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samanthaalis's reviews
146 reviews
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
slow-paced
3.0
I entered into a giveaway without even skimming the synopsis, I just saw Rin Chupeco and said yes please I loved The Girl from the Well.
I'm glad I went in blind because I was able to enjoy a fantasy/mystery story about vampires without any specific expectations and assumptions.
The action was fun, the world was gruesome, and the characters were lovable. But in all honesty, Remy was the least interesting part of the story and he was the main event. I have no idea what Malekh or Xiaodan saw in the man.
The story ended not on a cliffhanger, but with lots of the story and relationships on rocky soil so I'll give the sequel a chance out of curiosity.
I'm glad I went in blind because I was able to enjoy a fantasy/mystery story about vampires without any specific expectations and assumptions.
The action was fun, the world was gruesome, and the characters were lovable. But in all honesty, Remy was the least interesting part of the story and he was the main event. I have no idea what Malekh or Xiaodan saw in the man.
The story ended not on a cliffhanger, but with lots of the story and relationships on rocky soil so I'll give the sequel a chance out of curiosity.
Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
2.0
I did not get the cute, fun adventurous romance I was expecting in Raiders of the Lost Heart. I found both love interests to be unlikeable and the actions in this book to be unforgivable.
The main characters are compared to Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, but they don't really do anything other than watch eachother and comment on eachothers bodies with internal monologue. Ford and Corrie were also very juvenile in the way they spoke and acted with their many, many "bone" jokes, and referring to things as cringe and weak sauce.
I also did not find this to be a love story at all. I was told Corrie and Ford loved eachother, but all I saw was surface level lust.
I do not think I was the target audience for this book at all. It seemed like a "turn your thinking off and enjoy the ride" type of read and I was picking apart nearly every sentence.
The main characters are compared to Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, but they don't really do anything other than watch eachother and comment on eachothers bodies with internal monologue. Ford and Corrie were also very juvenile in the way they spoke and acted with their many, many "bone" jokes, and referring to things as cringe and weak sauce.
I also did not find this to be a love story at all. I was told Corrie and Ford loved eachother, but all I saw was surface level lust.
I do not think I was the target audience for this book at all. It seemed like a "turn your thinking off and enjoy the ride" type of read and I was picking apart nearly every sentence.
1922 by Stephen King
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have a complicated relationship with the works of Stephen King. I'm a horror girlie and have been since the age of like 4 when my parents forgot to remove the tape of "It" from the VCR. And Stephen King is the KING of horror. My problem is, I cannot stand the way he writes about women.
I went into this book with a lot of apprehension because the premise is about a man killing his wife and I didn't want anything weird to happen with that. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and the way it unfolded. It was suspenseful, intense, mysterious, and never slow or boring.
I think I might be ready to give more of his works a shot. Except "It." Never "It."
I went into this book with a lot of apprehension because the premise is about a man killing his wife and I didn't want anything weird to happen with that. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and the way it unfolded. It was suspenseful, intense, mysterious, and never slow or boring.
I think I might be ready to give more of his works a shot. Except "It." Never "It."
What Remains by Wendy Walker
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
slow-paced
3.0
I loved Daughter of the Moon Godess and was so excited to read the sequel. But I was super disappointed in this book and took forever to get through it.
All the action, twists and turns, and crazy plot points I loved from the first book in the series were forgotten. The way the story progressed felt bland. I couldn't really figure out the point of the story until halfway through.
My main gripe is how the characters changed completely. Xingyin's personality disappeared and she became a body that just reacted to events. Liwei and Wenzhi's sole purposes were to make snide marks at and about eachother. The whole book was the two princes fighting for Xingyin's love and she led them on until a decision was made at the very end.
All the action, twists and turns, and crazy plot points I loved from the first book in the series were forgotten. The way the story progressed felt bland. I couldn't really figure out the point of the story until halfway through.
My main gripe is how the characters changed completely. Xingyin's personality disappeared and she became a body that just reacted to events. Liwei and Wenzhi's sole purposes were to make snide marks at and about eachother. The whole book was the two princes fighting for Xingyin's love and she led them on until a decision was made at the very end.
The West Wind by Alexandria Warwick
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Once again I fell in love with the world of the four winds Alexandria Warwick has created. I loved this one even more than The North Wind because Brielle was a character I could relate to. I loved her kindness, her forgiveness, her faith. I'm excited for the next book in the series!
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3.0
2023 was the year that I read the classics (I didn't plan that it just happened). 1984, The Secret History, Jane Eyre, and now Pride and Prejudice.
I'm very disappointed in myself for not enjoying Pride and Prejudice. Other than the dialogue between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, and any dialogue from Mr. Bennett, I struggled to stay focused among all the descriptions of parties and walks and the many different relationships between cousins and neighbors. I had a hard time pinpointing what exactly was happening since the plot moved forward very slowly.
I'm not a big fan of stories wherein the main genre/focus is romance, so I think this novel wasn't for me and my interests.
I'm very disappointed in myself for not enjoying Pride and Prejudice. Other than the dialogue between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, and any dialogue from Mr. Bennett, I struggled to stay focused among all the descriptions of parties and walks and the many different relationships between cousins and neighbors. I had a hard time pinpointing what exactly was happening since the plot moved forward very slowly.
I'm not a big fan of stories wherein the main genre/focus is romance, so I think this novel wasn't for me and my interests.
The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
It's very rare that I do not finish a book. I like to finish every book I start even if it takes me five years to read it. But I couldn't keep giving this one chances. I gave the audiobook 3 hours of my life and refuse to give it 8 more when I've been so bored the whole time. The story (so far) is mostly flashbacks of Simon's childhood and past life with snippets of the present story and mystery of the museum in between. I want to find out about the dinosaur bones and spooky happenings at the Hawthorn. I do not want to listen in on another one of Simon's Zoom meetings, sit through another flashback, or hear about people pulling their masks on and debating on whether or not to shake hands because Covid.
I've also been struggling with the narrator. I feel his voices sound too alike, and I'm mixing up the many different side characters. But this is my first ever audiobook listen so maybe that's just something I need to get used to.
This book has a lot of positive reviews so I'm sure it picks up and gets interesting later on, but I'm not patient enough for that. Life is too short and I have way too many other books I want to invest my time in.
I've also been struggling with the narrator. I feel his voices sound too alike, and I'm mixing up the many different side characters. But this is my first ever audiobook listen so maybe that's just something I need to get used to.
This book has a lot of positive reviews so I'm sure it picks up and gets interesting later on, but I'm not patient enough for that. Life is too short and I have way too many other books I want to invest my time in.