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shaziareads's reviews
123 reviews
Hestia Strikes a Match by Christine Grillo
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
How Can I Help You by Laura Sims
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
unfortunately not my favorite work by grady hendrix, but the ending is the reason why i'm giving this a 2 star rating rather than 1 star. it also is pretty hard to read a book with unlikable characters but there is some redemption throughout the book.
i think if some of the middle was cut out, and there was more focus on the family history and relationships, this could have easily been a 4 star read.
i think if some of the middle was cut out, and there was more focus on the family history and relationships, this could have easily been a 4 star read.
Flowers in the Attic: 40th Anniversary Edition by V.C. Andrews
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape
Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
You might think a YA dystopian book from the 70s may not be too good now, but it really surprised me. There was so much suspense in this book, even more than some thrillers I've read recently.
Ann Burden is a teenage girl living alone in her valley-that was somehow not affected-after some sort of nuclear attack. At some point she notices there is a man slowly approaching where she is living. She is smart and watches him for a few days, and after he accidentally poisons himself by swimming in radioactive water, she chooses to step in and help treat him until he gets better. When he heals, you think he seems like a pretty decent guy but then he starts to unravel and does not stop.
I really did not like how Mr. Loomis treated Ann and how Ann chose to deal with their situation. She was way more patient than any other teenage protagonist I've read, but it kind of worked in this book. Of course a church-going gal living in the middle of nowhere in the 70s would be super polite to a man who was trying toassault (?), imprison (?), murder (????) her.
But despite that, I think this was a good, quick read, and definitely one I'd recommend to anyone who likes dystopian literature.
p.s. This is another book you may want to stay away from if you don't like animal deaths.
Ann Burden is a teenage girl living alone in her valley-that was somehow not affected-after some sort of nuclear attack. At some point she notices there is a man slowly approaching where she is living. She is smart and watches him for a few days, and after he accidentally poisons himself by swimming in radioactive water, she chooses to step in and help treat him until he gets better. When he heals, you think he seems like a pretty decent guy but then he starts to unravel and does not stop.
I really did not like how Mr. Loomis treated Ann and how Ann chose to deal with their situation. She was way more patient than any other teenage protagonist I've read, but it kind of worked in this book. Of course a church-going gal living in the middle of nowhere in the 70s would be super polite to a man who was trying to
But despite that, I think this was a good, quick read, and definitely one I'd recommend to anyone who likes dystopian literature.
p.s. This is another book you may want to stay away from if you don't like animal deaths.
The Silence by Tim Lebbon
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
i picked this up because i heard it was similar to 'a quiet place' and i was in the mood for a good dystopian read. considering this book was published before 'a quiet place' came out, i would say the plot is suspiciously similar to the movie - a deaf girl and her family must find a way to survive after vicious blind creatures that hunt by sound appear out of nowhere. unfortunately i wasn't a huge fan of the writing, i feel like a lot of the foreshadowing and character building could have been better.
i think i would have enjoyed this book more, despite the mediocre writing, if i hadn't already watched a quiet place. however there were some things i enjoyed more than the movie - the origin of the vesps, and finding out potential solutions to combat the vesps. i feel like tim lebbon could definitely build upon this world and write a sequel.
p.s. without spoiling too much, if you don't like animal deaths, then this book is definitely not for you.