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slimepuppy's reviews
118 reviews
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It takes a while to get going, but once it does it's 100% worth it. So charming. So juicy. Austen describes mortification so well, it's almost painful.
I only wish Mr. Collins had gotten shot or something. Oh, well. Off to AO3.
I only wish Mr. Collins had gotten shot or something. Oh, well. Off to AO3.
Poor Little Sick Girls: A love letter to unacceptable women by Ione Gamble
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Started this book while in the hospital waiting for my mom to come out of surgery. Undergoing surgery sounded more interesting than anything this book had to say.
I related to a lot of the author's thoughts in the parts where she talked about struggling with her health, but once she moved on from her personal experiences the book sort of fell apart. The book has such a preachy tone, constantly making shallow statements and then never digging deeper in any subject - the book ended up reading more like self-help (or a really long Twitter thread) than a collection of related essays.
I related to a lot of the author's thoughts in the parts where she talked about struggling with her health, but once she moved on from her personal experiences the book sort of fell apart. The book has such a preachy tone, constantly making shallow statements and then never digging deeper in any subject - the book ended up reading more like self-help (or a really long Twitter thread) than a collection of related essays.
The Elementals by Michael McDowell
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
While it is certainly as witty as the first book, this one just kind of stumbles through some of its' conclusions - mainly the De Grey mystery and her character as a whole - wrapping things up with seemingly no thoughts put into it.
I'm sure some of the things not addressed will probably be tackled in the next book, but I think it was just unnecessary to split things down the middle. It felt underwhelming to spend two books reading about this big, dark mystery of the past, only for it to be solved and then promptly ignored because the main character had to go off on her own. Why the forced hurry? The book could have afforded to be a little longer.
Despite all this, it was still a fun, quick read. The romance wasn't awkward (and sometimes I even found myself wishing for more of it) and the new characters were well developed and interesting, though the setting was somewhat interchangeable with last book's setting. Emily is kind of a bitch a lot, but I'm glad that a FMC gets to the be the awful one for once without being apologetic about all the time - she apologizes when it's really pertinent, and that's enough.
Wendell and the Fae are the best parts of the book, though. I love how the definition of what a Fae is expanding so much; by the third book everything will be Fae. Good!
I'm sure some of the things not addressed will probably be tackled in the next book, but I think it was just unnecessary to split things down the middle. It felt underwhelming to spend two books reading about this big, dark mystery of the past, only for it to be solved and then promptly ignored because the main character had to go off on her own. Why the forced hurry? The book could have afforded to be a little longer.
Despite all this, it was still a fun, quick read. The romance wasn't awkward (and sometimes I even found myself wishing for more of it) and the new characters were well developed and interesting, though the setting was somewhat interchangeable with last book's setting. Emily is kind of a bitch a lot, but I'm glad that a FMC gets to the be the awful one for once without being apologetic about all the time - she apologizes when it's really pertinent, and that's enough.
Wendell and the Fae are the best parts of the book, though. I love how the definition of what a Fae is expanding so much; by the third book everything will be Fae. Good!
Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a 4.5/5 stars book until the very last two chapters. Like many horror movies before it, this book lasted longer than it should have. Up until the last chapter, this was a delightful read, an intriguing mystery filled with dread and so much sadness. The Thin Kid and that classroom are going to stick with me for a while - I'll be hoping that the ending doesn't!
I like the script within the book, I like the back and forth between the timeline, I even liked Karson's drawn out movie death scene. Karson's movie scenes in general were eery and disturbing and very fun to picture in a cinematic form. The group dynamics were fun, I liked the characters and I liked wondering about their past, what was truth and what was fiction, why they acted the way they did. I think it's fun that we don't really learn why Karson is the way that he is, we only know what the narrator does.
The book loses a bit of its momentum a little over the halfway mark, but it's nothing truly terrible, at least not until the Cleo reveal and the closing chapter. We spend the entire book skirting around what happened to Cleo and how it broke the main character so thoroughly that he can never escape that day and those weeks spent working on the film - and then the reveal happens, and it's well written, sure, but we get no follow up. We don't get to hear about Cleo's family and the lawsuit, we don't get to hear about Providence's reaction to its homegrown tragedy, we don't even know what sort of sentence the narrator and Valentina got in the trial! It was like Paul couldn't wait to wrap up the book, which is a pity considering that the build up was great.
