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renee_will's reviews
240 reviews
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Out There by Kate Folk
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 Library Edition, Volume 2 by Georges Jeanty, Karl Moline, Joss Whedon, Eric Wight, Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 Library Edition, Volume 1 by Joss Whedon
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The Good House by Tananarive Due
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
dark
tense
slow-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
2.0
I don't want to spend any more time thinking about this book, tbh, but I'd just like to say that it is easily the worst of King's works I've ever read. I truly do not understand the positive reviews for it, it's baffling.
Aside from the frankly dull police procedural plot, it is just deeply offensive. The language is homophobic, fatphobic, sexist, racist, ableist, the list goes on. Yes, I grasp that we are meant to dislike the antagonist, but making him possess every single abhorrent quality imaginable is just so very lazy. And it just feels gross to read, it isn't enjoyable, it's disgusting and it made me want to put it down multiple times.
And don't get me started on the pathetic boomer protagonist. Jesus, he is just the saddest white cop who ever lived. My violins couldn't get any smaller. We don't really know why he's a curmudgeon, he just is. He's not really very nice, or interesting. The fact that he is "a fat ex-cop" is repeated ad nauseum as though being fat is his only defining trait. Then there's his sidekick, a black teenager who INEXPLICABLY uses an old-timey slave affectation AS AN INSIDE JOKE. WITH AN ADULT WHITE MAN. What. And I can't stress this enough, the f*ck. And oh lord the techno-speak is like my mom trying to understand how her VCR works.
It's just not a very good detective story. It's not a whodunnit because you know whounnit the whole time. There's no mystery. Just an unlikeable grumpy vigilante making stupid decisions.
Aside from the frankly dull police procedural plot, it is just deeply offensive. The language is homophobic, fatphobic, sexist, racist, ableist, the list goes on. Yes, I grasp that we are meant to dislike the antagonist, but making him possess every single abhorrent quality imaginable is just so very lazy. And it just feels gross to read, it isn't enjoyable, it's disgusting and it made me want to put it down multiple times.
And don't get me started on the pathetic boomer protagonist. Jesus, he is just the saddest white cop who ever lived. My violins couldn't get any smaller. We don't really know why he's a curmudgeon, he just is. He's not really very nice, or interesting. The fact that he is "a fat ex-cop" is repeated ad nauseum as though being fat is his only defining trait. Then there's his sidekick, a black teenager who INEXPLICABLY uses an old-timey slave affectation AS AN INSIDE JOKE. WITH AN ADULT WHITE MAN. What. And I can't stress this enough, the f*ck. And oh lord the techno-speak is like my mom trying to understand how her VCR works.
It's just not a very good detective story. It's not a whodunnit because you know whounnit the whole time. There's no mystery. Just an unlikeable grumpy vigilante making stupid decisions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty
White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5