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squids_can_read's reviews
697 reviews
Jackal by Erin E. Adams
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If the something in the woods calls your name, don't look and don't respond.
I feel pretty meh about this book. I thought the characters are really interesting but I guessed the twist pretty early on. I also thought that the end of the book seemed really rushed. There was also a flood that wasn't really explained. I think I just wanted the book to be more in depth about all of the important points. Overall though, enjoyable.
I feel pretty meh about this book. I thought the characters are really interesting but I guessed the twist pretty early on. I also thought that the end of the book seemed really rushed. There was also a flood that wasn't really explained. I think I just wanted the book to be more in depth about all of the important points. Overall though, enjoyable.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Read this book. Read This Book. READ THIS BOOK.
Now onto the actual book. The characters are amazingly written especially in the way that this story is written. It was so amazing how the characters have infected my mind and soul. I care so much about these characters and this book would have made me sob like a little baby if I wasn't so emotionally dead. Literally I care so much about these characters that if I think too much about the plot of this book I will burst out sobbing. This probably doesn't sound like such a great book but the writing was absolutely amazing. The world was like nothing that I have ever read before and I enjoyed it so much. I am really interesting in how this series continues because this book felt like a definitive end. However, I am so excited to read more in this world.
Now onto the actual book. The characters are amazingly written especially in the way that this story is written. It was so amazing how the characters have infected my mind and soul. I care so much about these characters and this book would have made me sob like a little baby if I wasn't so emotionally dead. Literally I care so much about these characters that if I think too much about the plot of this book I will burst out sobbing. This probably doesn't sound like such a great book but the writing was absolutely amazing. The world was like nothing that I have ever read before and I enjoyed it so much. I am really interesting in how this series continues because this book felt like a definitive end. However, I am so excited to read more in this world.
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mad Mad Maddy has been hiding her identity from the little town of Springville. But a freak rainstorm reveals the secret that Maddy had been viciously trying to hide. Now this small town is tearing itself apart and Maddy is dead in the middle of it.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I think that the overall plot of this book, with the characterization, was really amazing. But I didn't really believe in the setting.
The plot of this book is basically Carrie by Stephen King if Carrie was African American. Which is fine but I thought that it focused a lot on the beats of Carrie without the author really making it her own. It just seemed like every time that an important plot point came up, I immediately was thinking which part of Carrie it related to. I just wish that the author made the story a bit more her own overall. I'm not going to talk about the characterization except for that I really enjoyed the characterization of the people that were supposed to be good but I thought there was a lack of characterization for the people that are going to be bad.
Finally the setting. I want to preface this by saying that I do not know if this setting was realistic in 2014. I just want to say that it didn't seem to me to be realistic to me but if it is then the setting in the book is done amazingly. So in Springville(small town Georgia) in 2014 there is still an institution of separate but equal. This just seemed really unbelievable to me that a town would outright implement racist institutions instead of the town trying to hide it. One of the characters says that the racism of the school board is full of microaggressions but to me it just read as aggressions. I think that the overall setting would make more sense if the racism was supposed to be more covert than overt. But overall the setting was just really unrealistic to me.
Overall, though, I set aside my belief and really enjoyed this book. I think great read, especially if you enjoyed Carrie by Stephen King but wanted it to discuss more current issues.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I think that the overall plot of this book, with the characterization, was really amazing. But I didn't really believe in the setting.
The plot of this book is basically Carrie by Stephen King if Carrie was African American. Which is fine but I thought that it focused a lot on the beats of Carrie without the author really making it her own. It just seemed like every time that an important plot point came up, I immediately was thinking which part of Carrie it related to. I just wish that the author made the story a bit more her own overall. I'm not going to talk about the characterization except for that I really enjoyed the characterization of the people that were supposed to be good but I thought there was a lack of characterization for the people that are going to be bad.
Finally the setting. I want to preface this by saying that I do not know if this setting was realistic in 2014. I just want to say that it didn't seem to me to be realistic to me but if it is then the setting in the book is done amazingly. So in Springville(small town Georgia) in 2014 there is still an institution of separate but equal. This just seemed really unbelievable to me that a town would outright implement racist institutions instead of the town trying to hide it. One of the characters says that the racism of the school board is full of microaggressions but to me it just read as aggressions. I think that the overall setting would make more sense if the racism was supposed to be more covert than overt. But overall the setting was just really unrealistic to me.
Overall, though, I set aside my belief and really enjoyed this book. I think great read, especially if you enjoyed Carrie by Stephen King but wanted it to discuss more current issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
DNF (46%)
Kenna's grandfather is dead. Died of a heart attack or so the corner says. Suddenly information comes to light that her grandfather's death might not have been an accident like everyone says it is. Now Kenna has to fight for her place among the ruthless Praetorians along with finding out what actually happened to her grandfather.
Doesn't that sound great? It would have been if the author had developed the world at all. This is a mix of science fiction and fantasy but neither of these aspects are explained at all. There is random technology that simply exists with no information of how long it's existed or if people are still trying to create new technology. Similar to the fantasy element. Gods are referenced but are not described whatsoever in their effect on the world except for giving some people powers. And these powers aren't explained either. It seems like people with powers are much stronger than everyone else but they get beat up by people without powers. It also doesn't explain all of what they can do. Do they have one power depending on the god or do they have all of them? I was just really confused.
I also didn't like how focused the world was on racism and bigotry. This was a big part of the point of the book and I didn't have a problem with using those ideas to make a commentary on our world. I had an issue with how much was shoved in the reader's face that absolutely everyone where Kenna lives is a terrible person except for her friends, one of whom is from there. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me, especially in terms of the timeline of when these ideas started and where they came from.
