mcatcarr's reviews
296 reviews

Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

3.0

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The Star-Child by Oscar Wilde

dark emotional fast-paced

3.0

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

The Giver by Lois Lowry

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

medium-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? No

3.5

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

This book definitely leans more epic/high fantasy than I was expecting (whih isn't usually my preferred type of fantasy), but I think Cassandra Clare did it well.

This story shines most when the main characters (Kel, Conor, Lin) are interacting together but and those scenes felt unnecessarily few and far between. That may be why I found the pacing to be incredibly slow. There's definitely political intrigue and real-world historical parallels, but they also felt a little unfocused. It's a LOT of exposition, and I'm definitely hoping for payoff for all that by having more time for action in book 2.

If you like the occasional high/epic fantasy, you may like this, but if you're strictly reading for character interactions, romance, or like a fast paced adventure, I wouldn't recommend it.

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

emotional reflective medium-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? No

4.5

The Boxcar Children Mysteries Boxed Set #1-4 by Gertrude Chandler Warner

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

4.0