river69rat's reviews
74 reviews

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is just such an incredible book for the YA category. It does not hold back from the brutality in the slightest but is also such a fantastic commentary on capitalism and class. There's a fantastic quote super early on 'I've listed to him rant about how the tesserae are just another tool to cause misery in our district. A way to plant hatred between the starving workers of the Seam and those who can generally count on supper; and thereby ensure we will never trust one another. "It's to the Capitol's advantage to have us divided among ourselves." '

Like that comes up on page 16 and surely altered my thinking as a 10 year old when I first read it. And can't we see it now the way the billionaire class manufactors the 'identity wars' within the working class against migrants and trans individuals. 

Yeah this book is awesome and holds up so well as an adult as it did reading it 15 years ago when I was a kid. Can't wait to finish this trilogy and then dive into the newest book!

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

emotional sad fast-paced

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

1.75

This book will make you cry but that doesn't make it a good book!!! 


LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD I NEED TO RANT!!! 


All the POV characters are awful people (except Alice, but like duh she's basically just a victim of the awful people). Like the sisters' parents are bad but then they just forget that the dad was a useless alcoholic the moment he dies. And William is awful, imagine how many abandoned babies there'd be if every mother with PPD gave up their kids 💀 but Julia also sucks, I couldn't stand her like let the man breathe and the girl bossing stuff was not a good development, going no contact with that crazy family tho, pretty valid. Sylvie is the most likeable of the POV characters but COME ON marrying your sisters freshly ex-husband who ABANDONED his child without a second thought. The red flags are crazy!!! Like how could you get past your niece being abandoned by the guy you're married to it is baffling. She's a wet wipe throughout this book bending to William's feelings and needs and disregarding her own.

And I need to come back to William because his character is the worst of them all but he is presented as this wounded soldier that needs all the love and care. I am the daughter of abandonment, I have no sympathy for a man like this! And he's all wah wah I'm so sad whilst having the most incredible massive support system in place, whilst his daughter literally has her weirdo mother, her evil grandmother and one proper friend. Why should I for a second feel sorry for Spineless William. And also the only thing he ever actually loves was basketball, the only time his character had life was when basketball was mentioned, not when he was interacting with Sylvie. Like congrats you get to live your dream life and yet I'm meant to feel bad for you? Get out of here!

And this book will spend so much time on specific moments and then absolutely speed run through over parts, it's so jarring and makes it so difficult to connect with the characters. Didn't enjoy the storytelling flow at all.

I have no problem with flawed characters but there is literally no one to root for in this book, but it's written like you're meant to root for someone. Maybe Alice, she's certainly the most relatable but also a pretty eh character overall. Such a struggle to get through with no real payoff. Bad book, should NOT be compared to Little Women!

A bit above 1 star just because the writing is good at points and there's good ideas but just not formulated in a sympathetic way and just an awful choice in which characters should be sympathised.

The Odyssey by Homer

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

This book is so unintentionally funny! Society began to collapse the moment you could no longer wander into someone's house and be given a full banquet no questions asked.

The language used is pretty wordy and could be tricky to get your head around. But I got an A in Latin GCSE so that was no problem for me. It does read super silly a lot of the time though!

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I think you could read this a thousands times and never understand it. Such intense emptiness, so deeply lonely and disturbing. Need to spend the next 3 weeks reading theories now.

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Such a readable book but I fear there is simply too much going on. Just find it really hard to follow at times and I still don't understand the magic any better than the first book. Opening the gate to Hell 4 times is too much, makes it feel way too easy to get to Hell imo.

It's annoying because I really enjoyed this book but it just feels like there's too many threads that become impossible to follow to completion. It meant the closer I got to the end the more disappointing the book for. But man the thing in it's entirety is so good and intricate and interesting that despite the lack of payoff the book is more than worth the read! 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Awh man I wanted to love this but it was only just a bit better than alright. I think Cameron's character just bugged me too much - 30 is too old to still be acting the victim in my humble opinion. There's also mysteries that kinda just don't get solved which means the book just becomes a miscommunication plot which I don't enjoy

Also not enough octopus imo!!

Still heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Tova is great and I loved her and Ethan's character was good too. Actually the whole cast of characters minus Cameron are pretty great. Worth the read but won't change your life.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Drug abuse

The Wicked King by Holly Black

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Sometimes baffling and a bit hard to follow but mostly just really really good. That ending wow I'm so excited to pick up the third book now! And the relationship with Cardan is both brilliant and shocking. Great book that sits so far out of my usual genres but I love it!

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I will eat up anything Ava Reid writes ngl and yeah this one banged too. She manages to write dark imagery so beautifully and create intricate worlds and yeah good book!

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

challenging emotional sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

Lots of flaws but I cried 5 times right up to the end so 1 star for every sob session. Hit extremely close to home, I didn't love the resolutions but I loved the journey, I love extremely flawed characters and intricate relationship dynamics.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

American psycho but for the girlies

I was so Flo coded in school in that I was in love with my mean best friend lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood