roniboi's reviews
521 reviews

Phantom Tales of the Night, Vol. 1 by Matsuri

2.0

Waiting for the day manga stops portraying immortal beings as children while also drawing them in questionable poses. The 2 stars are just for the premise and the artwork.

Guardian: Zhen Hun (Novel) Vol. 1 by priest

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben (Novel) Vol. 1 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

tense medium-paced

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

2.0

This novel was not what I thought it was going to be. Not nearly as dark or interesting as I expected. The romance was non-existent and when it tried to scrounge to life, it was weird af. All around a huge disappointment and waste of time for me :(

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.

I really love an unlikable main character . . .when they are done well. It was so obvious from the get go that the author did not want you to actually think she was unlikable which instantly made her boring and *actually* unlikable if you understand what I mean. The writing was really bad just two chapters in. I cannot fathom ppl slugging through for the rest of it.

The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante

medium-paced

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

4.0

I liked how the main character was so selfish and self-absorbed. It felt realistic in a good way. She was interesting to read about because of how compelling she could be.

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

I basically feel cheated if I'm being honest. I was enjoying it for more than half of the book, but then Feeney began trying to wrap things up, throw some twists in and I spent the rest of the book in disbelief. Not in a good way. This comes down to the author's lack of building I suppose.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 1%.

A page in and the author's inability to write cross-generational characters was glaring. Did not bode well for the established plot.

Spare by Prince Harry
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.

I started out of curiousity but once that burned out (one can only do the same thing over and over again), I realized I couldn't care less about his story. He's really just not that interesting. I will give him props for some good writing (if he actually wrote it) and I do like the insight, just not all that surprising.

Hide by Kiersten White

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I began reading the book and almost dropped it. I was introduced to fourteen characters and I cared for none of them. Nor did I care for the way they were portrayed. Even after finishing, I am iffy about if I liked how the characters were written. At first, I was thrown off by how it was narrated. It felt like the author was trying to sprinkle exposition in for these characters when I couldn't care less about. Later, this same narrative tool became more effective as it focused in on the remaining characters, not all 14. Some characters you were clearly supposed to feel for, but I could not given how little time they had to expand those feelings. I resented that the book kept telling me how I was supposed to feel about these characters, only to feel that way about them. Just a little. I liked it much better when it was smaller groups. I cared enough about them and I felt for them. It wasn't perfect, but I appreciate what it had to say and the way it chose to say it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Suicide, Murder, and Death

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.

I cannot read short stories for the life of me. They always feel like a waste of time and effort.