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motherlatesha's reviews
9 reviews
Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1 by Kiyohiko Azuma, あずま きよひこ
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
I went into this book not knowing anything about it and I would recommend everyone to do the same!
The story was so emotional, a love story mixed with slight elements of horror, I cried and cried.
The story was so emotional, a love story mixed with slight elements of horror, I cried and cried.
Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a cute story!
It’s nothing like the movie if that’s what you were hoping, but it’s still a fun and wholesome read!
The Aquamarine in this story is more realistic than the perfect and always positive character in the movie, but I still love both.
This was a such a quick read, perfect for the summer!
It’s nothing like the movie if that’s what you were hoping, but it’s still a fun and wholesome read!
The Aquamarine in this story is more realistic than the perfect and always positive character in the movie, but I still love both.
This was a such a quick read, perfect for the summer!
The Ruins by Scott Smith
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I’m not surprised Stephen King likes this book.
If you picked up this book thinking you’ll get a mysterious, unique story that would give you a big reveal at the end or take you on a journey, you will be disappointed.
This story was just like any book or movie you've read or watched about a group of young people going on vacation only to end up in a dangerous foreign land after ignoring the locals and all warnings.
I don’t mind stories that follow similar patterns to others but there just wasn’t anything to this story that would make anyone like it.
The characters were so stupid and annoying, one of the main guys almost felt like the author’s self insert with how smart and logical he was compared to everyone else. The girls were somehow written to be even more stupid and incapable than the guys despite them both being educated?
It felt more like the audience was being dragged along unwillingly rather than being taken on a horrifying adventure.
The horror was the only thing this story had to offer but there just wasn’t enough it. Scenes where the characters were just hurt dragged on for way longer than the scenes of horror at the hands of the monster they were facing.
And you didn’t even care when something bad happened to the characters because it was hard to feel attached to them, at the end I was rooting for the thing to take all of them out.
I will commend the author for the one even I found genuinely well written was one of the characters recounting a story from his past while trying to comfort another character. The story seemed to be foreshadowing or setting the mood for what’s to come in the story with the characters thoughts and emotions but it didn’t.
If you picked up this book thinking you’ll get a mysterious, unique story that would give you a big reveal at the end or take you on a journey, you will be disappointed.
This story was just like any book or movie you've read or watched about a group of young people going on vacation only to end up in a dangerous foreign land after ignoring the locals and all warnings.
I don’t mind stories that follow similar patterns to others but there just wasn’t anything to this story that would make anyone like it.
The characters were so stupid and annoying, one of the main guys almost felt like the author’s self insert with how smart and logical he was compared to everyone else. The girls were somehow written to be even more stupid and incapable than the guys despite them both being educated?
It felt more like the audience was being dragged along unwillingly rather than being taken on a horrifying adventure.
The horror was the only thing this story had to offer but there just wasn’t enough it. Scenes where the characters were just hurt dragged on for way longer than the scenes of horror at the hands of the monster they were facing.
And you didn’t even care when something bad happened to the characters because it was hard to feel attached to them, at the end I was rooting for the thing to take all of them out.
I will commend the author for the one even I found genuinely well written was one of the characters recounting a story from his past while trying to comfort another character. The story seemed to be foreshadowing or setting the mood for what’s to come in the story with the characters thoughts and emotions but it didn’t.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book when I wasn’t expecting to.
Usually I wouldn’t pick up a horror novel written by a man especially when the main characters are girls, but I was really interested in the premise and it came recommended from a reliable source. And I’m so glad I did!
I finished this book in two days, I couldn’t put it down, and the pacing of it kept me constantly engaged, none of the scenes felt dragged out or unnecessary.
At first I wasn’t loving the style of adding in blog posts every few chapters, but seeing the story from the perspective of an outside source added so much and helped achieve what the author had set out to do.
I see reviews complaining about the way Catholicism is portrayed in this story, but I’ve never seen it shown in such an accurate and relatable way as someone who wasn’t raised in a religious household only for their parents to suddenly embrace when they’ve gotten to a point in their lives when they have no other answers.
The characters in this story are frustratingly human where we only see them at surface level the same way a viewer of the show they’re in or their naive daughter/younger sister would see them. They’re irrational but trying their best, they’re emotional but trying to hide it and it shows how making tough decisions can backfire on you even when you’ve thought them through.
I overall love the fact that we see the story from the youngest daughter’s perspective because a story through a child’s eyes are the only way to get it straight up the way it is, the was no making excuses or rationalizing or understanding, just things being the way they were.
I also loved the sisters dynamics, too many times do you see mentally ill characters being portrayed as completely abnormal but the two of them have a completely normal sibling relationship and they act their age.
