thereadingraccoon's reviews
1485 reviews

The Idol Who Became Her World by J.S. Lee, Ji Soo Lee

2.0

Read for Popsugar Reading Challenge “about K Pop”

I found the writing really awkward and odd and there was no chemistry between the main characters. The information about K-Pop was interesting and it was blessedly short but that’s about it.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Moving story of a girl who misses her absent sister and starts making risky decisions eventually losing herself in a dangerous relationship 

The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black

adventurous dark funny 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? No

4.0

Coldest Girl in Coldtown- I loved this book but I don’t remember enough of the characters to completely recall who these people were. But ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ anyway because it was a good story packed in a small number of pages. 

A Reversal of Fortune- fun little “Devil Went Down to Georgia” type story about cheating the devil to win 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Boy Who Cried Wolf- probably my least favorite of the collection about a boy who loves to read while he boats around the world with his family and finds himself as the main character of a werewolf tale ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dog King- another shifter story about the a crooked king and the boy/wolf/slave who gets even ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Vodka Veritas- a dark academia tale of a Latin club that uses magic to cause havoc at the prom ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Coat of Stars- one of the strongest urban fantasy tales I’ve ever read! A Broadway costume designer goes back to his New Jersey family home to confront the fallout of his sister’s abusive marriage and the boy he lost to the fae years before ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 

Paper Cuts Scissirs- the wildly creative story of a young man who loses his girlfriend (literally) to books and tries to get her back ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Going Ironside- short story of a fairy that comes earth to stir up trouble and get a baby ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Land of Heart’s Desire- the Lord of the Unseelie Court hangs out at a New York coffee shop with his pixie girlfriend undetected by humans until the coffee shop owner uses the fae to put his shop on the map. Lots of discussions about finding and keeping love. 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Poison Eaters- three sisters are used in the politics of royalty ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? No

4.0

The Good Part is a novel about a twenty-six-year-old woman who wishes on an arcade machine to skip the part of her life where she’s broke, dating terrible men, and unappreciated at work—and go straight to the “good part.” But when she wakes up fifteen years later with a husband, two kids, and an important job in television, she realizes that the “good part” has its own challenges.

This is a thoughtful novel about embracing everything in life, both good and bad. Lucy thought that putting the hard part behind her was the key to happiness, but she discovers there is sweetness hidden within even the hardest times and that our past shapes us into who we are. I loved the beautiful love story between Lucy and her future husband and how much he adored her, despite the fact that she couldn’t remember the last fifteen years of their life together.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction with romance, family, friends, and a hint of magic.

In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene

dark informative medium-paced

4.0

Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

dark reflective 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? No

3.75

Such Lovely Skin is a young adult paranormal horror novel about a teenage girl tormented by a demonic spirit.

Viv has been absent from her Twitch channel for months, where she streams horror video games, following the death of her little sister. Now, she’s decided to return, hoping to regain the followers she lost during her hiatus. The first game she tries is a mysterious “locked room” style game that prompts her to share a secret. Viv confesses the truth about the day her sister died, and things quickly spiral out of control. Suddenly, Viv is plagued by horrific nightmares, and a girl who looks exactly like her begins ruining her online reputation and hurting those around her. Viv must uncover what it will take to banish this evil presence and reclaim her life.

This is a dark and creepy novel featuring a complicated young woman haunted by grief and guilt. The story delivers some genuinely chilling moments that will have readers wondering, “How is she going to get out of this?” I also enjoyed learning a bit about gaming culture and what it takes to succeed as a Twitch streamer. This book would also work well as a teen horror movie or TV series.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Audiobook Notes: The audiobook of Such Lovely Skin is narrated by Chandler Gregoire, who does an excellent job capturing Viv’s voice. However, I felt her portrayal of the male voices was less effective.

Disclaimer: a free copy of Such Lovely Skin was provided by PRH Audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

North Is the Night by Emily Rath

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

3.0

North is the Night is a fantasy novel about two young women separated by an evil death goddess. 

Sirri and Aina are simple Finnish girls from a small village when they are attacked by the goddess of death, and Aina is dragged to the underworld. Despondent without her best friend and with no one believing what happened to her—since Finland has begun turning away from the old gods and toward Christianity, the new religion brought by Swedish invaders—Sirri becomes convinced she can save Aina. Determined, she heads north to seek the help of the long-missing shaman Väinämöinen, hoping he can teach her how to cross into Tuonela, the land of the dead. Meanwhile, Aina must fight to save herself and the other mortal girls who have been kidnapped and forced to live in the underworld, as Sirri learns how to cross the veil between life and death.

