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meg_'s reviews
511 reviews
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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
3.0
I'm still not sure how I feel about this after finishing it! I do think the story was fast paced and engaging, but I also found it to be a bit weird in terms of the plot, subplots, and relationship dynamics. First, I found this to be oddly scary and graphic for a YA novel. Like it was unexpectedly descriptive about really scary torture and murder, and yet the main character felt the need to narrate at the beginning that they don't curse? These two things seemed really oddly juxtaposed.
Next, the love triangle-esque sub plot was extremely weird to me. While this wasn't a huge element of the plot, it definitely was a big part of the subplot to the point that it was uncomfortable, because again, the book is about serial killers in general and is regularly interrupted with chapters from a serial killer's perspective. It just felt super weird to jump from those chapters about the serial killer straight into a chapter about our main character describing how she hasn't had any romantic interests until coming to the Naturals program and been kissed so many times since being there. The vibes were super weird and off.
Lastly, the characters and dynamics between them felt very superficial and not well developed or thought out. In particular, the female side characters were super flat and only seemed to have one dominant personality trait referenced repeatedly.
The thing that makes this a 3 star read over something lower, is that I do feel the plot twist was interesting and the plot as a whole leading to that point and twist was well paced. I will say that with the caveat that I am someone who almost NEVER picks up mystery/thriller books so my gauge for a good plot twist may be wayyy off compared to others, but overall I found this to be fast paced, and easy to read with a good/twisty ending.
Next, the love triangle-esque sub plot was extremely weird to me. While this wasn't a huge element of the plot, it definitely was a big part of the subplot to the point that it was uncomfortable, because again, the book is about serial killers in general and is regularly interrupted with chapters from a serial killer's perspective. It just felt super weird to jump from those chapters about the serial killer straight into a chapter about our main character describing how she hasn't had any romantic interests until coming to the Naturals program and been kissed so many times since being there. The vibes were super weird and off.
Lastly, the characters and dynamics between them felt very superficial and not well developed or thought out. In particular, the female side characters were super flat and only seemed to have one dominant personality trait referenced repeatedly.
The thing that makes this a 3 star read over something lower, is that I do feel the plot twist was interesting and the plot as a whole leading to that point and twist was well paced. I will say that with the caveat that I am someone who almost NEVER picks up mystery/thriller books so my gauge for a good plot twist may be wayyy off compared to others, but overall I found this to be fast paced, and easy to read with a good/twisty ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
Daydream by Hannah Grace
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was cute! Nothing super unique or outstanding about it, but an enjoyable quick read. I will say there is basically no plot whatsoever, but I found the characters to be sweet and not overly cringey/annoying so it gets 3 ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny and Toxic relationship
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
mysterious
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
3.0
This was interesting, but definitely was nothing close to what I was expecting and it felt like I got lost in the plot a bit because it went all over the place very suddenly about halfway through. I think I was expecting this to be more romance forward and it definitely was not. It felt more like a science fiction category book with a romance subplot. The time travel was really interesting in the beginning and vague enough for me to follow with ease and as the story went on it felt like everything went off the rails in an effort to make the plot more intense, which felt pretty unnecessary to me.
I didn't dislike the book, but I also didn't love it, hence the 3 stars.
I didn't dislike the book, but I also didn't love it, hence the 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism and Murder
All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi
adventurous
emotional
fast-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? Yes
3.0
I really love the level of yearning within this series and this installment did not disappoint in the slightest. I loveeeee Cyrus and the extent of his yearning and I loved getting to learn more about the reasoning behind his actions within this book. I will say that the angst within the relationship is a bit difficult to fully understand because its SO intense and the backstory within that relationship didn't feel fully fleshed out but I think that would be my only critique. Really looking forward to the next book in the series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Injury/Injury detail
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
This was such a fun, fast paced, and action packed read. There was so much here to love! From the plot, to the character dynamics, to the romance, it was all super enjoyable to read.
While the plot twist felt fairly predictable, the plot as a whole was so well done and kept me interested throughout. I loved reading about the Kerjari, the different trials, and the unique ways that these trials were tackled by our main characters.
I also loved the different relationship dynamics. In particular, I really enjoyed reading about Vincent and Oraya's relationship and the complexity in that, knowing how objectively Vincent is horrible but with Oraya there's this constant tension of knowing he loves her, while also not knowing how conditional that love may or may not be.
And obviously, the banter and romance was fun! To me, this was the least interesting part of the book and there were elements that felt overdone (ex the constant repetetive phrases and "there she is" moments) BUT it was also still really fun. I especially love the element of their relationship where it truly felt like they were safe with one another despite all of the reasons they likely should not feel safe with one another. I
've already jumped into book 2 and can't wait to get as enthralled as I did with the first!
While the plot twist felt fairly predictable, the plot as a whole was so well done and kept me interested throughout. I loved reading about the Kerjari, the different trials, and the unique ways that these trials were tackled by our main characters.
I also loved the different relationship dynamics. In particular, I really enjoyed reading about Vincent and Oraya's relationship and the complexity in that, knowing how objectively Vincent is horrible but with Oraya there's this constant tension of knowing he loves her, while also not knowing how conditional that love may or may not be.