And then the last chapter, an epilogue of sorts, which suffers from the exact opposite problem - it goes on for too long, discloses too much information which we didn't need to know. We could have left off with the narrator implying half the stuff that happens in that last chapter, and it would have been creepy and effective, and it would even tie up with the ending of the titular Horror Movie, which was abrupt, unique and weird. Alas, we get a really drawn out sequence of events where the narrator becomes utterly insufferable and thing happen. And then things keep happening for however many pages that was.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Paul Tremblay's script for 'Horror Movie' is better than the book Horror Movie. Still had a great time, though.
I like the script within the book, I like the back and forth between the timeline, I even liked Karson's drawn out movie death scene. Karson's movie scenes in general were eery and disturbing and very fun to picture in a cinematic form. The group dynamics were fun, I liked the characters and I liked wondering about their past, what was truth and what was fiction, why they acted the way they did. I think it's fun that we don't really learn why Karson is the way that he is, we only know what the narrator does.
The book loses a bit of its momentum a little over the halfway mark, but it's nothing truly terrible, at least not until the Cleo reveal and the closing chapter. We spend the entire book skirting around what happened to Cleo and how it broke the main character so thoroughly that he can never escape that day and those weeks spent working on the film - and then the reveal happens, and it's well written, sure, but we get no follow up. We don't get to hear about Cleo's family and the lawsuit, we don't get to hear about Providence's reaction to its homegrown tragedy, we don't even know what sort of sentence the narrator and Valentina got in the trial! It was like Paul couldn't wait to wrap up the book, which is a pity considering that the build up was great.
And then the last chapter, an epilogue of sorts, which suffers from the exact opposite problem - it goes on for too long, discloses too much information which we didn't need to know. We could have left off with the narrator implying half the stuff that happens in that last chapter, and it would have been creepy and effective, and it would even tie up with the ending of the titular Horror Movie, which was abrupt, unique and weird. Alas, we get a really drawn out sequence of events where the narrator becomes utterly insufferable and thing happen. And then things keep happening for however many pages that was.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Paul Tremblay's script for 'Horror Movie' is better than the book Horror Movie. Still had a great time, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Blood
Moderate: Cancer, Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, and Car accident
The Awakening by L.J. Smith
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The book starts out wrong just by how unrealistic it is that a kid would run that sort of app for years without ever getting any repercussion. The app would get taken down after the first post made anyone get hurt, or Simon would have gotten the whooping of his life and that would be IT.
If you manage to suspend your disbelief past that start, the book still doesn’t make it worth your time. The main characters are flat - them having made mistakes in the past doesn't change the fact that they're still the only nice, normal people in a school filled with assholes.
So, one main character is experiencing prejudice and the only person in the entire school willing to stand up for him is ANOTHER main character? Great. No character is allowed nuance, not our heroes or our villains. Simon was the only one who could have been three dimensional, and he was in it for a second, never to return, not even through flashbacks, which would have been a great way to explore his psyche and his motivations for the terrible things he did.He's our killer and we barely get to meet him.
The pacing was... exquisite. Halfway through the book Addy's arc is basically concluded while Cooper's is just starting to unravel. It makes for a bumpy, uneven read, when you go from reading a character that kind of has nowhere left to grow to one just starting his journey, then to a hamfisted romance between two of the least interesting main characters.
Finally, the ending felt very rushed. The final confrontation was fun! The resolution of the mystery was well done and there was even an important detail that had been foreshadowed earlier, which was satisfying to see coming back. But following that scene, the book seems to be dying to be over.
We don't get to see Nate face life outside of jail and him reconnecting with his mom, we don't get to ever see Cooper interact with his family again, nothing. We're just told things are happening, all so we can have more time devoted to a stupid break up that makes no sense and feels extremely forced. So you spent the entire book telling me that Bronwyn is headstrong and willing to fight tooth and nail for what she wants, and at the first cold shoulder she just gives up? Great characterization, LOL.
Ok, so to mention the things I actually liked for posterity: Cooper was a good character. He was consistent and his actions made sense with what he was going through. He had internal and external conflicts to deal with - you very much get the sense that Cooper could lose his chances of being a pro player because of the scandal, while Browwyn never gets so much as a glare from a teacher for having cheated on multiple tests for an entire semester (?!).
Anyways, Cooper's outing made me feel genuinely sick - the police station scene was well written, I could feel the dread that Cooper was feeling as he realized what was being done to him.
A lot of it had to do with their inner lives - Cooper's friends and family felt the most realistic of the four, people with flaws and qualities and their own lives going on - Bronwyn's parents were just like every other YA parent. Her two friends might as well be cardboard cutouts. Addy's mom is an ugly caricature that fails to ever develop a single trait that might make her seem like a real person. Nate's mom is not flat, but she's barely there - we could have gotten so much more out of their relationship.
