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miny03rd's reviews
219 reviews
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This dystopian Lord of the Rings slay
Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I went into this book expecting YA dystopian with lesbians and you know what? That is what I received.
While reading I kept thinking that it’s probably something I would have devoured as a middle schooler obsessed with YA dystopian novels. It is almost a perfect cross between “The Hunger Games” and “Uglies,” both of which I loved when I was younger. I really appreciate a new dystopian novel, definitely written for tweens and teens, centering a lesbian relationship. It’s the only thing that, although not surprising, I think was desperately missing from the first YA dystopia trend in the 2010s.
With all that being said, I think this book was very middling. It wasn’t great, but it certainly wasn’t bad, perhaps just not for me. I think the world-building was a little clumsy and pretty surface level. I liked the idea that was beginning to be created: a flooding world due to human activity, ruled by companies and capitalism putting people into debt which, in turn, forces them to give up themselves or, more shockingly, a family member to be hunted for entertainment. However, I think that a little more time fully fleshing out what it’s actually like to live in this world and what the world outside of our two main characters’ lives looks like was needed before throwing them into the hunt.
I also think the romance was pretty rushed. Honestly, the book itself had a pacing problem and it felt like we were just flying through everything but I think where that was felt most was the romance. I don’t think either character really got to know the other before suddenly they were making heart eyes at each other. Mel is supposed to be programmed into being cold and unfeeling and seems to just flip and suddenly she’s in love with her target? Inesa, I think, is worse considering not only has Mel been literally hunting her and like actively trying to kill her. I feel like it should take more than like 12-16 hours before you’re like over that?
All that being said, I do think these are problems that won’t strike the average middle schooler who will pick up this book. I think that this book wasn’t written for me and, at the end of the day, that’s okay. Like I said before, I’m just really happy that a popular author is releasing a YA dystopia novel with lesbians as the main couple.
I went into this book expecting YA dystopian with lesbians and you know what? That is what I received.
While reading I kept thinking that it’s probably something I would have devoured as a middle schooler obsessed with YA dystopian novels. It is almost a perfect cross between “The Hunger Games” and “Uglies,” both of which I loved when I was younger. I really appreciate a new dystopian novel, definitely written for tweens and teens, centering a lesbian relationship. It’s the only thing that, although not surprising, I think was desperately missing from the first YA dystopia trend in the 2010s.
With all that being said, I think this book was very middling. It wasn’t great, but it certainly wasn’t bad, perhaps just not for me. I think the world-building was a little clumsy and pretty surface level. I liked the idea that was beginning to be created: a flooding world due to human activity, ruled by companies and capitalism putting people into debt which, in turn, forces them to give up themselves or, more shockingly, a family member to be hunted for entertainment. However, I think that a little more time fully fleshing out what it’s actually like to live in this world and what the world outside of our two main characters’ lives looks like was needed before throwing them into the hunt.
I also think the romance was pretty rushed. Honestly, the book itself had a pacing problem and it felt like we were just flying through everything but I think where that was felt most was the romance. I don’t think either character really got to know the other before suddenly they were making heart eyes at each other. Mel is supposed to be programmed into being cold and unfeeling and seems to just flip and suddenly she’s in love with her target? Inesa, I think, is worse considering not only has Mel been literally hunting her and like actively trying to kill her. I feel like it should take more than like 12-16 hours before you’re like over that?
All that being said, I do think these are problems that won’t strike the average middle schooler who will pick up this book. I think that this book wasn’t written for me and, at the end of the day, that’s okay. Like I said before, I’m just really happy that a popular author is releasing a YA dystopia novel with lesbians as the main couple.
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gross.
Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
So where do I even start? I guess we can begin on: HOLY SHIT!!! and OH MY GOD!!!!
I requested the ARC of “Hazelthorn” because I was completely and utterly enamored by C.G. Drews’ previous novel, “Don’t Let the Forest In,” which I also was an ARC reader of. In “Don’t Let the Forest In,” Drews showcased some of the most descriptive and visceral writing I have ever come across…and “Hazelthorn” was even better.