And obviously, the banter and romance was fun! To me, this was the least interesting part of the book and there were elements that felt overdone (ex the constant repetetive phrases and "there she is" moments) BUT it was also still really fun. I especially love the element of their relationship where it truly felt like they were safe with one another despite all of the reasons they likely should not feel safe with one another. I
've already jumped into book 2 and can't wait to get as enthralled as I did with the first!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
The Match by Sarah Adams
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
I told myself I would never read another book by this author after "Cheat Sheet" but I accidentally checked this out from the library without realizing it was the same author. Similarly to other works by this author, this book and the overall writing left a lot to be desired in my opinion. The writing and the characters themselves very clearly seem immature and juvenile.
The characters feel very flat and completely lacking in any type of depth or development and the same would go for the plot. It is definitely a fluffy, easy to read romance, but because the characters are so underdeveloped and don't feel like real people it makes it hard to say its enjoyable.
The characters feel very flat and completely lacking in any type of depth or development and the same would go for the plot. It is definitely a fluffy, easy to read romance, but because the characters are so underdeveloped and don't feel like real people it makes it hard to say its enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was super unimpressed with this installment in the series. I felt like this male main character was super misogynistic and I hated the annoying "I have to protect you" vibe that he constantly gave off and verbalized because it felt like overkill. I appreciate a male main character who regularly does things to remind his partner that she's safe, but this felt disingenuous and hollow. He was overbearing and the third act break up in this one was DUMB. I man child throwing a big fit that again, gave very bad patriarchy forward vibes. Not a fan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Kidnapping
The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
adventurous
slow-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
2.0
Good lord, I hated this book so much. The plot was so poorly put together and the characters were extremely poorly written. All of the stakes felt so incredibly low that nothing felt impactful or important while going through the different trials. And the characters were so poorly written with little to no depth to them that when there was a character death it didn't feel impactful at all.
Lyra's need to make sure everyone is safe and makes it out of each labor alive truly did not make sense to me. I don't know how I'm just supposed to believe she's so selfless and kind that she is consistently, without fail, going to put other random stranger's lives above her own? I don't understand the motivation behind this decision of Lyra's, or really any of her other decisions. I understand that there was the underlying reasoning of getting back at the gods by making sure everyone lives, but even that felt feeble and poorly constructed as a motivation.
Each of the "friendships" that Lyra creates in the book are so flimsy and hold no weight because there's no real reason behind the friendships. The characters lack so much depth and Lyra just calls people friends with no real meaning behind the word.
Lastly, the relationship between Hades and Lyra was so unbelievable. Again, we have this main character who is supposed to be cursed to be unlovable, and yet, all of these random people seemingly fall to their feet to have some type of relationship with her. There was absolutely no development put into what makes Lyra loveable or into why these people (Boone, Xi, Hades) would want to have friendships or romantic relationships with her. The very ending of the book may have been the only interesting element of the story.
I had to force myself to finish this one because I wanted to choose to put it down sooo many times throughout reading. Definitely would not recommend.
Lyra's need to make sure everyone is safe and makes it out of each labor alive truly did not make sense to me. I don't know how I'm just supposed to believe she's so selfless and kind that she is consistently, without fail, going to put other random stranger's lives above her own? I don't understand the motivation behind this decision of Lyra's, or really any of her other decisions. I understand that there was the underlying reasoning of getting back at the gods by making sure everyone lives, but even that felt feeble and poorly constructed as a motivation.
Each of the "friendships" that Lyra creates in the book are so flimsy and hold no weight because there's no real reason behind the friendships. The characters lack so much depth and Lyra just calls people friends with no real meaning behind the word.
Lastly, the relationship between Hades and Lyra was so unbelievable. Again, we have this main character who is supposed to be cursed to be unlovable, and yet, all of these random people seemingly fall to their feet to have some type of relationship with her. There was absolutely no development put into what makes Lyra loveable or into why these people (Boone, Xi, Hades) would want to have friendships or romantic relationships with her. The very ending of the book may have been the only interesting element of the story.
I had to force myself to finish this one because I wanted to choose to put it down sooo many times throughout reading. Definitely would not recommend.
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
adventurous
fast-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
I'm going to be totally honest by starting this review saying that I barely remember the plot of this book and definitely do not remember how it ended. The primary thing I remember about the book is that it was extremely info-dumpy at times and felt very much like it needed to tell me every single detail about this world rather than giving the reader an opportunity to learn that information themselves through descriptions and more natural flowing dialogue and events in the book. In a lot of ways it reminded me of Fourth Wing and how Violet recited random information from things she had learned while training to be a Scribe because Winnie in this book would do the same random spouting of information that she only knew because she studied the monster book (that I can't remember the actual name of) endlessly while being exiled.
I do recall enjoying the dynamic between Jay and Winnie and I did enjoy the mystery of Winnie's dad throughout the story, but everything else felt a bit overdone/over-explained and unenjoyable as a result.
I do recall enjoying the dynamic between Jay and Winnie and I did enjoy the mystery of Winnie's dad throughout the story, but everything else felt a bit overdone/over-explained and unenjoyable as a result.
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was alright! I enjoyed the general premise of our female main character being a fangirl and following our male main character through all of the highs and lows. I did find it kind of off-putting how obsessive the male main character was in return. The way he almost immediately was making declarations of love and saying he wanted to marry Josephine was a bit too much for me and made the love story feel a little less like a happily ever after and more like an insta-love vibe.
However, Tessa Bailey does a great job at writing likable characters and fast paced stories that are quick and mainly enjoyable reads, and this was no exception to that rule!
However, Tessa Bailey does a great job at writing likable characters and fast paced stories that are quick and mainly enjoyable reads, and this was no exception to that rule!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Sexual content