raro6511's reviews
62 reviews

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.

Not every sentence has to be some deep meaning, make you question life type thing. Gave me a headache. Put me in a reading slump for months. 

The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace

4.0

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark tense slow-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

4.25

Octavia Butler managed to make the most realistic dystopian world I’ve yet to read. As terrifying and horrific as the world she built was, it doesn’t seem that far off if things don’t don’t start to change in the world. The fact that this was written in the 90’s makes it all that more strange and haunting. That being said, while I found the book to be very well written, it was also quite challenging. The challenging aspect came from chilling and upsetting moments in the book that made me take pause. The other challenging part was that there were some moments that dragged on, making parts of the book repetitive and dull. Still though, this was a fantastic book, and I will definitely be picking up the sequel. 

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I didn’t realize it was a young adult book until I started it, and unfortunately I’m not a fan of YA. I read through it anyway, wanting to give it a shot since I’ve heard good things about it. It was a little slow to start but once the action started it never stopped. While I appreciate what the author was trying to do as far as sending a message about older generations being too judgmental on younger generations, there could have been more subtle ways to portray that.  It was an entertaining book, but I probably won’t be reading the sequel. 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

adventurous funny hopeful 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

5.0

This book has the perfect balance of funny, tense, and hopeful. Weir manages to make the “fiction” in the science so realistic that everything seems plausible. I had a great time reading this book, as there were times it literally made me laugh out loud. The ending was slightly less than desirable, but not enough to drop the rating. 

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

This book was a perfect combination of dark and funny. I think the author did a really good job writing a character experiencing depression. The predicaments Gilda got herself in we’re comical but a result of the depression she was refusing to properly handle. The book was written very well, I just thought the end was a little to rushed, but still satisfying enough that it didn’t ruin anything for me. 

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book definitely kept me on my toes, and I wasn’t expecting (or at least was really hoping it wouldn’t) what happened to actually happen. The writing is good, even if sometimes a little winded. I also wouldn’t really classify this as horror more so as a thriller. Nothing really scary, but definitely gory. 

While We've Still Got Feet by David Budbill

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

3.0

This book was just okay. Definitely had it’s funny moments, but overall it felt rushed and unbelievable. McQuistons’s One Last Stop was more believable than this one and it was about a girl from the past stuck on a subway car. I don’t think we really got in depth in any of the characters enough to really connect with any of them, and the majority of the side characters relationships felt forced and unrealistic. I really enjoyed One Last Stop and was looking for a repeat experience, and I’m pretty disappointed to not get it here. 

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This book was creepy in the best way. I had to put it down anytime I was alone because some of the imagery definitely got to me. The way Moreno wrote about grief in the novel was relatable yet chilling. Only reason I didn’t give five stars was that the ending was somewhat lacking for me. Still very much worth a read.