mcoffey1998's reviews
190 reviews

Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.0

one day read for me and this is pretty much exactly what i want out of a psychological thriller. i didn’t see a lot of the end coming which is always a plus when reading a thriller. the characters were all so unlikable but in a way that kept me disturbed and intrigued. i think my only issue is that at some points what point in time was being discussed was a little confusing. over though i would recommend!

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

okay i think this book had so much potential to be great but just fell a little short when it came to the characters. i didn’t feel a connection to them and found that i couldn’t really understand some of their motivations. i felt like some of the cartographers sections a little droning and found myself just wanting to get back to the nell chapters. i was really sucked in to the plot for about 2/3 of the book and then then last 1/3 i kind of lost interest. not something i would necessarily go out of my way to recommend but not something i regret reading.

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

5.0

oh i am so locked in to this series. i loved the addition of helene’s perspective and i can’t wait to watch her character develop. i think the romance between laia and elias was done a lot better in this book than the first one. i’m very excited to keep reading this series!

also IZZI NOOOOOOO

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

adventurous dark 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

4.75

oh this was so good. the plot was good, the world building was good, the characters were good. the character relationships were so good to see develop and i feel like it was such a driver for the plot in such a good way. making the relationships so complicated was such a good decision. this is very much a political fantasy so if that isn’t something you’re interested i wouldn’t pick this up but if you are, this is a great read. i think my one gripe is that i wish the characters were like, 21-22. i know it’s YA but the writing feels so much better than a lot of YA. i’m excited to see where this series goes

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

so this being a continuation of “there, there” was a nice surprise! i really like the different character viewpoints and i felt like i could keep up with the different viewpoints as well. the pacing of this book was just a little off. i can’t really seem to put a finger on what seemed off in the middle but i know that the end seemed like it really just sped through to the end. i liked the heavy topics in this book and think that it’s a good book for everyone to read just for that alone.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse and Self harm

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

dark hopeful fast-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

5.0

oh this was so good. i’m a sucker for a good retelling and this was a great one. i love getting new perspectives within existing stories so much. the character relationships were so fleshed out in such a short amount of time. i highly recommend this.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

alice feeney is the queen of quick thrillers for sure, read the one is 24 hours! this book kept me locked in the whole time and i would’ve finished it in one sitting if i hadn’t had work. while it kept me engaged the whole time, someone of the twists at the end just weren’t what i would’ve wanted. while i didn’t fully guess it, i had an inkling and the things that i didn’t guess i kind of thought were a little kooky. either way, still very entertaining!

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

i am truly a sucker for mythology through the perspective of women. i was sucked in from the beginning, there was a short lull in the middle, and then i was sucked right back in!

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

tense slow-paced

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

2.5

i love leigh bardugo but this just didn’t hit the way i wanted it to. i didn’t feel connected to these characters and the plot wasn’t very compelling. i didn’t care for the love story either, it felt random almost and wasn’t convincing to me. i thought the setting was really cool though. very middle ground for me.

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

i think this was such a cute, and cozy read. i loved watching the relationships develop. is it silly to say that it felt inspired by a dnd campaign? i loved the small adventures throughout the story, really feels like this could be made into an animated series very easily. i think the writing style was a little rocky but i know this was the authors debut novel so i understand that. i think i will definitely look for more from leong in the future!