penguinna's reviews
326 reviews

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I want my money back + additional subsidies for wasting my time

The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson

funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was SO GOOD!

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

My second reread, but definitely not the last one ❤️‍🩹

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

I will read it again to fully understand how brilliant it was

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Super dark, unguessable ending. Good character exploration. But the first half is dragging too much

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous dark slow-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

2.5

Spoilers ahead!

What I liked: mass suicide as a happy ending

What I disliked: Sam marrying a woman even tho he has always been in love with Frodo 

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Sam is much cooler than Frodo, and also gay panic >>>>>> 

I mean, it's not even between the lines, it's pretty explicit these guys are in love 🥵

Their love story is my favorite part of the plot...!!!!

The rest is kinda boring

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

dark mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A very good medium-paced thriller. The ending is impossible to guess and I'm very satisfied with it.

However, the investigation feels a bit naïve: everyone is eager to help Pippa, and she gathers most of her evidence illegally (but somehow, no one seems to care).

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous relaxing slow-paced

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

3.5

Very relaxing and adventurous, nice world building, especially for the time it was written, but incredibly slow and sometimes difficult to follow