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novellearts's reviews
1747 reviews
She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
She Is a Haunting is a bit different from what I expected, but I didn’t mind the deviation.
With a setting in Vietnam, this was already a book offering me something new compared to most other stories that I’ve read. Jade arrives to join her family in the restoration of a colonial home. Shortly after arriving, Jade starts to experience sleep paralysis. Oh, and don’t forget the cryptic message: “don’t eat.”
In all honesty, I think I enjoyed the social struggles of this book more than horror. I think it was much stronger in the former and a bit weaker in the latter. We get to see the internal struggles between sexual orientation of Jade and also the external struggles of how her unaccepting father handles it. We also get to see Jade and her sister, Lily, struggling between their two cultures: Vietnamese and American.
I really, really enjoyed the representation in this book and the showcase of emotional turmoil. On the other hand, while I enjoyed the atmosphere and the writing, this felt a little bit slow to me on the horror end. I wasn’t as gripped by this part of the story as I was about the character’s conflicts. I don’t normally read YA too often anymore, but I really enjoyed this one.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5208162594
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/f773b592-23fe-4322-87e8-66e61dbc4b86/share
With a setting in Vietnam, this was already a book offering me something new compared to most other stories that I’ve read. Jade arrives to join her family in the restoration of a colonial home. Shortly after arriving, Jade starts to experience sleep paralysis. Oh, and don’t forget the cryptic message: “don’t eat.”
In all honesty, I think I enjoyed the social struggles of this book more than horror. I think it was much stronger in the former and a bit weaker in the latter. We get to see the internal struggles between sexual orientation of Jade and also the external struggles of how her unaccepting father handles it. We also get to see Jade and her sister, Lily, struggling between their two cultures: Vietnamese and American.
I really, really enjoyed the representation in this book and the showcase of emotional turmoil. On the other hand, while I enjoyed the atmosphere and the writing, this felt a little bit slow to me on the horror end. I wasn’t as gripped by this part of the story as I was about the character’s conflicts. I don’t normally read YA too often anymore, but I really enjoyed this one.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5208162594
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/f773b592-23fe-4322-87e8-66e61dbc4b86/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Our Dark Duet by V.E. Schwab
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.
DNF @ 49%. Could not get into this at all.
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Jennifer Graham, Rob Thomas
3.0
Meh. Not bad, also not my favorite. I had higher hopes for this.
Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.0
I didn't know I needed 60 year old female assassins, but apparently I did. These books have been so fun and I really appreciate the humor. All of their personalities are unique and each offers something different. This made reading incredibly enjoyable.
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Normally I like to read the book before watching the series but this time I did it backwards. I watched the show prior to reading this so I’m sure that that is influencing my thoughts on this book.
Honestly though, I think I preferred the show over the book this time but that’s not to say that this wasn’t still an enjoyable read. I picked up the books because I didn’t want to wait for the next season of the show, I wanted to know what happened next ASAP. Much to my chagrin, they’re <b>incredibly different</b> from one another. I found myself enjoying the rendition of the show a bit more. I will say that I appreciated the Rusty in this book seeming a bit more level-headed than the Rusty in the series. But I missed the extra characters and the twists that the series adapted.
It’s extremely difficult to review this without comparing the two. The pacing and structure was very different. The show focused more on the courtroom proceedings whereas the book focused more on the investigation leading up to the courtroom. I really enjoyed seeing the courtroom scenes in the series so for me that was deeply missed in this book.
I was also surprised that the actual murderer was completely different between these two renditions as well. I once again found the show’s choice of murderer more compelling than the book choice. The book choice felt more predictable to me and was less jarring. Had I read this book prior to watching the show, I know I probably would’ve appreciated it more. I still think this was a great book and I’ll continue to read on in the series, but the show adaptation just did it a little bit better in my eyes.
Honestly though, I think I preferred the show over the book this time but that’s not to say that this wasn’t still an enjoyable read. I picked up the books because I didn’t want to wait for the next season of the show, I wanted to know what happened next ASAP. Much to my chagrin, they’re <b>incredibly different</b> from one another. I found myself enjoying the rendition of the show a bit more. I will say that I appreciated the Rusty in this book seeming a bit more level-headed than the Rusty in the series. But I missed the extra characters and the twists that the series adapted.
It’s extremely difficult to review this without comparing the two. The pacing and structure was very different. The show focused more on the courtroom proceedings whereas the book focused more on the investigation leading up to the courtroom. I really enjoyed seeing the courtroom scenes in the series so for me that was deeply missed in this book.
