thattheatrekid's reviews
104 reviews

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

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dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Really loved this read! I’m not usually a classical fan but this story sucked me in. I loved analyzing the countless symbols, foreshadowing and layers of themes this book presented. A very simple, short, engaging commentary on both human nature and life in the depression. Steinbeck is truly a genius.
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The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0

This being the second time I read this, it was much less confusing. I liked it but it was not necessarily a satisfying read; it took willpower to continue reading it. The end didn’t feel very strong and I still can’t figure out if
Agatha and Sophie’s kiss was romantic or platonic?? You don’t generally go kissing your dead best friend (though I can allow it because it’s a fairy tale), but especially on the lips. Sent a confusing message. I also couldn’t tell if other characters were gay or not.
It was a fun plane read but really a bit over the top and predictable yet frustratingly flimsy with back-and-forth character arcs.
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Not a personal fan of classics but the ideas about fate presented in this play were very interesting to think about.
Night by Elie Wiesel

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adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I read this for class and will never regret it. Wiesel is a masterful writer. It feels like you’re reading a novel as he relays his real experiences in such a real way. The violence is not grotesque at all, simply stated in a matter-of-fact way. The way this book emphasizes the emotional and psychological developments of the Holocaust victims really punches in the impact of what happened. I wept when they arrived at Auschwitz and walked with Wiesel through his words. I don’t care what your personal reading preferences or sensitive topics are; read this book. We are here. We will never stay silent. 
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Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really loved this book, as well as the lit Foster-Keefe content, but the plot really reminded me of how Shannon is making the mistake of having too many characters and plot points to keep track of. For example, Alden and Della disappeared from the story (seriously, they didn’t appear once), and so did Vertina. It felt like Shannon forgot all about Jensi the last several books and suddenly remembered and gave him an appearance in this book. The plot was a little all over the place. But I love how much Sophie and other characters have grown, it’s so realistic and they are so much more mature and different than when they started the series. Fluttery teen romance was incorporated more but it didn’t completely take over, which I really appreciated. Will definitely be rereading chapter 42, though I dread the next book because it means the series will end!
The Kill Order by James Dashner

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Was definitely not a fan. Other reviews sum my thoughts up well but this book was very confusing. It started out as interesting but then progressed into a series of boring, predictable action scenes. The characters were all one dimensional and I did not care about any of them (not to mention the four year old definitely does not talk like a four year old). I still can’t figure out if Mark and Trina
actually were sick and died or not.
Most of the middle was incoherent, completely cut everyone but Alec and Mark out, and I could not mentally track the geography or visualize what was happening. This book was unnecessary and would have been a better short story, maybe. I would have liked a story that had more to do with the original trilogy because this was nearly utterly unrelated, more like a standalone in the same dystopian world. There was also a lot of unnecessary gore and violence that was kind of a turn off.
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All Eyes on Her by L.E. Flynn

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Full disclosure- I’m not a murder mystery reader or fan in general but this was my attempt at trying it out. 

I don’t really know what to think. It was a difficult book to get through; there was a lot of repetition of the same points and the constant pov switching was confusing at times. It just dragged on and on and it was very hard for me to just not skip to the end. In its efforts to make a feminist point (which you are repeatedly beaten over the head with), this book leaves the reader dissatisfied because the truth of what happened is left unclear. It’s also unclear whether this is intentional. Certain things don’t add up no matter what side you take, and it’s a very unbelievable book in general. Parents were nonexistent in the story. I liked the concept but too much was kept vague and disorganized for me to enjoy the read.
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Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

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funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Definitely not a quality or thought provoking read. Yes, it’s about telepathy, but it’s also about high school drama that is extremely cringey. It’s not hard to read but it took substantial willpower to make myself pick it up and finish it just because parts dragged on and on and I wanted to get back to the little plot that was there. The technicalities of everything (anything about the telepathy, thoughts, etc) made absolutely no sense so you really need to suspend disbelief. I also didn’t like the “we” narrative, it was very random. There were some fun parts but I was mostly rolling my eyes the whole way through.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

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dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Absolutely amazing, I could not put this down. As someone who knows how cutthroat the entertainment industry is (along with the parents), I can say Jenettes story is not the only one. So many children lose their childhoods to their parents’ unfulfilled dreams of stardom. This book was wonderfully written; she has a gift for storytelling. The ending could have been more satisfying, but then I remember it’s real. This is her life, not some work of fiction. The story is not over and neither is the journey of recovery and I understand that. As I rewatch iCarly or Sam and Cat there is so much to process about Mccurdy as you think about what was happening internally and behind the scenes. The corruption of Nickelodeon and Hollywood was especially revealed in Jenette’s story. 

As someone who has never had to deal with an ED, this informed me on the reality and made my heart go out so much more to those who struggle with it, who feel they and their bodies aren’t enough. Now I understand why so many people bring awareness to this issue, because an ED is not an inconvenience; it is a life threatening personal hell. I can’t thank Jeanette enough for sharing her story.

HIGHLY recommend!
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The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective 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

Overall good book and I really liked the characters. However the world building and geography were very hard for me to follow in my head, and I have no idea if Colvin and Lia like each other or just have a sibling-like love. The first would be really weird because of their age gap but it overall just wasn’t clear on that. The end of the book wasn’t that satisfying either. But it is a good story and I would recommend giving it a read!
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