parasolcrafter's reviews
240 reviews

The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

this book made me so sad :( there was tragedy and loss and sadness at every turn for these girls (especially near the end...my GOD) and knowing that these places existed for so long and in so many places...its so horrible. im glad that teagan got out in the end and will hopefully live a good life after everything that happened, im so sad for nora and heartbroken about lea and noras baby...why did they BOTH have to die it was so sad. this one with stick with me for a while.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Go to review page

emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

this is a really solid book and a great start to a series :o i thought the mechanics of the clocktower and how it translated to colton was quite cool and original. i really enjoyed watching danny grow and open up to colton, and i thought all the relationships between characters were realistic and quite sweet, even if his mother was a bit hard to deal with sometimes. i also love that the fairytales danny told colton about in the beginning had running themes through the story and that fate had Such a big role in it overall. i do think the ending was a bit fantastical with his father coming back after the town was no longer Stopped (i would think the people there would be a bit more confused, though i do understand the book wanting to end kind of like a fairytale) but it wasnt enough to take anything away from the story as a whole.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

2.5

this book was...fine. the pacing was alright for the most part but it really fell out near the end :/ only a few things of significance happened in the beginning, it was quite boring in the middle, and then in the end EVERYTHING seemed to happen in the span of only a few chapters. the lore could have been expanded upon SO much more and really ended up boiling down to heaven and hell just being remade, which is fine, but certainly isnt what i thought the book was going to be about. overall, it could have been a lot better and was quite a let down.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Happy Place by Emily Henry

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
at 50% through this book i should feel SOMETHING for these characters but i really dont care abt any of them at all, and seeing as i havent read any of this book in months i really dont have any want to continue on. it was so BORING like oh my god
A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
ebook loan for this ran out at my library and they no longer have a copy of it and i really dont care abt this book enough to buy a copy of it lmao
Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

the way banana yoshimoto writes makes it feel as if youre hearing a story directly from a friend or loved one; you hear all the good and the bad, all the characters inner thoughts and worries, but you still love them after it all because, ultimately, you care for them. this was sometimes a bit hard to read - the grief was sometimes overwhelming, only for the scene to switch up and leave you with that emotion dragging you down when it no longer fits the words youre reading - but overall i really enjoyed this even if the ending was a bit...rushed? that might not be the perfect word, but it definitely was a bit of a shift from the rest of the book, the ending all happening so fast.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben

Go to review page

hopeful informative relaxing medium-paced

5.0

this was a really eye-opening and interesting read! i had no idea trees communicated so in-depth with not only each other, but also the world around them and that they have such extensive underground networks. i also love that you can tell just how much the author loves and respects trees just by reading this book! it made reading it so much more enjoyable; like when you have a teacher in school who so obviously loves what they're doing, it makes it feel like everything you learn is something extra special.
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Go to review page

informative fast-paced

5.0

ive come across full length books that dont talk about feminism as in-depth and succinctly as this essay does, like...this is so short but is so expertly written.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Him by Elle Kennedy, Sarina Bowen

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted 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

2.5

this book was definitely...fine. its nothing groundbreaking, its nothing spectacular, but its not horrible either. its just...a fine book. i didnt know it would be so sex-heavy when i got into it so it was a little jarring - it really does turn out to be more porn that substance near the halfway mark - which is fine, i just wish everything else would have been developed more. like there should have been more tension and angst before there was any relationship development, but for what this book is, its okay. i guess the other books in the series can go more into depth on the two characters, but i dont have much hope bc this book was quite shallow :/
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

oh, i really did love this book so much <3 i dont read many thrillers like this book, but as far as i can remember this is the only thriller-esque book ive ever read that ive actually been able to figure things out myself without plot points being either completely explained to me, or with the plot points actually having nothing to do with the book. i enjoyed being on the journey this book took me on because as i read it i was able to piece things together with the information we were given, and it lead to the book unfolding in a very realistic way. its also a unique take on, slightly, horror. its not really a scary book per se, but the reality of what happens in it is its own Kind of horror. this is one of those stories im going to remember for a long time because its just so well-crafted and written and, sadly, believable. the ending was also good, too; very worrying!!! definitely very worrying and made me sad, but it was also where i knew the book was going to lead.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings