shahdhazem's reviews
190 reviews

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

This was horrible, it took all of my energy not to DNF it. The story is so cool like " a dark retelling of the wizard of OZ" that's something new for me but it didn't live up to the expectations at, which weren't THAT big if you're wondering. It started off really well but page by page it got more stretched to the point that the story just started to blur. The author was stretching the events endlessly it was torture and the ending was not satisfying at all for all the suffering I endured. And what surprised me more that this is like a 4 or 5 books series like what is  happening how can she stretch the story more than it already is. Good writing but weak plot and weak characters so everything felt like it had no point existing. Wouldn't read any of the other books, can't for the life of me care less about the characters or the story.

Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.

The events felt so stretched and I was so bored. Felt like there was pointless to continue reading when I don't care about the characters at all and there's no plot I'm looking forward to. 

Why Your Parents Are Driving You Up the Wall and What To Do About It: THE BOOK EVERY TEENAGER NEEDS TO READ by Dean Burnett

3.5

So this is my first time reviewing a non-fiction book and I'll try my best to give you a brief honest review.  I don't read non-fiction books at all like it's a no for me but my friend put me on the edge of the cliff and lent me this and was like read it so consequently I did and may I say this was a fairly pleasant experience. Obviously this book is targeting teenagers which is like from 13 till 16 year olds and I'm 18 so basically I've gone through everything this book talks about and already established my own ways and rules but if I'd have read this when I was younger I would have definitely liked it alot and I did like it now too. The author addresses different problems that faces both parents and teenagers alike in a funny, light and informative way. Absolutely loved his writingstyle and sense of humor. The book takes a bunch of common problems and explains them briefly in a scientific and social way. I loved the scientific part of this, the way he explains different functions of the brain and all it was just excellent which was expected as Dean is a neuroscientist so if it was anything less I'd have been really really disappointed. Coming to the social way, let's say he didn't have much luck in that area at least in my opinion. To be honest he disscused some topics in an excellent way and others just fell but that's completely normal and it wasn't that bad of a fall to make me not like the book so that's a point for him. At the end, do I recommend it? I absolutely does for it's target audience and even for bigger ones who want to have a look on how our brains and ideologies develop with age in a simple witty way! Definitely interested to read more books for the author which are more scientifically focused. Oh one last thing this book should've been a 4 star read but there were some content I didn't agree with so I took away a 0.5 which is fair in my opinion but that's it.

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

Got into this one with no expectations whatsoever because of the mixed opinions but it was a really pleasant surprise. The dark academia setting is so well written and the details of Hazel's pursuit of medicine and how she got through lots of obstacles was so amusing for me. The writing style was really really good too and the dynamic between characters was amazing. Last but not the least, the  plot twist and that ending; it's kind of a traditional one but I didn't expect it and I liked going through the details.  Of course the book is called a "love story" and the romance was pretty good for me but I don't think it was the focus of the book at all and I liked that. Loved the ending and don't think it needs a second book but will still read it out of curiosity

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

adventurous challenging funny mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

Really really disappointed by this one. I admit I expected alot getting in but that's because of how the author marketed the books and also the opinions of other readers. I've been reading for several years now so I should've learned a while ago not to get carried away that easily but what can we say, I'm guilty of loving the shadowhunters world. Anyways, let's get to the point. From the first book we figured out that this series is character driven and I'm perfectly okay with that even though they're not the best people to be around except for like 2 or 3 characters. But the thing is; THEY HAD NO DEVELOPMENT IN THIS BOOK WHATSOEVER may I even say most of them got worse. The plot was extremely ridiculous just full of silly drama and clare was literally torturing the only character I cared about, the book got on my nerves immensely I don't even know how I finished it. Also, it was extremely slow and empty the whole events and "excitment" were packed it the last 100 pages and mind you this is a 700 pages long book like wth. I just tolerate this series for the small glimpses of will and tessa that clare throws for us and that's it and that's why I'm giving it 3.5 for the precious scenes of the infernal devices characters and some epic scenes for belial and lilith but if we're being honest with each other this book deserves a maximum of 2.5 no more I'm just too sentimental to do that. No offense to anyone who likes this I'm not judging at all of course this is just my look. Now watch me come crawling and read Chain of Thrones, that's how much I have no control when it comes to shadowhunters.

Mindwalker by Kate Dylan

adventurous challenging inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

This may be the first official sci-fi I read and I absolutely loved it. The world is not complicated and everything is explained so well, the characters are really diverse and well written and finally the enemies to lovers and Betrayal arc were TOP TIER. it wasn't going really fast for me until maybe 50% but after that it got so much better. Easily one of my favourite reads of the year. 
Thank you for netgalley and the publisher for giving me an E-Arc to review.

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

Thank for netgalley and the publisher for giving me an E-arc of this book and here's my honest review. 
This book crept up to my top list in no time. I admit that I had high expectations getting into this and thankfully it didn't disappoint at all. The world is so mesmerising and very well-written. Also loved how the author captured the Arabic names, food and some little traditions. The characters are had amazing depth and storylines it made me go crazy, also their development was so great I got attached to them so much. Lastly, the plot and the twists when I tell the last 20% literally altered my whole experience with the book I mean it. Definitely recommend this to fantasy lovers like myself this is one of the best books out there can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy. Also patiently waiting for more books with these characters can't wait to see what the author will do.

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I had so much hope that this would be my first 5 star read for 2023 but sadly it didn't live up. This duology is perfect in so many ways I can't even begin to explain how amazing VE Schwap is for writing these characters and this world. I got into vengeful really weary because vicious was so so good I was scared this will ruin it. But surprisingly so from the first chapter hell from the prologue even I changed my mind. It was going so so well good pace, mindblowing characters and backstories and a writingstyle that's out of this world. I was enjoying it to the max till I got to the end and was really really shocked by how the book ended. My main problem is that I didn't get the closure I needed and also there were so many things left unexplained. Later I learned there's a third book but honestly I wanted it to end here even tho I'd love to see the characters again but it'd have been better for the story. Last but not the least would I recommend the series? Absolutely yes I guarantee that if you're like me into morally-grey characters and extraordinary stories you'd have the time of your life.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Addiction and Drug use

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

medium-paced

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

2.5

I'm telling you this with complete honesty, this is one of the worst romance books I've read in my entire life. Ridiculous story, annoying characters and awful plot writing. What I usually look for in a romance is the cute caring mc and swoon-worthy moments which I didn't find here. On the contrary I found the male mc so vexing and treated the female mc like shit literally. I don't care if he changed he only did it because of a DNA test number so that's a no for me. The only decent character here was the little girl juno other than that nope. Low-key liked the relationship between river and juno but it wasn't concentrated on much so that doesn't change anything for me. If you're looking for a cute romance I honestly wouldn't recommend this at all. Totally no offence for anyone who loves this it's only a matter of tastes of course.

A Ghost in Shining Armor by Therese Beharrie

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

So this would've been a somewhat decent romance if not for the amount of sexualizing in the book. I honestly felt like the two main characters didn't love each other they were only attracted to each other's bodies and the fact that they constantly talked about it was so annoying even when they were disscusing important life changing situations and this says alot of bad things about the characters like the fact that they can't control their desires at all. When I read a romance I don't want it to imply that love is only about the bodies no that's not it. The book disscused really important subjects and I loved the idea but the author ruined it by sexualizing the characters in a horrible way. If I could've gotten over it for the sake of the story believe me I would cause I liked it but it was impossible. I may sound a little harsh but I don't mean it like that I just wanted it to be clear that this is not a good thing I hope the author learns from this in the future. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this book.