quillnqueer's reviews
417 reviews

Idle Grounds by Krystelle Bamford

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

 The strange period between 2-3am when you're not sure what is real is absolutely the peak time to read this novel, a story of a group of children who possibly spot something mysterious during a family gathering.

I'm not sure what this story wanted to show us though, it was meandering and didn't go anywhere, it was often fatphobic and I didn't care for the characters. The ending chapters didn't add anything and I'm just glad it was short. 

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

 All books should have a 500 year old who retches when anyone's being romantic. Following the events of One Dark Window, the Nightmare has now taken over Elspeth's body, and Ravyn is forced to team up with him to finally rid their world of the Providence Cards.

We get two new POVs in this story, and a new romance - Elm and Ione. They were introduced in the first book, so were already familiar characters and their search for Ione's Maiden card and their romance really added to the story, and I never felt it took anything away from it.

Overall, this is the strongest fantasy duology I have ever read, and I thought that the romance was beautifully written and well paced, never overshadowing the overall plot. The story is a dark fairytale, and isn't afraid to lean into that, but still gave me a beautiful, hopeful ending. 

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

 One thing about me, I will clock a serial killer from their home decor. While the killer was easy to spot, this twisty thriller had a lot to say about the way Black women are dismissed and their missing children are seen as little more than an inconvienience by the police force.

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

dark sad medium-paced

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

5.0

 A story of two teenagers who find consolation in each other during a period of extreme bullying, we follow them as events escalate further and further, and they start to realise that the bullying is truly the only thing tying them together.

The narrator of this story, a boy with a lazy eye, is a quiet one, but powerful, and as he started to spiral into suicidal ideation I did wonder if both he and the girl, Kojima, would make to the final pages. I thought the ending was devastating - but hopeful. 

Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

 The start of this story could be mistaken for a summer contemporary romance, but stick with it, because it gets weird. Set in 1994, Trevor and Sarah decide on a challenge - to visit every private pool in their town at night.

Told of a hidden pool in the woods, they decide to visit - and are gatecrashed by their friends. But this pool is different, and time starts to warp, hours seeming like moments and none of them feel the desire to leave.

I love books like this, where I'm guessing what will happen, if they'll ever get out of the situation they're in, and what waits for them on the other side. The ending got even weirder, and I'm still not sure what the outcome was, but I had a great time. 

Babel by R.F. Kuang

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

 - I am back to laying on the floor 

The Marsh House by Zoë Somerville

emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

 Overall, a story about the way society, and men, constantly fail women. Set in the 1960's, this follows a mother, Malorie, and her young daughter, who have travelled from London to a small Norfolk village, where she finds a book written by a woman, Rosemary, recounting her teenage years in the 1930s.

I really like Malorie, while her skills as a parent were questionable at best, I could see she was working with what she had, and was failed by the people around her. Rosemary, however, I struggled to believe she was from the 30s, as she seemed like a naiive girl from a much earlier period of time. 

Christ on a Bike by Orla Owen

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

 I feel the MC could have had a much better time had she simply filled the entire house with cats. Or literally one dog.

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

If I just wish hard enough this series might become really Queer

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

challenging tense medium-paced

5.0

 I don't know how to cope after Sunrise On The Reaping