As for the characters, I thought that they were okay. All of the characters seemed kind of two-dimensional to me. It didn't feel like they were very complicated, including the main character. But the characters were not why I DNFed this book.
PSA- Despite the fact that this book cover looks YA, this is definitely a book for adults. There is heavy graphic violence that took me a little by surprise. I did get used to it but it was a lot in the beginning, just so you know.
Kenna's grandfather is dead. Died of a heart attack or so the corner says. Suddenly information comes to light that her grandfather's death might not have been an accident like everyone says it is. Now Kenna has to fight for her place among the ruthless Praetorians along with finding out what actually happened to her grandfather.
Doesn't that sound great? It would have been if the author had developed the world at all. This is a mix of science fiction and fantasy but neither of these aspects are explained at all. There is random technology that simply exists with no information of how long it's existed or if people are still trying to create new technology. Similar to the fantasy element. Gods are referenced but are not described whatsoever in their effect on the world except for giving some people powers. And these powers aren't explained either. It seems like people with powers are much stronger than everyone else but they get beat up by people without powers. It also doesn't explain all of what they can do. Do they have one power depending on the god or do they have all of them? I was just really confused.
I also didn't like how focused the world was on racism and bigotry. This was a big part of the point of the book and I didn't have a problem with using those ideas to make a commentary on our world. I had an issue with how much was shoved in the reader's face that absolutely everyone where Kenna lives is a terrible person except for her friends, one of whom is from there. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me, especially in terms of the timeline of when these ideas started and where they came from.
As for the characters, I thought that they were okay. All of the characters seemed kind of two-dimensional to me. It didn't feel like they were very complicated, including the main character. But the characters were not why I DNFed this book.
PSA- Despite the fact that this book cover looks YA, this is definitely a book for adults. There is heavy graphic violence that took me a little by surprise. I did get used to it but it was a lot in the beginning, just so you know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Imanuelle never knew her mother, a bride of the Prophet who fell in love with someone else. Imanuelle was raised to uphold the values that her mother hated and things were going well. That is until Imanuelle stumbles into the Darkwood and unleashes a curse on all of Bethel. Now she and the Prophet's son must stop the curse before all of Bethel falls.
I wasn't sure about this book at first. It felt like the religious metaphors were very obvious but the more that I read the more that I was okay with that. The characters are beautifully crafted and the setting is really amazing. I really enjoyed the commentary on religion, especially in the way of the leaders of religion. I definitely would read this again and again. Totally recommend.
I wasn't sure about this book at first. It felt like the religious metaphors were very obvious but the more that I read the more that I was okay with that. The characters are beautifully crafted and the setting is really amazing. I really enjoyed the commentary on religion, especially in the way of the leaders of religion. I definitely would read this again and again. Totally recommend.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A convict free from prison decides to become a pious and great person. A young society lady has to sell her body to care for her daughter. A young girl who has only remembered the love of her father and not the dark abuse from her past falls in love. A young man who puts his life on the line for love. A sheriff who has always believed the world to be black and white and is now experiencing the shades of grey. Their lives have no reason to intersect but in this book, they all have an intense impact on each other's lives.
I'm not going to write a lot about the things that I didn't like about this book because I think it can all be summed up very simply. This author did not have an editor and he should have. There are parts in this book where it feels like the author wanted to share the research that he did for the book. Other than the length and great amount of unnecessary pages, the book was really interesting. The characters were intriguing and I was excited to read about their story.
I would recommend this book but I think that I would recommend an abridged version instead.
I'm not going to write a lot about the things that I didn't like about this book because I think it can all be summed up very simply. This author did not have an editor and he should have. There are parts in this book where it feels like the author wanted to share the research that he did for the book. Other than the length and great amount of unnecessary pages, the book was really interesting. The characters were intriguing and I was excited to read about their story.
I would recommend this book but I think that I would recommend an abridged version instead.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Dex is a monk. They've spent their life dedicated to their work in the garden. But lately they've been waking up tired. Tired of the monotony of their life. So they set out to become a tea monk and meet some interesting characters along the way.
I absolutely loved this story. The characters were so lovingly crafted that they seemed to jump off the page. The world was intricate and beautiful. I will say there wasn't much world-building in terms of the gods but it didn't detract at all from my understanding of the book. The discussions of the human condition and what humans believe in necessary for them to live and thrive were extremely interesting and thought-provoking. Definitely give this a read, it was so cozy too!
I absolutely loved this story. The characters were so lovingly crafted that they seemed to jump off the page. The world was intricate and beautiful. I will say there wasn't much world-building in terms of the gods but it didn't detract at all from my understanding of the book. The discussions of the human condition and what humans believe in necessary for them to live and thrive were extremely interesting and thought-provoking. Definitely give this a read, it was so cozy too!
The Brink of Darkness by Jeff Giles
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After X is sent back to the Lowlands he starts his plan to find his mother and get back to Zoe.
I don't know what is in these books. The characters are amazingly written but the plot is kind of insane. Also, some of the details about the characters are just off the wall. But it is so amazing. These books made me laugh out loud and giggle. If you want a book to read that will make you happy, pick up this series.
I don't know what is in these books. The characters are amazingly written but the plot is kind of insane. Also, some of the details about the characters are just off the wall. But it is so amazing. These books made me laugh out loud and giggle. If you want a book to read that will make you happy, pick up this series.