mcoffey1998's reviews
190 reviews

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

i read the first one a while ago and had to take a break in between. it took me a bit to get into it and remember all the characters but once i was in i was IN. i’m very very ready for the next book.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? N/A

5.0

such a beautiful book. i read the first 30 pages, put it down for a few days, then picked it back up and finished it in one sitting. the contrast between the two different time periods was so good. all the characters were so well written and the relationships between them felt so real. highly recommend!

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.75

(currently crying) this book was so good. the character relationships that develop throughout this are so complicated and compelling. the only reason i took off .25 is because honestly i wish if would’ve been longer so than we could’ve seen the relationship develop between xishi and fanli more in the beginning. xishi references things that they experienced together but i wish we as reader would’ve been a part of more of that. i think this books bring up the real reflection of who wars actually hurt, on both sides, and it displays it in such a cool way.

Hera by Jennifer Saint

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.0

if you are interested in greek mythology but don’t know everything about it, i think this is a great book!

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.5

i wanted to like this so much more than i did. i didn’t necessarily dislike i just felt like the world building was pretty lacking and the characters fell a little flat for me. i feel like after the first third of the book the author just fully stopped developing the characters and they remained stagnant and kind of bland. i see what this book was trying to do and i appreciate the themes but i don’t know if i will be picking up book 2 when it comes out (i might give it a try, we will see though)

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham

mysterious medium-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

3.0

i thought this was an entertaining read there just wasn’t anything stand out about it. not going to recommend it to anyone but wouldn’t discourage people from reading it.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

dark fast-paced

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

4.0

this was a pretty heavy read. i think it’s interesting to have a character that you may or may not like (i didn’t particularly like her just because, looking through the lens of today, she was vapid and racist) go through such severe depression. i think the biggest reason im taking off a star is that i feel like this book skipped though things rather quickly to the point where i felt like i was missing some stuff that would’ve been crucial. i do think its very eye opening to see how far we have come with the treatment of mental health.

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

2.0

so i can see what this book was trying to do, i just don’t think it was for me.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense slow-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

5.0

this was incredible. one of my favorite books i have ever read. i’ve never read a book that was simultaneously so slow and also so gripping. i cared so much for the main character. this felt tragic and hopeful and depressing and funny and everything. i can’t recommend this book enough.

The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen

adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

i really loved this series and these characters. the story in this one was really gripping. i loved all the sly stuff going on at the royal court. also jas really grew on me in this book. def recommend this duology!