readingrainbill's reviews
475 reviews

medium-paced

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

3.0

I get what Lex Croucher is trying to do by making her main characters unlikable but it still bugs me. Don't want a perfect character for a high society period romance? Sure. But Eddie was so rude and idiotic that I can't believe anyone would want to be her friend.

Rose and Adam (Or whatever his name is) saved the book.

While I did like this more than reputation, I think this is my last Lex Croucher book. She's talented but I'm just not the right audience for her work.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0

The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar by Robin R. Means Coleman, Mark H. Harris

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funny informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Spectacular. This was informative and funny. I laughed out loud reading this more times that I have at a full on comedy book.

If you love horror and/or want to learn more about the representation of Black people in the horror genre then this is a must read.

It also added quite a few movies to my growing To Be Watched list.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read this for an honest review.

Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Laurie King is a master of mystery so I jumped at the chance to read this. It surprised me because in this modern day of ACAB, the main character, a police detective, was written well. King doesn't glorify cops breaking rules like some other authors do.

Also, I generally hate books about hippies but again I found King's portrayal of the hippie community to realistic yet bearable.

Overall this was quite a good book and even though mystery isn't one of my main genres, I quite liked it.

Full disclosure, not only did I get this on net Galley (Thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher) but King is a friend if my family. But if I hated the book I wouldn't have let that stop me from dragging it. But with Laurie King I knew it was going to be quality.

Place of Cool Waters by Ndirangu Githaiga

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slow-paced

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

2.75

I liked this for the most part. It was very "slice-of-Life" but it felt disconnected. This had a lot of promise but near the end the dual points of view are dropped in favor of the American and then the the ending has a sadly predictable "twist."

You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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

Timothy Janovsky is a wizard. That's the only way to explain how I could hate Matthew Prince with the fury of a thousand suns in the first 20% of the book but then love him by the end.

You're A Mean One, Matthew Prince has all the bells a whistles of a basic modern romance but let's just add on tackling mental health and wonderful LGBTQIA+ rep. I recommend this book to anyone who just wants a fun read. Read it a Christmas or any time because even though Christmas is a major theme, reading it out of season won't hinder your enjoyment.

Ashes by Álvaro Ortiz

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dark informative sad slow-paced

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

2.0

This wasn't bad but I feel like it could have been better. The story moved slow and by the halfway mark I just stopped caring. The story really dragged in the middle and I could tell it was supposed to be an overall uplifting story but it just didn't come through. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review

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