starsnotshadows's reviews
79 reviews

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

Truly an insufferable main character. I get that she has depression, but she also clearly sees herself as the only person who can see that sad things happen in the world.

I found the relationship part of her life especially frustrating

She has a love at first sight moment with the chef. He clearly does too, but cant "fall in love with her" because he has a girlfriend. but! he and his gf are poly! You are not some "dirty mistress", you are an adult woman who was made aware of the situation and treated yourself like a martyr for still seeing someone who couldn't give you what you needed!

Ya know, I think I'm learning that I REALLY need the main character to have something I find likeable in order to like a book. so the more you know, I guess

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Hm. I did not like this book. I thought the writing was clumsy, I thought some bits that addressed racism were quite performative, and the antagonist's motivation was just not at all reasonable:

i.e. that Roza's calling was to be an editor but no, not like any normal editor, she needed to be a special kind of editor

Ultimately, I will paraphrase the review I heard from an acquaintance: This book is bad, but it's so unhinged and you need to read it

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This book was a fun time! The buildup was a tad longer than felt necessary, and the ending was really quick and kind of random in its resolution.

That being said, I did enjoy the overall mystery, the spookiness, the vultures, and the mother-daughter bond!

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Content Warnings

so many bugs

Interesting Facts about Space by Emily Austin

emotional funny 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

I started this book thinking it would feel too similar to Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead to fully appreciate it. And I am happy to say that I was proven wrong. I do think both books share the same ability to make me feel seen in a way I didn't expect.

I particularly related to Enid's tendency toward avoidance. Especially how she sort of dances around her traumas/fears without really facing them.

I don't know how Emily Austin is able to absolutely devastate me and then turn it around a few pages to make me feel hopeful, but she's done it twice now, and I'm sure she'll do it again! I really like her writing style. It makes it feel like I am sitting in the main character's brain, watching the events unfold like a movie. 

I think Enid is a very funny person, and while I didn't relate as closely to her as I did to Gilda from Everyone in This Room..., I did relate to some of her struggles. I appreciated the family and friends that she has, and how not every interaction was totally bad or totally good.

This may just be me projecting, but I think Enid, in her attempts to seem "normal" was grading herself on her social interactions. And that she was keeping tally of those grades, but the people around her weren't grading her. So the people that really care about her just appreciate her for who she is despite how she "performs" in any given social situation.

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

So I did like this one less than Atlas Six. However, I was still eager to read more and find out how things unraveled. The dialogue felt like everyone was just monologuing at each in some parts, which wasn't really fun to read. And some character development was nice while other development felt backward or not in line with the first book's development. 

So this book was really just more of a mixed bag for me. 

House of Cotton by Monica Brashears

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Um. I don't know what to say about this book really. I enjoyed the prose, but the plot/characters left something to be desired. I just felt like certain mechanics within the novel didn't make sense or were inconsistent. and the escalation of the plot happened in illogical steps in my opinion.

I would read from this author again, I just might have different expectations going into it now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Abortion

Minor: Transphobia

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. I will say, it's pretty heavy on the exposition, and that got a little tiring at times. But the lore was so good, and more often than not, I was rooting for the main character and her growth. 

River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I thought this was an excellent murder mystery! It stands out within the genre with the addition of magical realism elements and very poetic passages. I particularly liked how the author wrote nightmare sequences and about family relationships.

The author did a wonderful job with the red herrings thrown out and a slightly unreliable narrator. Though Eva made quite a few frustrating choices, I think they were choices thay made sense for her. 

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I hope to remember to fill this out later. but the gist is- interesting concept, poor execution

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I enjoyed the investigating that was going on, I found myself thinking "oh yes! there's another lead, let's go check them out!". However, it took me a bit to get to that point because I didn't really like the main characters or their introductions very much. Maite and Elvis seem to be good people at heart, but they don't have me rooting for them until the very end.