mxarson's reviews
83 reviews

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

adventurous medium-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? No

4.5

The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

dark inspiring 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

5.0

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

I’m a trans non-binary person and it made me tense up when Lee wouldn’t refer to the “outcast” character as Renae. I don’t care if she’s trans or not. Why would you write that into Lee’s personality trait? She became so much more annoying to me then. A lot of what she did was forgivable to me bc she’s a kid, but why???

The book is fine overall. It made me think a bit more on school shootings and the aftermath. I never really thought about each story being twisted like that. The talk of religion was a little much at times for me, and the ending was extremely underwhelming as if it stopped in the middle of the story. And I’m not asking for Lee to have a full plan but if you’re going to harass people to do something for you, please at least think about what you’re going to do if they say yes. Idk … underwhelming 

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

emotional inspiring slow-paced

5.0

“There’s too much mention of food” 
I was scrolling through audible to see that one of the reviews was titled this. I was immediately annoyed, rolling my eyes and swiped away. Before deciding to get the book because it was narrated by the author, I read the review and what do you know: I agreed with the review. The book is 5 stars. An amazing book. If I were to write a memoir of my late mother, I would also make it extremely personal and I understand why it was so tied to food (she explains it a lot though.) however, it should be noted that im korean American with fluency in Korean and its amazing food. This book hit my heart like a truck and it’s really funny to me that this family reminded me of mine. As a non korean though, or someone who isn’t so familiar with the dishes, it might be hard to follow at times. There are moments that you might miss from seeing unfamiliar words or seeing such descriptions of foods that you think might be not as important ti the story as you might think. The first few chapters talk about food the most, by the way. I would suggest this to someone who is willing to do a bit of research to really understand exactly what the author was trying to portray. 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

Carrie by Stephen King

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

He rambles on a little too much to be honest, but I liked the story. He gives me big pervert vibes though the way he writes the girls. The sex stuff was really weird, the talking about breasts of a minor was super weird, etc

Animal Farm by George Orwell

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Absolutely remarkable. The story was easy to follow and the questions that were left unanswered is the epitome of the gross totalitarianism happening throughout animal farm. 

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

I’m extremely disappointed…. I struggled to finish the book even though I was ITCHING to finish the series, but this book wasn’t it. The first two were masterpieces, but this isn’t the ending I’ve dreamed. There’s very little Nancy drew moments and it went a little too dark for a YA novel. I’m 21, so I’m fine, but this is definitely a little too much for some. The ending is stupid as all hell. After everything everyone has done for her…. Are u serious? Also, I was just cringing through a lot of pip’s inner monologue in this one. Sometimes it was just too much. Girl I get it you’re traumatized. 

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was such a 5 stars all around for me that I felt the need to update my other 5 star reviews to a bit lower. This book will hold on to your heart so so so tight and know how to make you cry. I’m obsessed with the characters, even if it’s such a short book. I’m a college student who borrows a lot more books than buys, but I’m gonna buy this one immediately and reread it over and over and over if my heart can handle it. 

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0