rwalker101's reviews
482 reviews

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

2.0

hey question, what if the plastics from mean girls hid a body? great, now what if they were british and 75% less interesting? what's that? you lost interest?

there were some parts towards the end that were really poignant, but it was such a slog to get there that i just didn't care anymore.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.0

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

2.0

Honestly, this would have been 3 stars were it not for the end. I kept hoping there would be a last twist that would make the plot way less impersonal to Jac. There was not, but then there was a baby, and that made it all that much worse.

 

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• 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

3.0

Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

 that last twist got me ngl 

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I have a bunch of thoughts but they're all disparate so here's a list in no particular order:

A) Dear God, please save me from the pretentious theater kids. Thank you amen.
B) It wasn't as twisty as I was expecting? This is being billed as a mystery/thriller but it's less that and more of a queer tragic romance. Which I'm not complaining about, I live for angst. But for a book that's centered so wholly around Macbeth it could stand to do with some more psychological/crime thriller elements.
C) Maybe it's because I'm a pretentious Shakespeare nerd myself but the plethora of quotes didn't really bother me? I thought they were pretty surface-level given the wider context of the book but it may hold up under further scrutiny, idk.
D) I stumbled over the beginning but really began to gel with it around the 25% mark

Dragonsteel Prime by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous emotional slow-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

This was so interesting to read. I love seeing the early incarnation of the Bridge 4 story, how he was able to iterate on it in the Stormlight Archive.

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

3.5