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squids_can_read's reviews
608 reviews
When Ghosts Call Us Home by Katya de Becerra
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Sophia's sister, Layla, is missing. The last official place that she was seen was her dorm but Sophia is positive that she saw a photo of Layla at Cashore House the set of Layla's cult classic film Vermilion. Now Sophia has found her way back to Cashore in order to find her sister but she may just have to face the fact that Vermilion was not just a movie.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were super interesting and well developed. I also really loved the way the story was structured, giving the Reader both the past and the present without being confusing. The sisterly bond between Sophia and Layla was also really interesting as the book explores what happens when Sophia realizes that Layla has been lying to her for years. The setting was also beautifully done. Honestly the way that Katya writes setting should be examined because dang.
The only think that I really didn't like about the book was the relationship that bloomed. To me it just felt like it kind of came out of nowhere. Especially because Sophia describes how she had to fight hard to get the friends she had but then she just kind of falls for this guy. It just didn't feel super realistic to me.
It was creepy in the perfect way. If you enjoy your thrillers with a great dash of horror, give this one a read.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were super interesting and well developed. I also really loved the way the story was structured, giving the Reader both the past and the present without being confusing. The sisterly bond between Sophia and Layla was also really interesting as the book explores what happens when Sophia realizes that Layla has been lying to her for years. The setting was also beautifully done. Honestly the way that Katya writes setting should be examined because dang.
The only think that I really didn't like about the book was the relationship that bloomed. To me it just felt like it kind of came out of nowhere. Especially because Sophia describes how she had to fight hard to get the friends she had but then she just kind of falls for this guy. It just didn't feel super realistic to me.
It was creepy in the perfect way. If you enjoy your thrillers with a great dash of horror, give this one a read.
Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
People go to Atlantic City to escape somethings. A bad marriage, an abusive family, high expectations, and even themselves. But Atlantic City isn't the place of new opportunities that it once was. It's run down, filled with prostitutes and gamblers. So when women start to go missing no one blinks an eye until Clara has a vision.
This book is not a thriller. I think that's the most important thing that I can say. Do not go into this book thinking that this is going to be a thriller because it's not. Instead I think this book could be better classified as a social commentary on women's role in a run-down society. This book really focuses on how each woman who finds herself in Atlantic City wants to be part of something bigger and is instead made into something small by society. Eventually these women are able to break the belief that they have to follow what role society has set out for them.
As such, the characters and their stories were pretty interesting. The only thing that I didn't totally love was how slowly it started. This book is about 330 pages but it didn't really start getting interesting until about maybe page 100. Which is really long for a book that only about 300 pages. But otherwise I really enjoyed this book.
If you want a book that has social commentary about what society views to be women's place and women defying that along with an interesting changing of point-of-views, this book is for you.
This book is not a thriller. I think that's the most important thing that I can say. Do not go into this book thinking that this is going to be a thriller because it's not. Instead I think this book could be better classified as a social commentary on women's role in a run-down society. This book really focuses on how each woman who finds herself in Atlantic City wants to be part of something bigger and is instead made into something small by society. Eventually these women are able to break the belief that they have to follow what role society has set out for them.
As such, the characters and their stories were pretty interesting. The only thing that I didn't totally love was how slowly it started. This book is about 330 pages but it didn't really start getting interesting until about maybe page 100. Which is really long for a book that only about 300 pages. But otherwise I really enjoyed this book.
If you want a book that has social commentary about what society views to be women's place and women defying that along with an interesting changing of point-of-views, this book is for you.
Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates by Eric Jay Dolin
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I'm sure you've consumed some media that had pirates in it. But how much of this wealth of media is accurate. Dolin dives into the actual exploits of several pirates while also exploring the evolving relationship between pirates and colonists.
I have fairly mixed feelings about this book. It was very slow to start and I don't think that it ever picked up the pace. This could be due to the fact that this is a non-fiction book but I have read some really fast-paced non-fiction novels and this was just not one of them. I also thought that Dolin talked around his points in most chapters. He typically never just came out and said the point he was making. I also think that Dolin over provided on the examples without moving between them very well. The examples were interesting but there were so many of them that weren't fully explained or were explained to much.
Overall, I thought it was an interesting read and I learned a little bit more about pirates than I did before. I think this would be a great book to start with if you want to learn about pirates but I would branch out from here.
I have fairly mixed feelings about this book. It was very slow to start and I don't think that it ever picked up the pace. This could be due to the fact that this is a non-fiction book but I have read some really fast-paced non-fiction novels and this was just not one of them. I also thought that Dolin talked around his points in most chapters. He typically never just came out and said the point he was making. I also think that Dolin over provided on the examples without moving between them very well. The examples were interesting but there were so many of them that weren't fully explained or were explained to much.
