thebalancedbookshelf's reviews
275 reviews

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

5.0

This is a unique book. It blends fantasy and reality a way that you’re not quite sure where you are and what year it’s supposed to be. I forgot how much I love Maggie Stiefvaters work and don’t know why it took me so long to pick up another one of her books. I love the way she writes, her quotes and characters are so memorable. 

The capall uisce are a powerful force but are also revered on the island. I love how this story focuses on a bloody competition with deadly mythological water horses but really isn’t about that at all. It touches on so many other aspects that just makes this book that much more meaningful.

I love the characters and the connection they had with each other and the island. They have so much depth to them and that only adds to the storyline.  Each person had their own struggles and internal motivation to enter the game and I loved seeing how their characters evolved. Puck especially went from just joining to get her brother to stay to having something to prove. Being the only female rider to ever enter she sees the importance of not backing down and standing up for her rights. She like everyone else belongs to this island and deserves the respect and right to be in the competition. I love how her and Sean’s bond forms and how they see each other as equals. 

My only complaint is the time period and setting. It makes mentions of places like California, the Atlantic sea, and Americans but also doesn’t quite explain where they are. I was getting hints of Ireland and Scotland and wasn’t quite sure where the story had landed. There are cars also but no mention of phones and at the end they make a comment about the woman’s suffrage movement which through me off even more. If places like America were going to be called out I think there should have a been a clear location and year mentioned throughout the book. 

This book captivates you in so many ways. It’s magical, heartfelt, and even vicious. While this story is a standalone you get so much out of the characters and the storyline. I feel like this book is going to stick with me for a long time and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future! 

Phantom of the Auditorium by R.L. Stine

4.0

4 stars for the ending 

One Day at Horrorland by R.L. Stine

3.5

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

dark

3.0

I’m definitely disappointed in this one. I usually get so much out of Rachel Harrisons books but this one just felt like a miss to me. 

I get that this book is about my empowerment, not being held back by age, and learning to love yourself and your choices but I just didn’t love how it was executed. All of the characters in this book are flawed and unlikeable, but not in a way that I enjoyed. I found it hard to connect with what was going on and the characters relationships with one another. With the exception of Ilie who was my favorite, I struggled to find anything redeemable about them all.  

Naomi and Sloanes relationship was extremely toxic and I could not find the silver lining. From the first chapter I didn’t like their dynamic but expected them to have some resolution at the end and honestly it only gets worse. Their relationship is extremely codependent and Sloane constantly needs approval from her and will do anything to get it. Both characters are selfish in their own ways but I don’t feel like they grow at all throughout this story. They also have terrible communication and conflict resolution skills that you would expect for friends who rely on each other so much. 

I know this book is about succumbing to your urges and accepting your decisions in life but It don’t feel like the characters actually learned on gained anything in this story. It hammers on topics like insecurity, aging and double standards without really making anything out of it. I feel like the characters just didn’t work for that the story was trying to portray.  I will say that I did like that this book definitely does not romanticize vampirism. It’s gritty, bloody and gorey. But overall I just felt like I got nothing out of this. 

 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

3.0

This book left me feeling unsatisfied. I think this book was marketed as more creepy and unsettling than it actually was. The main focus was really the “horror of humanity” and while that is great that wasn’t really what I was expecting. 

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

emotional tense fast-paced

4.0

 
This book is a wild ride. I’m unsure how I feel about this one as whole. I read the entire book in about 6 hours because I felt like I needed to get to the end to see what was actually happening.  

 Up until 40% I was just frustrated and anxious while reading this. It felt like a bad horror movie where the main character was just making all the wrong choices. After half way it starts to pick up and you really have no idea what is going on. I had so many theories and they kept changing or evolving. I actually like that aspect of this book where you don’t really know what’s going on. The intersection of articles felt weird at first but then at the end they all start to make sense. 

While I feel we don’t get a definite answer, I’m assuming mimics, I like that the house, town and the family was a sort of loop that seems to keep happening. The house itself and surrounding area is like a labyrinth that keeps changing. I feel like on top of mimics there are a few other paranormal factors at play that I wish we could have gotten a more definitive answer on but I’m also happy with the ambiguity.

This is a book that will have you feeling a lot of emotions. While I wasn’t necessarily scared like I saw a lot of people say they were I was definitely anxious. This is one of those books that would make a great movie and sticks with you for a while. 

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

4.0

This book was strangely cute and cozy. I loved that there were ancient creatures but they were domestic or had 21st century problems. They were just like a bunch of old English gentlemen which was so fun to read. I found some parts to be a little dense but overall this was really enjoyable!  

Solita by Vivien Rainn

3.25

 

I think I just wanted something different out of this book. For some reason I thought it would be more romance focused and it really wasn’t. The main character is dealing with a lot of grief and sadness due to her mother’s death and that really is the main focus of this book. We get a lot of descriptions about her pain and suffering. She feels isolated, depressed and confused, which leads to the people around her taking advantage. 

While I appreciate these aspects I felt like I wanted more about the demons and the house. I think there’s a lot of vivid imagery and dream sequences that fill the majority of the book but I needed more plot and characterization past the grief. I feel like there are a lot of unanswered questions as to what is going on and why. I don’t really understand much if anything about this curse and it’s never really explained. Also, why now after 600 years is Lorenzo coming for his brother? I feel like we needed a lot more backstory to make sense of the plot. I also felt there was a heavy religious tone which I’m not the biggest fan of. I understand its relevance but that wasn’t really for me. 

I did like the setting and historical components. I haven’t read too many, if any, books set in the Philippines so I found that to be refreshing. I think for me this book was a little heavy handed and I needed more in other aspects to find this enjoyable.

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

slow-paced

3.0

  I liked the concept of this book I just think it lost me in the execution. The story goes back and forth between the present, which is in interview style, and the past. I found the pacing of the story to be slow and at times hard to get through. 

While reading this I was more interested in the interviews than of the recounting of events. There were no surprises or reveal that kept you in the edge. Everything that is revealed to you in the interviews ends up happening in the way you would expect. I wanted more of a shock factor or something to keep me wanting to read the book. It was also obvious very early on that she was schizophrenic and I wish there could have been more of a doubt while reading. 

I did find the whole idea to be very interesting I just wish the story had a more compelling edge to make you want to keep reading. I found it very hard to get through most of the time and think the pacing was a huge factor in that. 

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

dark

4.0

Like how If We Were Villains goes heavy on the Shakespeare, this book goes heavy on the biology. I appreciate M.L Rio’s research and dedication to what she is writing. While this novella took me a little to get used to I thoroughly enjoyed it. The perfect little slice of macabre and a fun read especially for October. Definitely leaves you wanting more!