That's the basic TLDR of this book, I guess: it could have been waay better, but the author was just not interested in fleshing out characters or situations beyond the the surface level.
Also, the synopsis is just kind of misleading!The Bayview 4 don't really join forces to try and solve the case until 70% of the book. "One Of Us Is Lying?" Yeah, whoever wrote that blurb.
If you manage to suspend your disbelief past that start, the book still doesn’t make it worth your time. The main characters are flat - them having made mistakes in the past doesn't change the fact that they're still the only nice, normal people in a school filled with assholes.
So, one main character is experiencing prejudice and the only person in the entire school willing to stand up for him is ANOTHER main character? Great. No character is allowed nuance, not our heroes or our villains. Simon was the only one who could have been three dimensional, and he was in it for a second, never to return, not even through flashbacks, which would have been a great way to explore his psyche and his motivations for the terrible things he did.
The pacing was... exquisite. Halfway through the book Addy's arc is basically concluded while Cooper's is just starting to unravel. It makes for a bumpy, uneven read, when you go from reading a character that kind of has nowhere left to grow to one just starting his journey, then to a hamfisted romance between two of the least interesting main characters.
Finally, the ending felt very rushed. The final confrontation was fun! The resolution of the mystery was well done and there was even an important detail that had been foreshadowed earlier, which was satisfying to see coming back. But following that scene, the book seems to be dying to be over.
We don't get to see Nate face life outside of jail and him reconnecting with his mom, we don't get to ever see Cooper interact with his family again, nothing. We're just told things are happening, all so we can have more time devoted to a stupid break up that makes no sense and feels extremely forced. So you spent the entire book telling me that Bronwyn is headstrong and willing to fight tooth and nail for what she wants, and at the first cold shoulder she just gives up? Great characterization, LOL.
Ok, so to mention the things I actually liked for posterity: Cooper was a good character. He was consistent and his actions made sense with what he was going through. He had internal and external conflicts to deal with - you very much get the sense that Cooper could lose his chances of being a pro player because of the scandal, while Browwyn never gets so much as a glare from a teacher for having cheated on multiple tests for an entire semester (?!).
Anyways, Cooper's outing made me feel genuinely sick - the police station scene was well written, I could feel the dread that Cooper was feeling as he realized what was being done to him.
A lot of it had to do with their inner lives - Cooper's friends and family felt the most realistic of the four, people with flaws and qualities and their own lives going on - Bronwyn's parents were just like every other YA parent. Her two friends might as well be cardboard cutouts. Addy's mom is an ugly caricature that fails to ever develop a single trait that might make her seem like a real person. Nate's mom is not flat, but she's barely there - we could have gotten so much more out of their relationship.
That's the basic TLDR of this book, I guess: it could have been waay better, but the author was just not interested in fleshing out characters or situations beyond the the surface level.
Also, the synopsis is just kind of misleading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Outing
Moderate: Suicide and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Cancer, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
mysterious
fast-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
2.0
The entire book feels like the set up; once you think the fun is about to start the book just ENDS. Out of nowhere. I know this is a series, but there had to be a better way to end the first book - as it is, the whole thing feels hastily thrown together with a cliffhanger at the very end to draw you in.
As the story comes to an abrupt end, we get no clues about the mystery of A's identity, whatever might have happened to Alison, or what the Jenna Incident might have even been about - really disappointing, since the Liars' past was the most interesting part of the book.
The main characters were mostly okay? Aria was annoying but not the kind that you despise, Hanna is endearingly messy and Emily and Spencer are actually really interesting and nuanced.
Oh and the male characters should all die in a ditch with the exception of Mike, Noel and Andrew. Put the others in jail and throw away the key!! And end Emily's and Spencer's parents to jail too, while we're at it.
As the story comes to an abrupt end, we get no clues about the mystery of A's identity, whatever might have happened to Alison, or what the Jenna Incident might have even been about - really disappointing, since the Liars' past was the most interesting part of the book.
The main characters were mostly okay? Aria was annoying but not the kind that you despise, Hanna is endearingly messy and Emily and Spencer are actually really interesting and nuanced.
Oh and the male characters should all die in a ditch with the exception of Mike, Noel and Andrew. Put the others in jail and throw away the key!! And end Emily's and Spencer's parents to jail too, while we're at it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Racism, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Self harm and Suicide attempt