I’m also in love with the slow build of the story. The author managed to grab your attention and show that something creepy is going on here and things slowly get creepier and creepier until we’re right in the middle of all the action. This story creeped me out in the best way without purposely trying to make a sick person scary. It was creepy in the way that everyday things in life can be creepy which I absolutely love.
There were moments in the story where I thought ‘this is just like that scene in (a movie)’ and then the author would mention said movie so I think he did a great job of paying homage to those classic scary movie elements that any horror movie fan could pick out.
I could talk about every sentence in this book endlessly. I recommend this book to any horror movie fan who wants to get into reading, and any horror literature fans to check out his other stories!
Usually I wouldn’t pick up a horror novel written by a man especially when the main characters are girls, but I was really interested in the premise and it came recommended from a reliable source. And I’m so glad I did!
I finished this book in two days, I couldn’t put it down, and the pacing of it kept me constantly engaged, none of the scenes felt dragged out or unnecessary.
At first I wasn’t loving the style of adding in blog posts every few chapters, but seeing the story from the perspective of an outside source added so much and helped achieve what the author had set out to do.
I see reviews complaining about the way Catholicism is portrayed in this story, but I’ve never seen it shown in such an accurate and relatable way as someone who wasn’t raised in a religious household only for their parents to suddenly embrace when they’ve gotten to a point in their lives when they have no other answers.
The characters in this story are frustratingly human where we only see them at surface level the same way a viewer of the show they’re in or their naive daughter/younger sister would see them. They’re irrational but trying their best, they’re emotional but trying to hide it and it shows how making tough decisions can backfire on you even when you’ve thought them through.
I overall love the fact that we see the story from the youngest daughter’s perspective because a story through a child’s eyes are the only way to get it straight up the way it is, the was no making excuses or rationalizing or understanding, just things being the way they were.
I also loved the sisters dynamics, too many times do you see mentally ill characters being portrayed as completely abnormal but the two of them have a completely normal sibling relationship and they act their age.
I’m also in love with the slow build of the story. The author managed to grab your attention and show that something creepy is going on here and things slowly get creepier and creepier until we’re right in the middle of all the action. This story creeped me out in the best way without purposely trying to make a sick person scary. It was creepy in the way that everyday things in life can be creepy which I absolutely love.
There were moments in the story where I thought ‘this is just like that scene in (a movie)’ and then the author would mention said movie so I think he did a great job of paying homage to those classic scary movie elements that any horror movie fan could pick out.
I could talk about every sentence in this book endlessly. I recommend this book to any horror movie fan who wants to get into reading, and any horror literature fans to check out his other stories!
Tokyo Revengers, Vol. 1 by Ken Wakui
challenging
lighthearted
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
4.75
I randomly started reading this one night due to insomnia and literally could not put it down. I stopped reading only to take a nap and then proceeded to binge read the rest of it.
It’s still technically ongoing but it honestly could’ve finished with the recent chapter but who knows maybe I’ll like what happens next and come back and change my review but I absolutely loved the story.
It took like 12 hours to read 215 chapters. The story is quite fast-paced, it doesn’t spend a long time on arcs which I love because the scenes are so intense and filled with action. When I first started reading I thought it was just about a group of delinquents going around getting into fights with other gangs because I’ve read other manga like that but it’s SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
It’s about a guy who sees that his middle school girlfriend was killed as a bystander in a gang related incident and he ends up accidentally going back in time after having a near death experience and seeing her. Anguished, he confides in her little brother to protect her on that very day 12 years in the future without revealing much in hopes that he can save her and is then sent back into the future where the brother is now alive and saved him from dying because he remembered his words. However, he was unable to save his sister and now the two hatch a plan to go back into the past to find a way to stop the event that killed her from ever happening. That’s how they came to the conclusion that the main character has to infiltrate this gang in order to stop two of the members from meeting and forming the future deadly gang that resulted in her death.
This story features such fun and lovable characters and a plot line with so many twists and turns I would literally stop reading to try and figure out what was secretly going on and who was behind what but I could never predict a single plot twist. There are so many big reveals and shocking events that transpire in this story. It’s both extremely sad and extremely lighthearted with the tragedies transpiring around the characters but the characters being a bunch of goofballs.
I love how the relationships in this story are displayed with the characters having close connections with each other, not just one other character but they all have deep relationships with multiple other characters and care so deeply about each other. I feel like this is the first manga I’ve seen where the main character doesn’t just have one person they care deeply for while the other characters just fall into the background. This main character and all of the other characters really show a lot of passion for the people in their lives in such touching ways.
Also the fight scenes are intense and entertaining to watch because the main character technically isn’t very good at fighting and his opponents just get stronger and stronger.
