sarai0410's reviews
351 reviews

Dinosaur Sanctuary Vol. 6 by Itaru Kinoshita

lighthearted relaxing fast-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? N/A

5.0

I've loved every volume of Dinosaur Sanctuary so far and volume 6 is no different. I really can't get enough of learning more about the dinos - scientifically and their individual personalities. I appreciate how each volume highlights the importance of research and continued funding for research programs and animal (or dinosaur in this case) sanctuaries.

Back to (im)patiently waiting for the next volume! 

Moth to a Flame by Eva Marks

dark fast-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

1.5

Look...I love me a dark romance with a mile long list of trigger warnings (yes - I could probably do with some therapy, no need to remind me) but the grammar and sentence structure, as well as skipping around in a scene so I have no idea what is happening from sentence to sentence, were too distracting to even care about the plot. 

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

2025 reread + audiobook:
I didn't think it was possible to love this book more than when I first read it but I was completely wrong. Holy hell the audiobook is icing on the metaphorical cake - I was literally cackling while listen to the duet narration and I think Elena Wolfe and Jacob Morgan have spoiled me for all other narrators. Favorite romance? Nah. Favorite BOOK - hands down.

I am so freaking excited for the sequel Caught Up. Queue me foaming at the mouth, waiting for June 10th to arrive.

2024:
Navessa Allen absolutely knocked it out of the park with this 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Characters - brilliant
Plot - exceptional and believable
Humor - top tier and giggle worthy
Smut - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🥵

I loved this so much. I'd been waiting for this since it was first teased on social media months ago and the wait was absolutely worth it. It's totally worth going into this without knowing much but definitely check the trigger warnings at the start of the book because this is very spicy (in the best ways).

Edit: Allen handled the miscommunication trope so well! Miscommunication is the bane of my existence and biggest pet peeve in a romance story and she KILLED it. 

Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers

dark fast-paced

2.0

Looking for old school Wattpad fanfiction vibes? Welp..here you go. 

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

adventurous lighthearted 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

4.5

A wonderful conclusion to a beautiful series. I have very few words for my thoughts on this as much of my thoughts go into spoiler territory, but Fawcett created the perfect blend of cozy and dark, fantastical and historical, FMC-focused and romantic.

While I do wish we had a little more time with Emily and Wendall together, the story has always been about Emily at it's core, so the finale should be no different.

I don't tend to reread often, but the Emily Wilde will be one I revisit in the future ❤️

I must write it down. For it is in writing that I will discover a way out. A door within the story. There is one. It cannot end here. Yet some stories do.

 

The Expert of Subtle Revisions by Kirsten Menger-Anderson

mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

The first thing that drew me into this book was the cover but I found the premise interesting as well. It's an odd book - the plot is thin but still intriguing, the separate POVs across timelines was done well, and the characters were unique. The one thing I felt that was lacking was the references to Wikipedia; I think I was just expecting more of them, but what we got was still fun.

I've seen a couple of comparisons to The Ministry of Time but this was done much much better in my opinion (considering that the writing is actually readable here..). 

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

As someone that doesn't dabble in the Thriller genre often, I was skeptical about giving this a chance (even knowing that it was such a beloved book). Many reviews I've seen mention how well done the audiobook is, so I figured I would try it for a book club. Holy hell - this was amazing! I could give 5 ⭐ from the audiobook alone. The mix of our FMC's, Lucy, unreliable memories and the podcast element revealing information throughout - truly the best way this story could have been told. While hitting on serious topics, there is plenty of humor and sarcasm throughout the story (Grandma is the best character imo) to break up those serious moments. 

If you read this - highly recommend the audio!

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

fast-paced

2.5

After hearing amazing things about this graphic novel for years, I thought I would give it a chance..unfortunately, this one just isn't for me. 

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 25 by Gege Akutami

dark fast-paced

4.0

 I'm scared for what's coming next but damn he looks good. 

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 24 by Gege Akutami

dark

4.0

Gege - stop being mean to my baby boys