theliterarysewist's reviews
489 reviews

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

dark emotional tense medium-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

5.0

SO SO SO FREAKING GOOD!! While I wouldn’t put this as a scary horror, the nightmare fuel descriptions of certain events gave good skin crawling horror! I’d love to see this in live action! As a former dancer myself, I loved seeing how the drive for perfection would make someone so desperate to make a deal for your soul. Such a well done trope here! Loves it so much!!!

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

lighthearted 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? No

3.5

Well this was massively disappointing. I’m still gonna finish the series bc I do want to know what happens and I have all the other books so why not? Evangeline is a very flat character with zero personality. Actually most of the characters aren’t that interesting to be honest. The plot moved at such a fast pace it felt like the last big thing wasn’t even important anymore. The foreshadowing was so blatant and obvious that it was entirely predictable. There was a lot of potential for this to be great and classical tropes to be used in unique ways but it just didn’t deliver.  

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

I just could not get into this story. The writing feels much more juvenile than the story premise sounds like it should be. The narrator didn’t help either. It just didn’t work for me. Maybe one day I’ll try the physical book but for now it’s DNF. 

I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

I adore Judy Greer. And I know what I know her from. Many things in fact. She’s someone whose name pops up in the credits and I get excited to see. But not everyone does. And that’s kind of the point. And it’s really ok. Hearing about her journey from Midwest kid to a working actor is fun and interesting and hilarious in many self deprecating ways. Yet I am confident to say that she is someone I would enjoy getting to know more. 

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis

emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

What an incredible journey! And it covers so many facets of human emotions and traumas. The layers of each character we meet could be analyzed in literature classes. I loved that the “current” storyline takes place in a time before the internet and is genuine in how research and investigations were done. The healing journey in the story is beautiful. Never think things are too late. 

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Wow… this blew me away! What an incredible way to delve into the psyche of community and social norms or expectations. I had wanted a “happy” ending but I don’t know how this could go any other way. It’s not sad per se but not a typical happy either. Everyone should read this one! 

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad 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

Y’all… this is my favorite in the series! Exploring the expanded 
 world, getting to know side characters more intimately, the dragon/venin battles! It’s blew my mind!! And I crave a re-read… that I didn’t want to do any of this year! But dang… Rebecca nailed it! So worth the wait!!

This Changes Everything: A Surprisingly Funny Book about Race, Cancer, Faith, and Other Things We Don't Talk about by Tyler Merritt

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

If you haven’t read Tyler’s work, you are missing out! If non-fiction isn’t usually your thing, this might change your mind! It’s funny, poignant and leaves you in a much better place than you started! 

The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This read feels quite timely considering the state of the US currently. It’s very plot driven and compelling in ways that remind me of The Maze Runner without the disappointment of it being a zombie story. This one left me completely satisfied as a standalone novel. I really liked this one! It’s got a lot of elements in it that fill that dystopian/post-apocolyspe/rebellion void.

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

MF THIS IS A GOOD BOOK! There were so many details of the main character that put me smack dab in her shoes. So much so that I knew early on this was going to make me cry. And I loathe crying. It makes me mad. But I kept going and let the tears flow. It was worth it. Emma Grey does such an amazing job balancing grief with joy. It’s raw and real and I just want to thank her for this story.