starsnotshadows's reviews
77 reviews

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I really like the author's writing and themes of friendship. The community built in this book was endearing and lovable. And the devotion that some of the friends have for each other pulled at my heartstrings.

My friend and I read this together, and she pointed out how the author writes the mundane really well. I whole-heartedly agree; the author could write about someone reading the dictionary and make it interesting.

The plot just fell really flat for me. I think that was likely by design of the author as some of the mysterious aspects weren't exactly the point of the novel. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

Was this book a little on the nose with its main message? Yes. Did I still love it? Absolutely!! I loved all of the main characters and their journeys. There was a lot of humor injected throughout and I just! it was good!

I love Linus Baker from the very first chapter, and I just love his growth from start to finish.

Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg

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emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

okay honestly... I was probably looking at this being 4 stars, and then I was like okay maybe 4.5 but I really gotta say this is 5 stars. Despite there being only one author, I think the stories felt like they had varied writing styles. Like the author voice very much felt like a common thread, but the style was different? I don't know that I'm explaining that very well.

I really feel seen by the author's capture of love and heartbreak and I may just have to start watching Bojack Horseman because of it

but anywho, my fave bits were Rufus., Up-and-Comers, The Average of All Possible Things, More of the You That You Already Are, and the last paragraph in the acknowledgment.

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

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challenging dark tense medium-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

I think this book taught me that I don't care for exorcism stories. I was interested in the sort of interpersonal drama and what possessed!Gretchen was going to do to sow chaos. But when it got to the exorcism, I was wildly turned off and grossed out and stressed out. I will definitely chalk that up to this not being my cup of tea. What I will attribute to the writing is the disappointing epilogue.

The entire book is centered on the power of friendship- it is in fact what makes the exorcism work- and youre telling me they were JUST "on and off best friends" who sometimes stopped talking completely for months at a time? hell no, the power of friendship is so much stronger than that. While I'm here in spoilers land, Good dog Max deserved way better. I really thought that the sedative was going to kick in before Gretchen could do what she was going to do.

Content Warnings

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

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challenging dark tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this book! I liked how complicated the characters were. I could never fully support each character in 100% of their actions, though I think I understood most of them (except Nathan, fuck you Nathan). I thought the ending was good too albeit pretty dark.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

Dark academia vibes with some magic tossed in. I think I expected there to be more magic, but I'm not upset that there wasn't. Tbh, some of the magical philosophy was a little over my head, but that also didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the book. I really liked the multiple viewpoints (all 3rd person), and I thought they blended together well. With so many viewpoints, it would have been easy to feel as if the same information was being shared repeatedly, but it did not feel that way at all.

The plot twist really got me too, I liked it! Will be continuing the series!

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

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adventurous funny 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? Yes

3.75

Reading this for a little book round robin with some friends. We've all picked a book and annotated it, and we are rotating books within our group. I had never seen the movie, so I got to read this with semi fresh eyes (semi because I did have my friend's comments in the margin lol) and really enjoyed it! I'm not much of a middle-grade reader but I might try more after this one.

One by One by Ruth Ware

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mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Loved the suspense and I was falling for every red herring! I think I like a few other Ruth Ware novels better, so I ranked this one a smidgen lower just to reflect that.

I just think the scenes following the Big Reveal felt a bit awkward and didn't really pull the ending together how I was expecting. Still great for the mystery and suspense though!

Content Warnings

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

This book was good, but not really my vibe. I found it difficult to stay engaged in the beginning, but it picks up once you get a sense of the characters and setting. There were some parts that got me emotional, but I wasn't super attached to any of the characters or plot points. Probably won't continue this series.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I think... this book was trying to say something that went over my head. But I liked it! There were some very chilling scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat. I did find myself a bit let down in the third acts, but I think that links back to my first comment and the author making some point that I missed

Content Warnings

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starsnotshadows's reviews 77 reviews

starsnotshadows's reviews
77 reviews