reader_of_rohan's reviews
588 reviews

Escape to the Highland Retreat by Elayne Grimes

challenging emotional medium-paced

4.5

Thanks to the author and Love Books Tours for the proof. This book did not go in the direction I expected at all! The title and quaint cover felt like a cosy mystery was beckoning, but there was much more hidden under the surface. One of my favourite aspects of this was the character of Ruaridh, who was the most lovely and unproblematic person ever. Sometimes in thriller novels, you feel like everyone is hiding something and it's hard to trust them - and Ruaridh was a much-needed tonic to that.

The story was sad in places, addressing some tough topics, and I thought the author handled it really well. A decent read with a solid plot!

Note to Boy by Sue Clark

inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

5.0

This book was absolutely charming and a really fun read. I loved how well the author captured the wildly different personalities and backgrounds of the two main characters - both felt authentic and completely believable. The mixture of timelines, thanks to the digi-whatsit, kept the story varied and exciting. Maybe I'm in my contemporary literature era, because I'd absolutely recommend this book!

The Boyfriend by John Nicholl

fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Thanks to the author and Love Books Tours for the ARC. This was a fun thriller with a very unpleasant antagonist. It was really well-written and easy-to-follow, and I felt that the characters were well fleshed out. There was a reveal that I saw coming, but I'd kind of hoped it would happen, so it was actually very satisfying when it did. There were also bits that really shocked me - a good blend. The ending was a pleasing one, and I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a quick thriller. 

The Seven O'Clock Club by Amelia Ireland

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow. I mean, really wow. I don't know if I have words right now. I sat and cried for a bit after finishing this book, and I feel like that's all I'm able to do right now. Funny thing is, I don't typically read contemporary literature, and I don't know what it was about this book that called to me in spite of its genre - maybe the fact that it is about psychology, which I love? Regardless of whatever powerful force drew me to this book, I couldn't be more grateful. 

I hate spoilers, and I don't want to say much because I think everyone should just read this book as soon as possible. I received an e-ARC, but I will be getting a physical copy to lend to my friends as soon as I can. 

I cared about all the characters, and I found them easy to distinguish quickly - which is something I find difficult if they're too samey. Their different personalities and life experience came across very well. The setting was perfect, and it felt like a true insight into an innovative take on grief therapy. The different themes (loss, the cost of fame, being a carer for someone you love) were all handled with sincerity and genuine understanding. 

The writing was beautiful, and I'm stunned by the fact that this was a debut novel. It was pure perfection. So poignant. So emotional. So special. I've never read anything like it. 

Catching Spiders by J. Cornelius

funny fast-paced

4.5

Spark is amazing. My absolute favourite kind of fictional character - love them. I also really love it when authors completely usualise queerness and don't make it a huge plot point. Finally, the ending was awesome, and I WANT MORE!

Minus half a star because it went on about weed, and I'm really not interested in that kind of thing.

Remembering Demons by J. Cornelius

adventurous 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? No

5.0

I absolutely adored this book. The author did a fantastic job of world-building and world blending - urban fantasy is my favourite type of fantasy, and I really enjoyed the way the 'real' and fantasy worlds in this story meshed together. The best bit, however, was by far the characters - there were so many with such clear personalities. I loved the protagonist, I loved the deuteragonists, I even loved the barely-mentioned-agonists. Remembering Demons brought a lot of humour and a bit of absurdism to the modern fantasy genre, and I'm incredibly excited for the sequel. 

Only Mostly Dead by Alli Temple

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.0

I've been wanting to read this book for ages - it was pretty decent. I loved the idea behind Afterlife Incorporated, although I think I've read a better version of a similar concept before. 

Kelly's attitude towards pronouns was really cool, and I really liked how Jupiter responded to it, though I wished Ember could get her head around it a bit easier. Whilst I was grateful for the positive discussion about gender identity, Ember got really hung up on it, which I felt didn't fit her character. 

The general storyline was fun, dramatic, and full of high-stakes plot points. I will probably read the sequel, but I'm not as excited for it as I was for this one. 

The Secrets We Buried by Becca Day

mysterious fast-paced

5.0

For a quick thriller with a cliché blurb (I had to check my book log because I thought I had already read this!), this book was surprisingly good. It was gripping, clever, and had twists I wouldn't have suspected if you'd given me a decade. I couldn't figure out who to trust at all, which is something I cherish in a thriller. 

Renganaton: Bookiesode 1: Where do I go from here? by Lukasz Rosinski, Obake

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I read the preview of this book and really liked it - it sounded exciting and full of new ideas. As I read further into the book, I confess that I liked it a lot less. I found the dialogue hard to follow, and the stream-of-consciousness bits almost impossible to read. The punctuation was erratic in the former and almost nonexistent except for ellipses in the latter, both of which I found stressful as a reader. 

What started off as an intriguing story about adventure and exploration quickly fell into a narrative built around excessive substance misuse, which did not appeal to me, and I felt that the plot didn't really go anywhere. For something marketed as a sci-fi, I felt it lacked much of anything that felt like sci-fi other than the use of the word "holo" - perhaps dystopian would be a better category. 

Ricky's Hand by David Quantick

3.0

From the blurb, I thought this book sounded like it was going to be funny in that very dry British way that is just oh so enjoyable. In some ways, it was, and there were moments of laugh-out-loud humour. For the most part, however, I felt that none of the characters were likeable, and it was very hard to care about them. What started off as a bizarre, intriguing premise quickly became a farfetched and much less captivating storyline: I wanted more absurdism and less grit. Unlucky for me, I guess!