that I just wanted her to say screw all men and be independent and go on adventures because she wanted to and not overthink about some boys. But alas, I loved this book and I love Elle Kennedy.
214 Palmer Street by Karen McQuestion

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I will be completely honest, I did not love this book and it did not read as a psychological thriller to me at all. It started off confusing, I had no idea what the plot was supposed to be. Not even half way through the book, I figured out what was going to happen. And on top of it all, most of the characters were annoying and something was always off with them. I did really enjoy the concept for it to be a thriller or mystery but I don’t think the execution was there.
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Hotel Deviant by Kady Ash

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

3.0

As per usual with the Deviant series, all smut no plot and it’s perfect that way. This was a super easy short read. I felt like there were some plot holes or details that got mixed up like it was an editing problem but still enjoyable.
Where's Molly by H.D. Carlton

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

3.5

I always enjoy one of H.D. Carlton’s books, but I wished it was longer honestly. I know she’s set us up to see more of Molly so I’m excited. I loved that we got to see the backstory of someone that we didn’t meet but was so important in Addie’s story.
Looking forward to seeing how she and Zade play together in any future books.
 
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Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

I don’t know what to say, my heart was shattered and put back together again over and over again. I’m in love with this series and these characters and I’m sad that it’s over. As always we see phenomenal growth and development from every character throughout the story. There was always something happening with multiple different sub plots and quests to aid in the overall story. This was the absolute perfect culmination of our characters and story to round out this series.
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Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

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

4.0

I read this as the tandem read with Empire of Storms, and it was the best possible decision. The only thing that truly got me through this book was Yrene, I love her to death and just warmed my heart. I’ve also grown to love Sartaq and Nesyrn but Chaol, regardless of his growth, still sucks. Seeing this new land and characters was definitely refreshing being so far into the series. I’m thoroughly excited to jump into the final book.
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated

4.0

All Sarah J. Maas does it shatter my heart over and over again with no remorse. This was a great way to bring together all of the necessary characters and stories coming into the final story. Our characters grow and change and always have something up their sleeves. I read this as the tandem read with Tower of Dawn, and where the plot slowed and dragged on at time, you had the other to keep everything moving. There were twists and turns that had been hinted at through the whole series and everything really came together in the end.
Kill Joy by Holly Jackson

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was a very easy and light read and a great introduction to the series. I think this was a great way to highlight Pip’s personality and the way her brain works as well as the case we see in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. I don’t think that I would come back and reread this at all and I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the ending but I enjoyed reading the story and thinking through the murder mystery party myself.
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

If I could give this book 6 stars I would, in my heart I have. Finishing this was a whirlwind of emotions, I was laughing and crying and god did I not want to close this book. Continuing the trend from book 1, there a secrets and lies and lore to unfold with each turn of the page; some of them were predictable from the setup while others were full of twists and turns. The character development was unmatched between learning of different characters’ pasts and memories and feelings, not only they but the whole story changed in a beautiful way. The lore honestly runs so deep and we see all of it, and everything really comes together to complete the puzzle. The relationships were to die for and yet they were not overpowering but rather fueled the plot forward and gave each new puzzle piece meaning. I will truly never be over this series and will surely be back to visit my beloved characters.
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One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Where do I even begin? This was an amazing opening to The Shepherd King duology. The vibes were unmatched and gave off serious Throne of Glass vibes. The magic system is so unique yet easy to understand. There is ancient lore to be learned throughout the story and secrets to be unveiled. The romance was a factor but not the plot which was a phenomenal choice by Rachel Gillig. The banter, loyalty, love, trust and distrust fueled the characters and their relationships in a beautiful way. Left on a cliffhanger, perfectly setting us up for the next story. The only thing preventing this from 5 stars was that it felt rushed at times and I felt as though there could have been more details or struggles or character development to thicken the plot. But I absolutely loved this story and can’t wait to jump into the next one.
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