shcleveland's reviews
165 reviews

Waiting for Saturday by Catherine Morrison

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2.75

The book handles its subject matter sensitively and realistically while being readable... and that's pretty much where my praise of it ends. It's simply not compelling in plot nor writing style. The characters felt to me like cutout representations of a textbook case rather than real people. It read more like a how-to for identifying and escaping abuse than a story in some places.

It's not a bad book, but it's not a great book, either.
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R.I.P. Viola Winkle by E.P. Stavs

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mysterious medium-paced

4.75

Vanished by Nicole McKeon

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

The Wraith and the Rose by C.J. Brightley

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

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2.75

Pretty/Ugly by Jennifer Anne Gordon

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

3.25

I found this book challenging to finish. The beginning went by quickly; I was gripped by the sheer horror of the sickness as it swept over the characters' lives. After that it started to drag and I lost interest in chunks of it. It's definitely a character driven story with very little in the way of plot after the initial onset of the virus. The book goes for a more literary feel than a genre horror or thriller. 

I do think I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been written with an omniscient narrator. It was jarring and head-hoppy in places. There were also some spots where it felt like the book was written in present tense but edited into the past and I found that distracting. Still, much of the writing was haunting and beautiful.
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Stolen by Her Bear by Felicity Heaton

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fast-paced

3.0

This book was a short, easy read. I thought having the bear shifters actually hibernate was a cool touch, although I was kinda frustrated that they were otherwise just repackage werewolves. Based on the blurb I thought I was finally getting a solitary bear shifter. Anyway, my other kind of semi complaint is that the book ends rather abruptly. They get together, have sex, and then the book just ends. There's a free epilogue you can get by subscribing to the author's newsletter, but personally I feel like that's rather unfair and the epilogue should be part of the book. As it stands, the end isn't as emotionally satisfying as I wanted it to be.
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Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

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mysterious medium-paced

3.5

The Cold Dish: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson

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3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book. Like many other reviews, I saw the TV show long before picking up the book. To be honest, I think this is definitely one of those times the TV adapters got it right in the sense that they told a better story and gave us better characters. Walt Longmire of the books isn't a particularly good sheriff, and I don't think he's even a particularly good person. His character arc also feels... non-existent. He seems to wind up right back where he started... attempting to drink himself to death, this time with a dog.
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