modernmatilda's reviews
94 reviews

Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

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dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.5

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The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

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emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

Carrie by Stephen King is one of my favorites; I'm fascinated by all of the differences between the book, the movies, the musical, and so on. Not to mention the gore and utter chokehold that Carrie in her final stage has on me. I was excited to start The Weight of Blood, with a fresh take on the trauma Maddy/"Carrie" endures. I think this book would make an excellent selection for book discussion groups who would be able to discuss race, belonging, guilt, obligations, first love, parental control, and so much more. I loved listening to the cast of multiple narrators. I do wish the scare/gore/haunting factor of the book would have been dialed up; it felt incredibly soft and the climax was borderline boring (where was the fire? the death? the scary factor?). I would recommend this book! 
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Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional lighthearted 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

 This was a sweet romance about the game of chess, how people navigate in circles dominated by the opposite gender, and intimidation theory (which is basically this idea that people perform worse if they are afraid, especially when gender is a factor). 

I really love "he fell first" love stories - they are so CUTE - and I loved love loved reading about a protagonist who feels the stress and weight of money, caring for a sick parent, and providing for her siblings. The sister dynamic was wonderful. 

This is very random, but I promise it makes sense. If you love The Lizzie McGuire movie, you should read this book. 

Also, we love the bi rep!
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The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

WOW. If you thought House of Hollow was a wild ride, buckle up! 

The Invocations follows three girls with dark magic who rile against the patriarchy to find a killer who is targeting women and stealing their powers. We meet Jude, the cursed and exiled daughter of a billionaire, Emer the feisty witch, and Zara, who is trying to bring her sister back from the dead. 

I am so thankful to have received an advanced readers copy from my favorite indie bookstore and I am looking forward to conversing with Krystal Sutherland at my Library in February! 
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A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I went to the bookstore looking for a spicy fairytale retelling and this one delivered! It had all of the wonderful Beauty and the Beast vibes and I was genuinely wrapped up in the lore of the village. I'm so sad that it is a trilogy because I want to spend more time with the characters and I want to find out what happens, but a three-book commitment is a lot.
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

An absolutely brilliant ride!!
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 74%.
Hit too close to home with my dad having a stroke, it was stressing me out trying to finish it, plus the mc was annoying/boring 
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Wolfsong by TJ Klune

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challenging emotional slow-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

4.0

S L O W paced and repetitive, but it made me happy to carry around this book for months and pop in on the characters every now and then, will definitely be reading the others
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Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

I wish I could give this book 10/5 stars. It's incredible and perfect and I'll hopefully write more words later. 
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