I think the way this story displays the connections we have with the people in our lives and how their loss can affect us so greatly in a way I’ve never seen focused on and it just makes me feel even more connected to this story and characters.
It’s still technically ongoing but it honestly could’ve finished with the recent chapter but who knows maybe I’ll like what happens next and come back and change my review but I absolutely loved the story.
It took like 12 hours to read 215 chapters. The story is quite fast-paced, it doesn’t spend a long time on arcs which I love because the scenes are so intense and filled with action. When I first started reading I thought it was just about a group of delinquents going around getting into fights with other gangs because I’ve read other manga like that but it’s SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
It’s about a guy who sees that his middle school girlfriend was killed as a bystander in a gang related incident and he ends up accidentally going back in time after having a near death experience and seeing her. Anguished, he confides in her little brother to protect her on that very day 12 years in the future without revealing much in hopes that he can save her and is then sent back into the future where the brother is now alive and saved him from dying because he remembered his words. However, he was unable to save his sister and now the two hatch a plan to go back into the past to find a way to stop the event that killed her from ever happening. That’s how they came to the conclusion that the main character has to infiltrate this gang in order to stop two of the members from meeting and forming the future deadly gang that resulted in her death.
This story features such fun and lovable characters and a plot line with so many twists and turns I would literally stop reading to try and figure out what was secretly going on and who was behind what but I could never predict a single plot twist. There are so many big reveals and shocking events that transpire in this story. It’s both extremely sad and extremely lighthearted with the tragedies transpiring around the characters but the characters being a bunch of goofballs.
I love how the relationships in this story are displayed with the characters having close connections with each other, not just one other character but they all have deep relationships with multiple other characters and care so deeply about each other. I feel like this is the first manga I’ve seen where the main character doesn’t just have one person they care deeply for while the other characters just fall into the background. This main character and all of the other characters really show a lot of passion for the people in their lives in such touching ways.
Also the fight scenes are intense and entertaining to watch because the main character technically isn’t very good at fighting and his opponents just get stronger and stronger.
I think the way this story displays the connections we have with the people in our lives and how their loss can affect us so greatly in a way I’ve never seen focused on and it just makes me feel even more connected to this story and characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
Minor: Suicide, Rape, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, and Child death
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s been years since I’ve read a book so engaging.
I usually would not have picked up a book like this since I usually steer more towards action and adventure but this book was the Between Two Books book of the month and I had seen it previously at my job, so I decided to give it a try.
I was immediately enraptured by this book and the characters. Not only was it extremely well written but also somehow told a story with needing a plot line.
The story follows five women who all live in the same building who live very similar and yet very different lives and it switches perspectives so we have a peek into their thoughts and daily lives. Their backstories are slowly revealed to use with shocking twists and their current lives are displayed in such a raw and realistic way that leaves you full of such an array of emotions.
You can’t help but love the characters even when they do something wrong or stupid or they think in a way that you don’t agree with, you still find yourself attached to them and somehow able to relate to at least one of them if not all of them when it comes to their relationship with the men and family and society’s expectations of them.
I am so glad I picked up this book, it was so interesting to learn about Korea through these women, everything about it was beautiful.
I usually would not have picked up a book like this since I usually steer more towards action and adventure but this book was the Between Two Books book of the month and I had seen it previously at my job, so I decided to give it a try.
I was immediately enraptured by this book and the characters. Not only was it extremely well written but also somehow told a story with needing a plot line.
The story follows five women who all live in the same building who live very similar and yet very different lives and it switches perspectives so we have a peek into their thoughts and daily lives. Their backstories are slowly revealed to use with shocking twists and their current lives are displayed in such a raw and realistic way that leaves you full of such an array of emotions.
You can’t help but love the characters even when they do something wrong or stupid or they think in a way that you don’t agree with, you still find yourself attached to them and somehow able to relate to at least one of them if not all of them when it comes to their relationship with the men and family and society’s expectations of them.
I am so glad I picked up this book, it was so interesting to learn about Korea through these women, everything about it was beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Body shaming
Minor: Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
3.0
When I first started this book, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it. I originally picked it out because a book with a gay main character who sees ghosts sounds like everything I want from a book but I was wary when I found out the main antagonist was a school shooter. The book actually mentions a lot of sensitive topics but doesn’t dwell on them too long for you to get uncomfortable or for the author to come off as insensitive.
The book is both slow and fast at the same time. Bit much happens in it but the author describes things in a very poetic and imaginative way. If you metaphors and lyrical phrases in your readings then this book has plenty of them without going into long winded paragraphs. The story does lack build up however. Everything just seems to happen and jump from one scene to the next without a smooth transition, leaving some parts seeming cut off.
