shane_the_reading_rat's reviews
1010 reviews

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

5.0

still just as incredible as the first time i read it <3

Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen

4.5

genuinely scarier than any horror book ive ever read. jesus christ
fair warning this book is incredibly america-centric, there is nearly zero discussion of how any other country would fare. thought that was disappointing. i also had a massive side-eye when this book used an interview of Yeonmi Park done by Joe Rogan for a quote :/
overall though i think this is a really fascinating (and also haunting) book

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park

5.0

look it might just be because i went through a breakup recently but THIS BOOK HITTTTT i cried at that fucking ending

ASAP by Axie Oh

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75

this was pretty alright. i loved XOXO dearly, so mentally i did compare this a lot. this imo was just not as good as XOXO, i love the world of this series but admittedly Sori and Nathaniel were just not characters i was massively into in XOXO.
getting into spoiler territory here,

i just didn’t like how jealous Sori was of Hyemi and Nathaniel hanging out. that was weird and ick. jealousy and possessiveness in a romance gross me out. it was kinda a weird love triangle plot that was resolved by Hyemi saying she will love Nathaniel from afar “like a fan”, which. is just kinda icky.

some of the writing was just not for me (mainly things Nathaniel would say that were meant to be romantic but just made me cringe, i swear to you i read some of this in public and made a full 😖 face at some of what he said cause jesus christ)
anyway this was overall pretty sweet and the writing flowed well, just didn’t have the giggling-kicking-my-feet energy like XOXO

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell

5.0

my final book of 2024!
i thought this was lovely, my only thing is that i could stand for it to be a little longer. but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment :D

Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías

1.25

i was writing a very long review and sadly it did not save. so the gist of what i was writing is: i hate the main character, she is so apathetic that i think if straight up nuclear war happened she wouldnt blink an eye, and the treatment of the disabled child she nannies for is horrific (including her referring to him as “the syndrome” an uncountable number of times, comparing him to an “amphibian monster”,  describing his looks as “his eyes long slits in his shapeless face”, and abandoning him at her apartment for several hours at a time). the book ends with him (his name is Mauro) being sent back to the countryside with his mother, to the place where it seems implied earlier in the book that he is being abused and neglected, while he cries and desperately tries to stay with the narrator. im incredibly mad at this book. the only reason it is 1.25 stars and not just 1 is because i thought the pandemic narrative was mildly interesting.

The Language of Seabirds by Will Taylor

5.0

i thought this was an incredibly sweet book. can definitely see 12-year-old me reading this and loving it. im not in the audience anymore for middle grade, so take this with a grain of salt, but for me i think it deals with serious topics (divorce, alcoholism) in a really good way for a 12-13 year old audience. i hate when the perception is that books for kids cant involve serious topics, cause lots of kids have had to deal with really hard things (myself included) and books can help them feel less alone. anyway tangent over, i loved this!!

Have You Seen This Girl by Nita Tyndall

4.0

i really liked this!! perfect fast pace for a thriller, and Sid was an awesome main character. didnt have that extra spark that wouldve made it a 5 star book for me, but still pretty great
(i wish that Mavis were a little more of a character, she was kinda one note in this)

High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson

funny lighthearted fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

this is very much a “turn your brain off and vibe” book, and while that energy is generally not for me i thought this was fine. i liked Lana as a main character, yes she is selfish and a massive flirt but she’s super fun. also perhaps my favorite aspect of this that ive seen no review mention is that: while this is a world of only women, when they want to become pregnant the “natal fairy” visits them and gives them children. the natal fairy is such a funny concept, like oh my god. im really curious if the natal fairy is the only man in this universe and he is just. a Magic Guy who gives the women children in a magical way. sadly not confirmed but it’d be so funny

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

5.0

it was because of @danielles_reads’s lovely review of this that i decided to pick up this book and read it instead of returning it to the library early. thank you danielle (i adore your reviews)!!!
in the most loving way: i am devastated by this book.
it’s my favorite kind of book, something that under the surface is about love and hope and the power of love and hope and the want for change, for a better world. and this book did that splendidly.
i didn’t cry, but upon finishing this i felt as wrung out emotionally as a sad little wet towel. and i think that is the perfect way to describe the experience of reading Blood Upon Bright Haven.
easily one of my favorite fantasy books of all time. again thank you danielle for indirectly encouraging me to go ahead and read it <3