Overall, I thought it was an interesting read and I learned a little bit more about pirates than I did before. I think this would be a great book to start with if you want to learn about pirates but I would branch out from here.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A time travel story by Stephen King? More likely than you would think.
Firstly, the characters. These characters were super interesting and well written. I really enjoyed all of the inner turmoil that the main character was going through as it felt extremely human. Despite the fact that some of these characters were actual people, I didn't think that it was poorly written. I did also enjoy the personification of time.
The plot was also super interesting, however I thought it was a little long. Obviously Stephen King writes long books but I didn't think that this book needed to be this long. There were a lot of points where the story dragged and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish it.
But beside the length I thought that the book really payed off. This is the first Stephen king book that I cried to and it might or might not be the last. If you can stick it out for over 800 pages, definetly give this one a read.
Firstly, the characters. These characters were super interesting and well written. I really enjoyed all of the inner turmoil that the main character was going through as it felt extremely human. Despite the fact that some of these characters were actual people, I didn't think that it was poorly written. I did also enjoy the personification of time.
The plot was also super interesting, however I thought it was a little long. Obviously Stephen King writes long books but I didn't think that this book needed to be this long. There were a lot of points where the story dragged and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish it.
But beside the length I thought that the book really payed off. This is the first Stephen king book that I cried to and it might or might not be the last. If you can stick it out for over 800 pages, definetly give this one a read.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What would you do if your sister was a serial killer? Korede has to grapple with this fact as her sister invades her life and steals the things that Korede has worked so hard for.
I absolutely loved this book. It was so quick to read and was so interesting. The characters were super interesting and how they interacted was also super interesting. I loved the twist ending, I honestly didn't see it coming. I also really liked the setting because I have never read anything that was set in Nigeria. I thought that it was super interesting an compelling.
No matter who you are, I would give this one a read.
I absolutely loved this book. It was so quick to read and was so interesting. The characters were super interesting and how they interacted was also super interesting. I loved the twist ending, I honestly didn't see it coming. I also really liked the setting because I have never read anything that was set in Nigeria. I thought that it was super interesting an compelling.
No matter who you are, I would give this one a read.
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Daisy can see ghosts. She's always been able to but after her move something is not right with the house. Something only she can fix.
This book was pretty scatter all over the place so I'll start with Daisy's timeline. As a character, I thought that Daisy and her mother were extremely interesting. Both grew up with abusive mothers, in different ways, and struggled with who they wanted to become. I thought that the relationship that was developed between them was super interesting and compelling. I also really liked how Daisy interacted with people other than her mother.
However, I though certain things dragged a bit. It talks almost two or three hundred pages for Daisy to find out what happened to her Mother in the house and we still do not get everything at that point. This book is about 480 pages as an ebook on a kindle. I just thought that it was an incredibly long time for information to be dragged out especially when not much else was happening in the story. Another thing that was dragged out was what Daisy's study sessions with her mom were, which took almost the same amount of time to be reveled.
Onto Brittany's timeline. I thought that this timeline didn't even need to be included. I think that the only reason that it was was in order to give us an ending about what happened from an outside perspective. I didn't think that this timeline added any depth to the story and I honestly would have rather spent more time with Daisy. There were also much less about Brittany then there was Daisy so it just felt like it was thrown in without thought.
The setting and the world building were pretty good. I really felt like I could see where this story was talking place.
Overall, I think that this story could have cut out Brittany's timeline altogether and been about two hundred pages shorter and still gotten the point across perfectly.
This book was pretty scatter all over the place so I'll start with Daisy's timeline. As a character, I thought that Daisy and her mother were extremely interesting. Both grew up with abusive mothers, in different ways, and struggled with who they wanted to become. I thought that the relationship that was developed between them was super interesting and compelling. I also really liked how Daisy interacted with people other than her mother.
However, I though certain things dragged a bit. It talks almost two or three hundred pages for Daisy to find out what happened to her Mother in the house and we still do not get everything at that point. This book is about 480 pages as an ebook on a kindle. I just thought that it was an incredibly long time for information to be dragged out especially when not much else was happening in the story. Another thing that was dragged out was what Daisy's study sessions with her mom were, which took almost the same amount of time to be reveled.
Onto Brittany's timeline. I thought that this timeline didn't even need to be included. I think that the only reason that it was was in order to give us an ending about what happened from an outside perspective. I didn't think that this timeline added any depth to the story and I honestly would have rather spent more time with Daisy. There were also much less about Brittany then there was Daisy so it just felt like it was thrown in without thought.
The setting and the world building were pretty good. I really felt like I could see where this story was talking place.
Overall, I think that this story could have cut out Brittany's timeline altogether and been about two hundred pages shorter and still gotten the point across perfectly.
Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews
adventurous
emotional
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
3.0
Daphne is chosen by Artemis to get information and relay that information to Apollo. That is all but when Daphne finds out what exactly is wrong with Olympus, she decides that she is going to help. Whether it kills her or not.
I really don't know where to start with this book. None of the characters are all that interesting. Throughout the entire book Daphne is trying to be a Spartan but is told that she can't be. Then she is told that she is something much greater but everyone refuses to tell her what that is. So she's basically stuck in this kind of limbo where no one knows what or who she is, not even the reader. Then all of the supporting characters around her were very flat and didn't seem to care about her whatsoever. There are main character deaths that just really lack impact. This whole book I was waiting for Daphne to finally come into her powers and found out who she was but that never happened. It was kind of a bummer.
The writing was really excellent though. The world building was also nice but the characters were just lack luster in my opinion. If you love greek mythology definitely give it a read, if that isn't your genre I would skip it.
I really don't know where to start with this book. None of the characters are all that interesting. Throughout the entire book Daphne is trying to be a Spartan but is told that she can't be. Then she is told that she is something much greater but everyone refuses to tell her what that is. So she's basically stuck in this kind of limbo where no one knows what or who she is, not even the reader. Then all of the supporting characters around her were very flat and didn't seem to care about her whatsoever. There are main character deaths that just really lack impact. This whole book I was waiting for Daphne to finally come into her powers and found out who she was but that never happened. It was kind of a bummer.
The writing was really excellent though. The world building was also nice but the characters were just lack luster in my opinion. If you love greek mythology definitely give it a read, if that isn't your genre I would skip it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ren has never been accepted by the Reapers for her mixed blood and now she has made her last mistake. Ren rushes off to Japan with her half brother hoping to find the mother that gave her away and finally find her place in the world. But maybe wherever she lands they will only see what they want to see.
I really wanted to like this book. I think that the premise is really interesting especially since it combines different death mythologies. The world was built extremely well. I could understand the rules of the worlds that Ren found herself in as she learned them. The world never seemed to be hard to understand to me.
The problem that I had with the story was the characters. I really enjoyed Ren's little brother who was the only character that I though was fully fleshed out. He seemed to have real depth and reasons behind his feeling that he could articulate in a decent manner. Ren on the other hand seemed very flat to me. She never really grew throughout the entire piece and only changed due to her brother after betraying him. Ren's reasons for doing what she did just seemed extremely surface level to me. I wanted to dig into the deeper reasons behind her thoughts and feelings but that just never happened. Our other main character Hiro was just kinda gross.
The romance felt forced to me. I understood by our male love interest loved Ren but I really couldn't understand why Ren felt anything for him. She immediately shows him trust after having been surrounded by untrustworthy people her whole life. It eventually gets to the point where she trusts a love interest she has known for a couple of weeks more than her brother without any apparent reason.
Finally, I think that this book should have been split into two books. I think that if we spent a whole book on Ren's life with the Reapers and then running from the Reapers ending with Japan followed by a whole book of Ren's adventures in Japan it would have worked better. I think this would have allowed the characters to really breathe and to let all the amazing plot points be fully explained instead of being glassed over.
Overall, I really wanted to like this book but the characters were a bit of a let down. Still a fun read overall.
I really wanted to like this book. I think that the premise is really interesting especially since it combines different death mythologies. The world was built extremely well. I could understand the rules of the worlds that Ren found herself in as she learned them. The world never seemed to be hard to understand to me.
The problem that I had with the story was the characters. I really enjoyed Ren's little brother who was the only character that I though was fully fleshed out. He seemed to have real depth and reasons behind his feeling that he could articulate in a decent manner. Ren on the other hand seemed very flat to me. She never really grew throughout the entire piece and only changed due to her brother after betraying him. Ren's reasons for doing what she did just seemed extremely surface level to me. I wanted to dig into the deeper reasons behind her thoughts and feelings but that just never happened. Our other main character Hiro was just kinda gross.
The romance felt forced to me. I understood by our male love interest loved Ren but I really couldn't understand why Ren felt anything for him. She immediately shows him trust after having been surrounded by untrustworthy people her whole life. It eventually gets to the point where she trusts a love interest she has known for a couple of weeks more than her brother without any apparent reason.
Finally, I think that this book should have been split into two books. I think that if we spent a whole book on Ren's life with the Reapers and then running from the Reapers ending with Japan followed by a whole book of Ren's adventures in Japan it would have worked better. I think this would have allowed the characters to really breathe and to let all the amazing plot points be fully explained instead of being glassed over.
Overall, I really wanted to like this book but the characters were a bit of a let down. Still a fun read overall.
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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
I absolutely loved this book. The characters were immaculate. The world building was extraordinary. And the plot was so intriguing. Give this book a read!