I enjoyed the first part of this book, where the two women fight to stay alive and find their way back to each other. However, at almost 60 chapters and 600 pages, I found myself losing interest somewhere around the halfway point and hoping the two storylines would wrap up. There are too many gods and goddesses to keep track of, the politics of the underworld is complicated, and there are a lot of double-crosses and hidden agendas to follow, which I didn’t find very intriguing. The romantic storyline also takes some twists and turns. While I appreciate the author making unexpected choices, I didn’t find any of the romance swoony or compelling to read.

Overall, this one started strong, and I enjoyed learning about Finland and its struggle to preserve its culture and religion during a time of invasion by Sweden and the rise of Christianity. However, the pacing felt off for me, and the underworld politics dragged the plot out much longer than necessary.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Disclosure: An advanced copy of North is the Night was provided by the publisher for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya

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? No

3.0

A Cruel Thirst is a historical fantasy novel about a newly turned vampire who falls in love with the daughter of a family of vampire hunters.

Lalo is determined to destroy the vampire who killed his parents, but he underestimates her power and is turned into one himself. Horrified by what he has become and racing against time before succumbing to the thirst, he travels to northern Mexico, where he believes the monsters originated. However, his plan to lay low and research their source is disrupted by a beautiful young woman, Carolina, who dreams of joining the men in her family to fight the vampires that have plagued them for generations. Reluctantly, she agrees to help Lalo with his scheme to kill the first vampire and wipe out the entire bloodline before it’s too late.

This book fell a little flat for me. There wasn’t anything particularly adult about it, and it could have easily fit into the young adult section. Although the cover suggests there will be a lot of tension and chemistry, there wasn’t much of that on the page. The couple shares sweet moments and fun banter, but that’s about it. In terms of action and thrills, the violence is limited to a few vampire battle scenes, which weren’t very exciting.

I also found Carolina inconsistent in her skills. I was hoping for a strong, dynamic main character, but instead, I got another beautiful young woman whose family just wants her to stay safe and get married. I didn’t feel like this book brought anything new or exciting to the genre.

🎧 Audiobook Notes:

The audiobook was narrated by Diana Bustelo and Gary Tiedmann, who do an excellent job voicing Carolina and Lalo.

Disclosure:

An advanced copy of A Cruel Thirst was provided by PRH Audio for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Good Bride: A Novel by Jen Marie Wiggins

mysterious 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? No

3.5

The Good Bride is a contemporary mystery and thriller about a family hosting an extravagant wedding in a town still recovering from a hurricane.

Ruth and Teo decide to hold their wedding in the Florida Panhandle city of Blue Compass. The small fishing town has managed to keep out big hotels and developers, but as they rebuild after a devastating hurricane, the wolves are circling. At first, the wedding plans seem to be going smoothly, but when the bride’s expensive necklace goes missing and her sister receives threatening messages on Instagram, it becomes clear that someone has it in for the family.

The story is told from the points of view of Ruth, Teo, wedding planner Karla, and police chief Marcus. Although the mystery (and its conclusion) wasn’t particularly exciting for me, I enjoyed the depiction of a town trying to rebuild while fighting back against low insurance payouts and encroaching high-rise hotels. I especially appreciated Marcus’s perspective, as he tries to solve a crime amidst messy family drama. Readers with complicated family dynamics—especially involving fathers and daughters—will likely connect with Ruth’s relationships with her parents and sisters. However, I do wish Ruth herself had been a more fleshed-out and dynamic character.

Overall, this is a mystery and family drama that readers who prefer less gritty stories without gore may enjoy.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

dark mysterious 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? No

3.0

What the Woods Took is a paranormal thriller and survival novel about a group of teenagers left to fend for themselves at a wilderness therapy camp.

Devin, Ollie, Sheridan, Aiden, and Hannah are teenagers whose parents have sent them to the REVIVE Teen Rehabilitation program for various issues, including drug use, drinking, and rebelliousness. The program involves hiking and sleeping outdoors to help the teens get back on track. But days into the trip, the two adult guides disappear, leaving the teens to face the wilderness on their own. They soon discover that they aren’t alone—monsters lurk behind the trees.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find most of this book gripping, despite the high stakes. The teenagers came across as angsty and annoying, and the one-dimensional depiction of the parents didn’t help (especially Devin, whose cliché series of terrible foster parents felt overdone). While the scenes with the creepy monsters were entertaining, the rest of the story fell a little flat.