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maxx_'s reviews
38 reviews
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was disgusting in a good way. It’s takes the meat packing industry and changes the source of the meat from animals to humans. The book is very well written and I believe was originally written in Spanish and has now been translated. I don’t know how else to explain this book other than that tbh it’s definitely a book you have to read to get what Im saying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Cannibalism
Minor: Child death and Rape
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
Omg this book had me in my car giggling and talking to myself. It’s sad and depressing in its own way but has a lot of hope and growth in it as well. Colleen managed to explore grief in a way that most people don’t. People forget that the
loss of a child is very different than the loss of a parent or sibling. Although she doesn’t delve super deep into the loss of a child she explores a way that some people cope with it. The characters in my eyes are super lovable while also can easily anger you because of the stupid decisions they make lol. The book isn’t very diverse though. But it’s still really good.
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I love Tate and Miles and i’m so happy things ended up happy for them. Colleen is SICK though for killing Clayton like that! So unnecessary imo. Just happy everyone was happy and healthy in the end!
loss of a child is very different than the loss of a parent or sibling. Although she doesn’t delve super deep into the loss of a child she explores a way that some people cope with it. The characters in my eyes are super lovable while also can easily anger you because of the stupid decisions they make lol. The book isn’t very diverse though. But it’s still really good.
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I love Tate and Miles and i’m so happy things ended up happy for them. Colleen is SICK though for killing Clayton like that! So unnecessary imo. Just happy everyone was happy and healthy in the end!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
This book was really good! Though I felt it was a little slow in the beginning. I don’t understand why people say it’s the worst book out of the 3. I feel like it might be the best tbh. The first one was really good but this one was better. There is a lot of development of Alina in this one. Whether that’s good or bad is up to you tbh. She is making a lot of choices and saying a lot of things that we have to figure out if it’s her power or if she truly wants to say those things.
I was so happy that the Darkling wasn’t a huge part of this book. After the first one so genuinely think I would have chunked this book out the window if he would of been in the whole thing. Also we get a lot more of the royal family in this one than the first one so that was so expansion.
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Strumhornd being the Prince was such a twist! By the end all I could think was what if he was actually the Darkling? Cause tbh it would make so much sense! Vasyli dying was such a pleasant moment lol I hated him from the second he was introduced! Also I’m so intrigued to see what happens with Alina and her powers. Cause it seems like they are taking over her which I honestly chalked up to the Darkling. But after finishing I’m wondering if her powers and connection to him being out the worst in her?. OMG ALINA AND MAL!!! If they literally break up I am so done with this book! I cant handle that tbh. When she said “I have loved you my whole life.” I CRIED TEARS! Like why would she say that before she tried to kill herself! I should of seen Tamar and Tolya coming but truly I didn’t💀! I was so upset at them! Like damn really??
I was so happy that the Darkling wasn’t a huge part of this book. After the first one so genuinely think I would have chunked this book out the window if he would of been in the whole thing. Also we get a lot more of the royal family in this one than the first one so that was so expansion.
SPOILERS
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Strumhornd being the Prince was such a twist! By the end all I could think was what if he was actually the Darkling? Cause tbh it would make so much sense! Vasyli dying was such a pleasant moment lol I hated him from the second he was introduced! Also I’m so intrigued to see what happens with Alina and her powers. Cause it seems like they are taking over her which I honestly chalked up to the Darkling. But after finishing I’m wondering if her powers and connection to him being out the worst in her?. OMG ALINA AND MAL!!! If they literally break up I am so done with this book! I cant handle that tbh. When she said “I have loved you my whole life.” I CRIED TEARS! Like why would she say that before she tried to kill herself! I should of seen Tamar and Tolya coming but truly I didn’t💀! I was so upset at them! Like damn really??
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
All I have to say is this book was good! There was a lot of action in this book that seemed to be missing from the second one. There was some development of characters that SORELY LACKED IT! It didn’t make me forgive them for the things they did but it did happen. This book also has more twists than the last one💀I threw the book so many times it has dents in it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Physical abuse
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Lol I ain’t gonna lie! ITS GIVING WHAT YALL SAID IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE GAVE! Not as much but it was still actually good! I thought I wouldn’t like it but I did! Also y’all need to warn people of the r*pe scene that does happen pretty early on in that book. Also the only thing that annoyed me was that the couldn’t understand each other for half the book💀💀💀
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
The Risk by S.T. Abby
dark
funny
tense
fast-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
3.25
This was a really fast read lol. It took me maybe a few hours but it was still really good! Starts off strong and ends on a cliff hanger. It also starts off fast and does not step off the gas lol💀
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, and Torture
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
This is the kind of book that I don’t recommend unless you can handle hard topics. I have yet to read her other book A Little Life so I can’t make the comparison. But in its own way it’s like Lolita where you can the narrator is unreliable but he thinks he’s right.
This book was very frustrating with the main character Norton. Which I suppose was the point of all of it to begin with. The approach that this book has to sexual assault via the assaulter is not one I am familiar with seeing as I don’t tend read a lot of those books. But this perfectly captures how they tend to act in real life about these situations.
All love to Hanya she’s an amazing writer but I would really love to see her try her hand at something happy maybe💀💀.
This book was very frustrating with the main character Norton. Which I suppose was the point of all of it to begin with. The approach that this book has to sexual assault via the assaulter is not one I am familiar with seeing as I don’t tend read a lot of those books. But this perfectly captures how they tend to act in real life about these situations.
All love to Hanya she’s an amazing writer but I would really love to see her try her hand at something happy maybe💀💀.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
I did add the tags for certain things and though they don’t appear in the beginning of the book they are there and they are descriptive and violent.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
This book was amazing. This is the first book that I have actually cried to in YESRS. She did an amazing job with the writing. I usually hate open ended books but this one felt natural for the characters. It feels like if she wants to come back and write a sequel she can but if she doesn’t we won’t be lost. I do feel like the character I identified the most with really didn’t get a happy ending but honestly in its own way it is a happy ending. I also just really liked how I reasonated with a lot of what was being said by the characters. I truly was afraid to read this because it’s such a popular booktok book. I usually have bad luck with booktok books but this one was amazing and I don’t regret it at all. This is possibly on my favorite ever book list.
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
So much to say and so little ways to say it lol. I loved this one so much. As much as I wish Leo got more time in the end I honestly felt like this was such a nice close for most of their stories. I really did love the rowdy we got to see from Leo in this one as well as Jason. Jason is not my fav character or even my most liked but he had some growth in this book that imo he sorely lacked in the others. Nico also had a lot of growth in this book and I’m glad to see him opening himself up to other possibilities and recognizing that he should stay at camp. They just BETTER NOT treat him bad or so help me god.
The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
As of December 27, 2021 I have decided that I need to come back to this review lol I need time to process!