readingrainbill's reviews
477 reviews

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak

medium-paced

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

1.75

The characters were awful. The main character is a moron, his friends are terrible, and all of his troubles are his own stupid fault. Not an enjoyable read at all. 

Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-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

3.0

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones

lighthearted fast-paced

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

1.5

This is boring, borderline problematic, and had horrible pacing. Howl's Moving Castle was a joy, this was a chore that I almost DNFd. 

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 3 by Ta-Nehisi Coates

adventurous challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Adulthood Is a Myth by Sarah Andersen

funny lighthearted

5.0

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

dark sad fast-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to love this. It has everything going for it. It's wonderfully inclusive and it's a YA book the tackles a difficult topic. The main character is transgendered. She uses sign language because she doesn't like to talk, which I guess is a thing. But even though this has a lot going in it's favor, it's boring. The plot moves so fast that I don't have time to care about anyone and the oddness of the world is never explained well enough so I always felt a little lost. A book this short shouldnt have been so easy to put down. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Pedophilia

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0