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squids_can_read's reviews
613 reviews
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!
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
People in America have forgotten what our freedom was built on. The backs of the enslaved population. Now these lost souls have come back to remind us all where we came from.
I think that this book would have really excelled if it was longer. As is the characters are fairly flat and the story on a whole lacks a certain depth. I just wanted more character development for more characters rather than the main character who doesn't really grow. It was a fun horror story.
I think that this book would have really excelled if it was longer. As is the characters are fairly flat and the story on a whole lacks a certain depth. I just wanted more character development for more characters rather than the main character who doesn't really grow. It was a fun horror story.
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: Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Blood, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs
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: Alcoholism, Bullying, Gore, Alcohol, Body horror, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Blood, Classism, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, Death, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, War, and Violence