The main character seems to reflect the author and his own experiences growing up, so Jake isn’t a flat character at all but the characters around him seem to lack a bit of depth because we barely get any interactions between him and the others that aren’t just there to further the plot.
The only other character you get to know is the main antagonist who was mentally. If you like books that show you the bad guys perspective then this book does a pretty descent job at showing inside his head without making him seem inhumane or justifying his actions too much but I still personally either could’ve done without or would have liked it better if we saw the characters from a third person perspective.
I feel like this book could’ve been a five star if the author had developed taken the time to really get into Jake’s powers, had more build up for the scenes, and had featured more foreshadowing for what was to come. I also would have loved if we’d gotten to know the characters better but a lot of stuff wasn’t revealed about even jake’s family dynamic until the very end when the audience could’ve been made aware of it from the beginning and maybe understand his character more rather than being frustrated with his way of thinking throughout the entire book.
In the end, the book wasn’t a bad read with an interesting premise, I just feel I would’ve felt more attached to it and its characters if we’d been given more material to work with.
The story switching between Jake and Sawyer’s perspective was a great way to set up their eventual final battle with them both fighting for control over jakes body, don’t get me wrong. But there wasn’t enough build up for me to truly appreciate it.
The book is both slow and fast at the same time. Bit much happens in it but the author describes things in a very poetic and imaginative way. If you metaphors and lyrical phrases in your readings then this book has plenty of them without going into long winded paragraphs. The story does lack build up however. Everything just seems to happen and jump from one scene to the next without a smooth transition, leaving some parts seeming cut off.
The main character seems to reflect the author and his own experiences growing up, so Jake isn’t a flat character at all but the characters around him seem to lack a bit of depth because we barely get any interactions between him and the others that aren’t just there to further the plot.
The only other character you get to know is the main antagonist who was mentally. If you like books that show you the bad guys perspective then this book does a pretty descent job at showing inside his head without making him seem inhumane or justifying his actions too much but I still personally either could’ve done without or would have liked it better if we saw the characters from a third person perspective.
I feel like this book could’ve been a five star if the author had developed taken the time to really get into Jake’s powers, had more build up for the scenes, and had featured more foreshadowing for what was to come. I also would have loved if we’d gotten to know the characters better but a lot of stuff wasn’t revealed about even jake’s family dynamic until the very end when the audience could’ve been made aware of it from the beginning and maybe understand his character more rather than being frustrated with his way of thinking throughout the entire book.
In the end, the book wasn’t a bad read with an interesting premise, I just feel I would’ve felt more attached to it and its characters if we’d been given more material to work with.
The story switching between Jake and Sawyer’s perspective was a great way to set up their eventual final battle with them both fighting for control over jakes body, don’t get me wrong. But there wasn’t enough build up for me to truly appreciate it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Racism, and Suicide
Minor: Body horror
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This book was a nice, fun murder mystery for those who love crime shows where you’re able to follow along as the characters gather evidence and try to solve crime! The book really takes you along to the point where you figure everything out right along with the main character and shows you everything, even her case notes.
It had a lot of twists and turns but didn’t insult your intelligence by making them come of out seemingly nowhere, the author laid everything out in the table and stated from the start that everyone’s a suspect and I still wasn’t able to figure out who the murderer was before the ending.
The only things keeping me from giving this book a five star review were the characters. I feel like even the main character seemed like a background piece at times, like she didn’t have much of a personality outside of being the one asking suspects questions.
The author does remedy this by inserting scenes between the investigation of her reflecting on how much the case is affecting her and her relationship with the people around her, but some of the scenes read like the dialogue from a sitcom so it lacks a bit of depth, resulting in me not feeling really attached to any of the characters.
If you’re someone who loves books for their complex characters, you might not enjoy this book as much but if you are someone who loves a plot driven story that does not waste your time with long paragraphs droning on about nothing then this is definitely the story for you!
It had a lot of twists and turns but didn’t insult your intelligence by making them come of out seemingly nowhere, the author laid everything out in the table and stated from the start that everyone’s a suspect and I still wasn’t able to figure out who the murderer was before the ending.
The only things keeping me from giving this book a five star review were the characters. I feel like even the main character seemed like a background piece at times, like she didn’t have much of a personality outside of being the one asking suspects questions.
The author does remedy this by inserting scenes between the investigation of her reflecting on how much the case is affecting her and her relationship with the people around her, but some of the scenes read like the dialogue from a sitcom so it lacks a bit of depth, resulting in me not feeling really attached to any of the characters.
If you’re someone who loves books for their complex characters, you might not enjoy this book as much but if you are someone who loves a plot driven story that does not waste your time with long paragraphs droning on about nothing then this is definitely the story for you!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
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