mila_'s reviews
311 reviews

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

dark fast-paced

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

3.0

Very good descriptions and imagery, but I thought it was a little lacking in material, maybe. 

An Indomitable Beast: The Remarkable Journey of the Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.

I didn't finish this book even though the writing was good, and I got through the first section. I just wasn't ready to commit to such a long, technical-ish book. But I do want to pick this up again sometime in the future. :)

MasterMind by Andrew Mayne

adventurous dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This was a fun high-stakes thriller. However, the stakes didn't feel all that high, because the book did feel like a disjointed mix of a few different premises. For example, rogue lab chimpanzees on the loose? Exciting! Even more exciting; radioactive lobotomized mutated humans in some disintegrating cabin in the woods by Chornobyl or something. All of these would've made for great plot points. But instead, we get this bloated, convoluted plot. 

But what it lacks in real plots and arcs, it makes up for in a fun page-turning time that has you rooting for some characters and getting real worked up with hate for others. Mayne can write motivation. The characters do feel larger-than-life and too good to be true in the way that a lot of modern fictional heroes do, and sometimes the women are written oddly, but it was pretty satisfying to read. Not bad. 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

emotional informative inspiring relaxing sad 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

5.0

An exceptional work of tragedy. I was bored in the beginning, with the exposition revealing Nick and his intricacies. Then, the drama began with the characters at dinner. From then it was a pretty quick-paced read with slow exposition sprinkled in now and then. I fell in love with Gatsby, Nick, and to some extent Jordan (perhaps even Owl Eyes). 

I was astonished that I began to enjoy this book because I usually don't love books from the English 'canon.' I romanticized the lives led here. I appreciated some of the killer lines that Fitzgerald dropped in there. He writes like no other author I've read, in that he describes things with newfound precision and yet makes them easy to understand. 

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read and might have become one of my all-time favorites. I do recommend this. But be prepared to cry, and hate many a character. 

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

adventurous emotional funny reflective 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

A MASTERPIECE.

The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath

dark emotional funny inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Sylvia Plath blows me away every time. I see myself in her pages and find reading this almost therapeutic. 

To Build a Fire by Jack London

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.75

A killer, thrilling, terrifying story. The beginning got off to a bit of a description-heavy start, weighing the story down... but as you go on, you become enthralled by the protagonist's mistakes. You find yourself looking down at your own hands, making sure each finger still works. That's all I'll say - it instills a necessary fear of the cold you need if you're one to be outdoors often. I'm glad I learned my lesson here rather than in the North.

The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt and His Adventures in the Wilderness by Darrin Lunde

adventurous emotional informative inspiring

3.75

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

A wonderful, informative, tragic read. Read it all in one or two sittings. I learned a lot about how one should not reckon with nature in the ways Chris and the author had done; and by the end of this, I somehow met Chris McCandless. I am grateful for that experience. I'm not sure what it means, but I appreciate it.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

dark emotional funny informative mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

An overall fun read. Great tension building, characters, and plot. I had no idea what the end was going to reveal up until the end! I enjoyed it quite a bit and look forward to the HBO adaption - here's to hoping it does this justice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Addiction

Minor: Drug use and Fire/Fire injury