semi's reviews
50 reviews

Sociopath: a Memoir by Patric Gagne

challenging dark informative reflective fast-paced

2.0

tldr: as a memoir it attempted to be introspective but lacked depth and accountability. tbh this book could’ve benefited from more editing.

***

there’s something off about this memoir…having done light research about aspd prior to this novel there are just some contradictions that puzzled me, but i’m no expert so i just took it with a grain of salt. 

i also had to realize that the narrator is most likely really unreliable. to be fair they outright admit that some of the conversations were reconstructed for narrative purposes and they describe so many instances of them being by dishonest and manipulative despite priding themselves on “i never lie.” people who constantly have to prove that they’re honest probably aren’t. some of the conversations felt too polished and info dumpy. like it felt more like i was reading a movie script rather than an organic conversation. and a lot of her stories felt embellished.

i also wish she sourced actual people and papers to help validate her claims and give attention to others work in the field where aspd is stigmatized and there is still so much debate about it. but this could be a nit pick.

lastly narratively wise it started interesting but quickly fizzles out. the first 4/5 of the book felt pretty superficial in the sense that she’d repeat the same points on every other page just in different phrasing. yet it never got deeper than that despite her trying to make it sound profound. she would also repeat how much of a sociopath she was on like every page for what im assuming is shock factor. however, the “i’m a sociopath” bit got old after 10 pages. ok cool, you’re a sociopath, but why should i keep reading?

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

strengths 

• more exploration on Rootcrafting and the Order and how systems have let down and oppressed groups of people for generations 
• more action

cons

• romance between sel and bree progresses unnaturally fast. it feels a bit forced sometimes because sel especially cannot explicitly state why he’s so head over heels for her and fails to properly atone for his deception and previous murderous intent towards her in book 1….
• after a certain point it just felt like sel and bree were cheating on nick and really could not care less. they say they care about him but often their actions said otherwise.
• i found bree’s flaws to be a bit annoying. she continues to constantly loudly speak in conversations about complex topics when she’s the least knowledgeable in the room (like girl know when it’s your place) and makes impulsive decisions that put others at stake. she had not improved from the beginning of legebdborn to the end of bloodmarked. she always needs to be reeled in by her friends. at times she really lacked perspective on the bigger picture and empathy for others who went through the same thing.
  the scene where she felt betrayed by nick for murdering the man who literally killed his father right in front of him. her especially should have understood the internal rage and grief of loosing a parent because that empathy, loss, grief, and misdirected anger was heavily explored through her in legendborn. if that were her in nick’s position, i really do think she would’ve tried to do the same. it was frustrating seeing her take such a raw and vulnerable moment for nick and make it about her self. no he didn’t betray you. that moment had NOTHING to do with you.

  i do try to not be too harsh because she really is going through a lot.
• pacing can feel overwhelming at times—there are so many events and character lines packed into this book but there lacks a goal and direction for plot and character development. like what even was the end goal here??

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

a nice atmospheric and well research book. not anything too memorable for me personally but would recommend it to others that want and tense/sweet book.

my major faults:

• i don’t mind a long, slow paced book if there is a good payoff or is meaningful. the pacing is slow with no substance. nothing major happens until the last 30% when majority of the mid section of the book should’ve been heavily cut down. the ending is hopeful but could be a hit or miss for people.
• kath, the love interest, is very one-dimensional so i couldn’t care for her as much as lily did, which is unfortunate considering it was from her pov. they have cute moments though 
• additionally to kath, a lot of the side characters are underdeveloped. i forgot the mc literally had siblings until they jumpscared me on a random page here and there. all the friends and family pretty much sound the same as well.
• the random flashbacks are randomly placed and took me out of the story at times. they flashbacks didn’t really feel finished by the end of the book
• a lot of the tension was lost on me.
  especially since the Red Scare and deportation threats never actually impacted the characters as you think it would. a lot of it gets sets up in the beginning but is completely dropped by the end of the story, which leaves loose ends.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

While the rating may not show it, i actually did have a fun time reading this and feeling immersed. the pacing may through some people off, but i don’t mind a slower moving book. and, the plot twist did catch me off guard. but, i do wish the ending was a but more cleaned up. definitely a hit or miss book considering how hyped up it was.

also why was the mc doing literally any and every side quest beside their job💀

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Infidelity

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

Literally the book version of Up

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

adventurous medium-paced

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

1.75

This book shouldn’t be marketed as a mystery; the book felt more like domestic drama—a somewhat predictable one at that—unraveling than a mystery that has me guessing the whole time.

The dual timeline was hard to follow in the beginning. It made it even harder to get through since I found one timeline was less interesting than the other. Also while I liked the use of mixed media, the way it was scattered around through the book made it sort of disorienting while discerning the confusing dual timeline at the same time.

Get In My Swamp by G.M. Fairy

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

0.25

Literally the worst piece of literature I’ve ever read, and I am so deeply ashamed. Read it.