raenyreads's reviews
302 reviews

Boy Meets Maria by PEYO

dark emotional sad fast-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

3.5

Yeah as others have said in reviews, the content warnings need to be heeded! This book went in a much darker direction than I thought, goddamn. I think it was well handled though and gave a lot of impact to the story. The art was overall amazing, and I really appreciated the lighter moments. However, I think some of the conversations and ideas needed a bit more time and depth to be fully explored. Not what I was expecting but glad I read it.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

adventurous dark 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

5.0

I really loved this. The character development is absolutley expertly done. The plot was really engaging and had so many twists, I couldn't put the book down. Gave me 'Blood Over Bright Haven' by ML Wang but in space vibes. Highly recommend!

Falling in Love with a Traveling Cat: Mofusand's 1st Illustration Book! by Juno, Mofusand

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This is just adorable. I'm obsessed with Mofusand and this is a great art book. What's not to love.

Black Paradox by Junji Ito

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

As always with Junji Ito this is a weird, horrific, twisty trip. The end is so far from the beginning it's impressive it was coherently achieved in around 200 pages.

The art is amazing as always. The plot was interesting, I never could have predicted where it would go and there were some good twists along the way.

Overall not my favourite from Ito but worth a read.

DallerGut Dream Department Store by Mi-Ye Lee 이미예

emotional hopeful relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This was a nice read. I read it in basically one sitting (on a long train journey) as it kept me intrigued throughout. The concept is definitely unique and I liked how the author used the whimsicalness of the world within the plot. 

For me personally I think I'm a little burned out on these slice of life kind of magical realism books at the moment and so it felt a little too similar in structure to others I've read.

I don't think the book does anything totally mindblowing but honestly I will be thinking about dreams differently from now on. So it did have an impact on me. For that and the very unique world building, I'd really recommend it!

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I read through this book so quick it must be doing something right. It didn't blow me away like it seems to have for a lot of people but I did enjoy it.

I think the world and magic system is unique and interesting. The characters, though a bit predictable, have enough charm to keep me invested. I felt the plot moved at a good pace and the ending left off on enough of a cliff hanger that I am excited to pick up the next instalment soon!

Downfall by Inio Asano

dark slow-paced

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

1.5

Shit man is shit, gets shitter, is the absolute worst, and then continues to be shit. 

Sorry I know there's supposed to be a deep meaning to this but nothing made me care about the main character at all and I couldn't get on board with it. Not for me.

The art was good at least which is where the extra 0.5 in my rating comes from.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

2.5

I really wanted to like this, especially with how popular it is, but it wasn't for me overall.
I did enjoy the main characters, I thought they were funny and loveable. I also really appreciated the themes it touched on surrounding getting older, death, and grief; I thought it was really well done and made the book a touching read in places. I also read through this book very quickly, so I think the writing style was well done.
However, I did not the plot overall. I think the way it developed was kind of messy and I don't think the ending is one you could work out yourself, and even if you could, I just didn't like how it turned out.
So yeah this one isn't for me. I might try the next instalment in the series as I have heard people enjoy that one more, but probably not for a while.

The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I've really enjoyed this series as a whole and I think this was a great final instalment. The way the characters developed made sense and I loved the world building and magic system. The relationship between Priya and Malini is one of the best I've read and I was rooting for them the whole time. I think the ending wrapped the series up well, even if I found a couple aspects a little disappointing it was still a satisfying conclusion.

Deep Sea: 10 Things You Should Know by Jon Copley

informative fast-paced

4.0

A great introduction to the deep sea. As someone more knowledgeable it was interesting to see what the author thought was the key facts to present to a general audience. Would recommend picking this up if it is something you are interested in!