readingwithrosie's reviews
1039 reviews

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

4.5

Poor Hedwig, my favorite character. And to lose his firebolt as well?? Lost his first friend and a connection to Sirius is just absolutely heartbreaking. And yes, Dumbledore should have elaborated a little bit more so Harry was stumbling around in the dark. And yes, kind of rude that he knew Harry had to die and kept it to himself, but who wouldn’t do anything to stop wizard hitler? They're all flawed, Dumbledore most of all. 
Shout out to Hermione, the main reason why the boy who lived continued to stay alive! Best girl ever, best character. Love her <3
Well all's well that ends well. 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

3.75

Perhaps a controversial opinion, but I don’t give a fuckkk about the romances. Don’t care about Ron and Hermione falling for each other or Harry’s crush on Ginny. Just go back to the plot! But I mean it is realistic for school age kids. But anyway, the book is both slow and fast paced. Zoned out and then dialed in. RIP lovable grandpa, still think he did his best (not at all a villain like some dumbasses think). 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

3.5

RIP

Sirius

, who would have lived if Harry had just learned occlumency. 
And I know Dumbledore is apparently a controversial character but to me he’s the GOAT

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

3.75

Definitely the book where it all took a dark turn. But there were some light moments such as: 
- Hagrid “yea well you get weirdos in every breed”

- Funny that they always describe snape’s hair as greasy 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

4.0

Buckbeak <3
A collection of my favorite quotes and moments: 
“The Weasley who were very nice and extremely poor” - Harry does not have to be so savage 

George about Percy: “we tried to shove him in a pyramid. But mom spotted us”

So glad Oliver wood didn’t drown himself in the shower so he could finally win the quidditch cup 
Love the new owl Ron has 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

3.5

Dobby <3

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

4.0

Hagrid <3
Fave quote: “Then he could go back to hating your father’s memory in peace” lol, might not like Snape but he was a true hater and I can respect that 

False God by C.W. Farnsworth

3.5

Low key wish it was second chance with her ex. They were cute though and had funny moments, like when she kept reintroducing herself. Did I believe they fell in love that fast? No. But the progression of their relationship felt natural so who am I to dictate feelings. Wish we had gotten more of her family dynamics than her friends but whatever. I liked that he was a gentleman and when he was not 

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn

slow-paced

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

0.0

Demeter talks about her brothers are arrogant but herself is arrogant in her self proclaimed humility and righteousness. She also sucks as a mother, prioritizing her grief for a man she knew for a night over tending to her daughter. And views Core as a possession, something that no one can take from her, not even the child itself when they wish for freedom. She was a narcissistic and selfish mother, placing her own wishes over that of her daughter’s and Core was too nice to stand up for herself even when it as detrimental to her.  

The structure of the book also sucks. They should have alternated chapters instead of parts cuz now we have the same scene twice and it’s boring and repetitive. Having two stories that run concurrently, it makes the book slower by not telling it at the same time. The writing is all about telling, now showing. We’re told that this mortal was so good that Demeter loved him in hours. We’re told that Core traveled the world and fell in love. We’re told Hades and Persephone bonded. We’re told Persephone becomes confident in herself and her powers grow. We’re told so much but never shown. There is no action in this book and that’s what makes the story passive and also drag on. But then all of a sudden at 85%, the pace picks up by 100x and important plots, like her falling for Hades, gets glossed over to meet the end of the book. It all gets resolved too fast and ends very abruptly. 

For a book and myth that hinges on the kidnapping, we spend too much time on their life before or on other characters. I don’t give af about Demeter’s grief before the kidnapping or Persephone’s lover. It doesn’t enhance the story or their character. It weighs down the book and makes the glacier pace so much slower. Hades should be the third character, someone who should haunt the narrative. Not the freaking lovers, especially not Ione who is not even in the myth!! It would have been fine if the premise of the book was Persephone life before or about her lover before Hades. But since its synopsis is about her and Hades and Demeter, it is criminal that it is not the most prominent storyline. It makes the book insufferable, having been promised one thing and then presented another. Like why did this Ione get so much time spent on their love on earth and then their love in the underworld (which was another ridiculous plot point, Persephone should have seen her in the asphodel fields and accepted that her love and the person she was when it occurred is over and done with), when her freaking husband and actual lover in the myths gets like two sentence? It again kept Persephone as a character stagnant and did not allow for any growth or add anything new to the story. Instead it detracts from the story of her NEW life in the underworld. 

Also, Demeter cannot cause a blizzard or the temperature or the snow. It bothers me that she wrote it like that. She can make it so that no plants or crops grow or thrive but she does not create a winter storm. 

Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

3.0

So much better than the first one. I liked the mystery much better and it was more engaging. Still don’t care about teenage angst and the 2010s love triangle. Honestly, dean and cassie are the most boring out of all the kids. I want to know more about the other girls