I could ramble on and on about how much I absolutely adore the way that Drews writes. Drews creates scenes so vivid that there isn’t a moment that I don’t feel like I’m *there*. And I absolutely love that Drews has found a niche and stuck to it. The dark sentient plant body horror they have produced absolutely floored me in the first book I read by them and then completely bowled me over while reading “Hazelthorn.” This is genuinely horror writing at its finest.
I also loved the main characters. Evander and Laurie are so endearing and I loved the way their relationship with each other is built within the novel. Being inside of Evander’s head was fascinating and I could not get enough of his brain. Drews does a phenomenal tortured MC who is trying their absolute hardest to figure out what is happening to them.
I’m not usually a huge YA reader but this is one of those books that I seriously couldn’t tell it was YA. It’s dark, unsettling and so captivating I couldn’t put it down. “Hazelthorn” has definitely solidified C.G. Drews on my auto-read and auto-buy authors list!
So where do I even start? I guess we can begin on: HOLY SHIT!!! and OH MY GOD!!!!
I requested the ARC of “Hazelthorn” because I was completely and utterly enamored by C.G. Drews’ previous novel, “Don’t Let the Forest In,” which I also was an ARC reader of. In “Don’t Let the Forest In,” Drews showcased some of the most descriptive and visceral writing I have ever come across…and “Hazelthorn” was even better.
I could ramble on and on about how much I absolutely adore the way that Drews writes. Drews creates scenes so vivid that there isn’t a moment that I don’t feel like I’m *there*. And I absolutely love that Drews has found a niche and stuck to it. The dark sentient plant body horror they have produced absolutely floored me in the first book I read by them and then completely bowled me over while reading “Hazelthorn.” This is genuinely horror writing at its finest.
I also loved the main characters. Evander and Laurie are so endearing and I loved the way their relationship with each other is built within the novel. Being inside of Evander’s head was fascinating and I could not get enough of his brain. Drews does a phenomenal tortured MC who is trying their absolute hardest to figure out what is happening to them.
I’m not usually a huge YA reader but this is one of those books that I seriously couldn’t tell it was YA. It’s dark, unsettling and so captivating I couldn’t put it down. “Hazelthorn” has definitely solidified C.G. Drews on my auto-read and auto-buy authors list!
The Golden Raven by Nora Sakavic
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
Oh, where to start. This was a beautiful, introspective look into the mind of a trans woman, Max, and her new boyfriend, Vincent. Disappoint Me follows their relationship from inside both Max and Vincent’s heads as we learn more about their motivations and the baggage they bring into the relationship.
I really loved the writing in this, especially Max’s POV. I loved the way her mind worked and the way she analyzed her experiences. She’s not perfect, she’s often self-deprecating and focused on other’s perceptions of her, but I felt more connected to her because of it. I liked Vincent’s POVs less than I liked Max’s but his were still intriguing and interesting since you’re trying to figure out why we’re even in his head during a different time period.
The only reason I wouldn’t give this 5/5 is because I, personally, don’t feel as if it re-wrote my neural pathways which is what books that I give 5/5 tend to do. However, this was still extremely good and such a worthwhile read.
I really loved the writing in this, especially Max’s POV. I loved the way her mind worked and the way she analyzed her experiences. She’s not perfect, she’s often self-deprecating and focused on other’s perceptions of her, but I felt more connected to her because of it. I liked Vincent’s POVs less than I liked Max’s but his were still intriguing and interesting since you’re trying to figure out why we’re even in his head during a different time period.
The only reason I wouldn’t give this 5/5 is because I, personally, don’t feel as if it re-wrote my neural pathways which is what books that I give 5/5 tend to do. However, this was still extremely good and such a worthwhile read.
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
King Lear by William Shakespeare
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.25