I was also surprised that the actual murderer was completely different between these two renditions as well. I once again found the show’s choice of murderer more compelling than the book choice. The book choice felt more predictable to me and was less jarring. Had I read this book prior to watching the show, I know I probably would’ve appreciated it more. I still think this was a great book and I’ll continue to read on in the series, but the show adaptation just did it a little bit better in my eyes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This story had a compelling start but the more I got through this book, the less intrigued I ended up. It just felt lacking to me.
The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune
As primarily a horror/thriller reader, it's a huge change of pace for me to read a book like this. Even so, I enjoyed every second of this book. This was filled with more fun quirks that Klune's other books tend to have. This always makes his characters more tangible. They feel relatable, lovable, and real.
Klune succeeds in writing and developing his characters by adding something special to each of them.
The writing, pace, and structure was fantastic, as to be expected with any of Klune's books. This story was nicely balanced. It tackled some more serious topics while still maintaining an air of humor and lightheartedness. I love that every time I read a Klune book, I feel myself start reflecting on my own life. Another great read!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Klune consistently writes books that get you contemplating about what truly matters in life. He also never fails to leave readers with the most beautiful quotes.
My ratings so far for T.J. Klune books:
My ratings so far for T.J. Klune books:
- The House in the Cerulean Sea - 5/5 stars.
- Somewhere Beyond the Sea - 4/5 stars.
- Under the Whispering Door - 5/5 stars.
- In the Lives of Puppets - 3/5 stars.
- The Bones Beneath My Skin - 4/5 stars.
As primarily a horror/thriller reader, it's a huge change of pace for me to read a book like this. Even so, I enjoyed every second of this book. This was filled with more fun quirks that Klune's other books tend to have. This always makes his characters more tangible. They feel relatable, lovable, and real.
Klune succeeds in writing and developing his characters by adding something special to each of them.
The writing, pace, and structure was fantastic, as to be expected with any of Klune's books. This story was nicely balanced. It tackled some more serious topics while still maintaining an air of humor and lightheartedness. I love that every time I read a Klune book, I feel myself start reflecting on my own life. Another great read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
DNF @ 15%.
Not my cup of tea. Had to force myself to even get to 15% (85 pages).
Not my cup of tea. Had to force myself to even get to 15% (85 pages).
Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thought this was a fun read! Or a listen, if we're being technical. My BOTM box is running late this month so when Libby told me there was an audio copy available, I had to grab it. This was a fantastic book to listen to while I was having a Sunday cleaning spree.
I thought the main characters were interesting. Sloane is a compulsive liar with some other questionable quirks. She meets a man named Jay at the park with his daughter. Sloane helps them out when she hears Jay's daughter start crying after stepping on a bee. She tells them both that her name is Caitlin and that she's a nurse.
Sloane soon becomes intwined with Jay's wife, Violet, and develops a friendship with her. Things aren't what they seem though and Sloane is not the only one lying.
The characters were intriguing to me. I couldn't stop listening to this one because I needed to know what secrets were being hid. The story was also fun but once I got around midway, it started to remind me of another book that I've previously read. To my chagrin, I can't remember what book it was. I don't want to spoil the twist, but because of this other book that I had read, I could see where this book was going. Alternatively, there was a second twist that I wasn't expecting which helped make up for the first one.
I thought the ending of this book was incredibly satisfying too. I was so happy with the direction this book ended up going as opposed to where I assumed it was going. The second twist really brought everything together for me.
I thought the main characters were interesting. Sloane is a compulsive liar with some other questionable quirks. She meets a man named Jay at the park with his daughter. Sloane helps them out when she hears Jay's daughter start crying after stepping on a bee. She tells them both that her name is Caitlin and that she's a nurse.
Sloane soon becomes intwined with Jay's wife, Violet, and develops a friendship with her. Things aren't what they seem though and Sloane is not the only one lying.
The characters were intriguing to me. I couldn't stop listening to this one because I needed to know what secrets were being hid. The story was also fun but once I got around midway, it started to remind me of another book that I've previously read. To my chagrin, I can't remember what book it was. I don't want to spoil the twist, but because of this other book that I had read, I could see where this book was going. Alternatively, there was a second twist that I wasn't expecting which helped make up for the first one.
I thought the ending of this book was incredibly satisfying too. I was so happy with the direction this book ended up going as opposed to where I assumed it was going. The second twist really brought everything together for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Toxic friendship