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rubybereading's reviews
76 reviews
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the most conflicted I’ve felt for any of my “5 star” reads. I’m not even 100% sure how I feel about it. The plot was not really a “plot”, but it also was. A lot happened without a whole lot really happening. But so much happened! I spent pretty much the entire read fully engrossed. First of all, it was so well-written, and clever, and intentional with the choices. And it was uniquely constructed—almost frustratingly so. But I was pulled into the world almost immediately (mostly because I’m very intrigued by dystopian, apocalyptic stories), even though it was confusing as hell from the very beginning. And I had such an emotional attachment to the characters that I found myself crying at some of the oddest moments in their stories. I was so emotionally invested when I didn’t even necessarily like them that much at times. But I felt like I understood them. And I felt so much hurt for them. All I thought about in the couple of weeks that it took me to read this book was this book, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it a few days ago. I even had dreams about it, y’all! 1 or 2 while in the middle of it, and at least one since I finished it. It feels like it’s in me. Lol! I know that sounds dramatic af, but it does. But I’m so bothered by it because I don’t have any closure. What I was hoping would get resolved by the end, doesn’t. And it ended in a way where you HAVE to continue to the next installment of the series. I loooooatheHUH(!!) when writers do that, but I also want to jump right into the next book—something I literally NEVER want to do. I’m not really a series finisher, but I can’t stop thinking about it and it’s making my stomach hurt. But that also makes me not want to go right to the next one because, if it happens again, I might go on a murderous rampage! 😀 The fact that I want to finish it almost made me give this like 2 stars. Is that weird? No, but really, giving it less than 5 felt almost blasphemous. Even when I was thinking “4.5” because of the ending, that made my stomach hurt too. So 5 it is. Smdh!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Slewfoot, babes, you owe me absolutely NOTHING! Ok? To be honest, this wasn’t a “true” 5 star read for me. However, it was the lone survivor of all the novels I tried to read (with my eyes) during the 2-3 month reading slump that I was in. And this ended up being the story that gave the final push that freed me! It was THAT good! Even when I went days—maybe even weeks (?)—not reading a page of any book, this was the one that stayed on my mind. I was intrigued and emotionally invested from the very beginning. I adored Abitha and loved her spunk and resilience. I loved that she was always true to who she was even when trying to play it down to avoid suspicion or repercussions. And, though there were a LOT of parts in the last third of the book that were extremely hard to get through, the ending redeemed it for me. Plus, again, it pulled me out of that annoyingly hellish reading slump, so it gets extra credit—just off principle! 4 stars became 5 for that reason alone. Idc idc idc! Plus f*ck yeah b*tch! People gotta learn who not to play with sometimes, ok?? You never know what anybody is capable of.
As the final installment in a short-story trilogy, it just suddenly turned into a whole other story. A bunch of action and shoot 'em up bang bang scenes all out the blue, when the first 2 were pretty tame and dry—little to no action at all. Smh! This whole thing was weird. Mainly because the story didn't need to be a trilogy. It could've been a novella. It still would have been disjointed, but still. Idk. It was weak. As far as the plot and sequence of events, this made the CIA look incompetent and extremely gullible and stupid. And it made Russian spies look emotionally and mentally fragile. Also, it read very preachy and propagandistic. It was all over the place. It did serve a very specific purpose for me personally as a reader, but it won’t likely have any kind of impact in the long run—other than probably turning me off from ever trying another spy story. Damn.
It was ok. This is the 2nd of a trilogy of short stories that, so far, doesn’t seem like it really needed to be broken up. Not much more happened other than showing a slightly softer side to the main character. But the way his arc is leaning doesn’t really make sense when you consider his brutish background. At least it’s short af if nothing else. Whatever. I was just trying to crawl through a slump. 🙄
It was a fine enough intro to the short-story trilogy. Intriguing but very vague and felt a little predictable. It's a quick and easy read, though. It did end up being good for helping me drudge through the slump that I was in at the time.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh wow. This was so unremarkable that I literally forgot that I read this. It was short denna bih, but felt like it took 12 years to finish (from what I CAN recall). And now that I see that this was the last book I finished before diving headfirst into a depressing reading slump, I’m thinking this might be the culprit. And now I’m angry because I barely even remember reading the b*tch! 😡
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh! I intended to read this in one sitting, but the first few chapters were so boring that I just stopped reading it for a days. And it’s so short that it felt stupid to dnf it, so I went ahead and finished it real quick (after a week of ignoring it). I can say it definitely picked up after chapter 3 or 4, and had interesting twists. It just wasn’t fun to read. I was like, “…oh…” I didn’t hate it. The writing was just so blah. I think it was maybe just a little too straight to the point? Idk. I was just bored as hell. Even with all the twists. I’m glad it only takes really about 12 seconds to read it if you just go ahead and read it. That’s probably why I didn’t hate it. Idk. Whatever. It’s fine. Sure.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m slightly torn about this one. On the one hand, it was so relatable and authentic. I felt, almost, like someone was actually talking to me and personally telling me their story. But it was also very repetitive, long-winded, and very boring throughout like 90% of it. But it was also kind of addictive?? I think because we knew part of what was coming. Not in a traditionally “predictable” way, but the most major plot point is (intentionally) preluded to from the very first page, so we know (or can assume) what happens with an important character in the story. But knowing what’s to come made it more interesting and intriguing even with the boring lead-up to it. And it was boring but so realistic that the boringness of it was bearable. And, though I usually hate when all the “good sh*t” is thrown at the end of the book, this is one where it made sense to do it that way. Especially because it rips your heart to shreds. I cried LOUDLY at the end. I’m talking about shoulders jumping, tears flowing, snot snotting. I was a mess!! It was definitely worth the boredom by the end. Especially if you’re one of those weirdos, like me, who love when a book sends you into existential despair. 😀
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75⭐️, but close enough to 4⭐️. Well, I was definitely at the edge of my seat. It was a ride from the beginning, though it was still kind of a slow burn of a psychological thriller, but the pacing was almost perfect. I like the way the suspense was building throughout the story and how it kept me wondering. The eerie atmosphere of the house and the mysterious and dark personality traits of the characters, especially the little girl, had me a little shook. I could feel how cold and hollow it felt for Stella throughout all of her experiences and interactions. It was spine-tingling and I was hooked by the time I was halfway through the book. Still, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the ending (and the few typos in the book annoyed me) but it was good enough. The ending took it down a notch for me, but it was a solid 4 through 80-90% of the story.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
😒