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tori_renee_reads's reviews
263 reviews
Charm by Tracy Wolff
adventurous
slow-paced
3.0
Ugh finally finished. Better than the last two but still dragged waayyyy longer than needed. I'm really over this series but already own the last one so will finish it I guess.
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Always a fun ride, the main character was annoying at times but I was down for the journey.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Interesting concept but execution was a but meh and a lot of the plot was “convenient”
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
adventurous
fast-paced
5.0
Reread 2025: I’m not saying the writing is amazing, but I enjoyed the nostalgia of the reread. Excited to continue and get to the new books.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.0
I like cozy fantasy but this was just a nothingburger. I feel like with a cozy fantasy you need to care about the characters and the world so that you become immersed in the day to day of it. That just never happened for me. Caz the sentient plant was about the only character that felt real.
The insta love is so dumb. They “really, really like” each other after a week. And he acts different with her over anyone else. Plus, it’s never resolved why he remembers her from before.
The plot just felt like one small, way too easily resolved, crisis after another and I just didn’t care about a lot of it.
Also, shoehorning a sentient cactus that just says “meep” to have they/them pronouns felt like an odd attempt at representation.
I’m just not impressed and feel like there are way better cozy fantasies out there.
The insta love is so dumb. They “really, really like” each other after a week. And he acts different with her over anyone else. Plus, it’s never resolved why he remembers her from before.
The plot just felt like one small, way too easily resolved, crisis after another and I just didn’t care about a lot of it.
Also, shoehorning a sentient cactus that just says “meep” to have they/them pronouns felt like an odd attempt at representation.
I’m just not impressed and feel like there are way better cozy fantasies out there.
Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern by Joshua Zeitz
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This was actually a fascinating and easy read. It’s been on my shelves forever and I wish I’d gotten to it sooner. The premise is just a biography of some famous people in the 1920s but really it delves into so much more than that. They were the loose backbone for a longer discussion on feminism, racism, and the changing of the American landscape. I found myself comparing it heavily to a lot of the shit going on now. It felt a bit too praising of Chanel but did mention her Nazi stuff later which is better.
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This was a really interesting concept and feel like it was executed well.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
5.0
Just as good in the reread
Jumpnauts by Hao Jingfang
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Dnfing at page 246
The premise of this was intriguing, but it fell flat. Since it is a translation, the writing is a bit stilted which I’ve come to expect as the flow is lost when translated. However, the story itself was so choppy and also cheesy. I liked the connection of Chinese history and artifacts for a National Treasure style hunt to have first contact with aliens, and although the characters were annoying and cheesy, I felt like this had me sustained in the beginning.
About halfway through the book, they meet the aliens and it just goes even more downhill from here. The plot choppiness made me just not care about literally anything happening and it became this long, monotonous philosophical rant. Skimming the rest showed several more jumps in story goals.
Other random things that annoyed me: the over describing of fight scenes like I was supposed think these two randoms were James Bond, the fake love triangle, and the fact that the guys should just get together but obviously won’t.
I’m counting this towards my reading goal because I invested so much time, but I’m not torturing myself through 100 more pages of misery and another week of reading and getting nowhere because there’s no brevity to be found here.
The premise of this was intriguing, but it fell flat. Since it is a translation, the writing is a bit stilted which I’ve come to expect as the flow is lost when translated. However, the story itself was so choppy and also cheesy. I liked the connection of Chinese history and artifacts for a National Treasure style hunt to have first contact with aliens, and although the characters were annoying and cheesy, I felt like this had me sustained in the beginning.
About halfway through the book, they meet the aliens and it just goes even more downhill from here. The plot choppiness made me just not care about literally anything happening and it became this long, monotonous philosophical rant. Skimming the rest showed several more jumps in story goals.
Other random things that annoyed me: the over describing of fight scenes like I was supposed think these two randoms were James Bond, the fake love triangle, and the fact that the guys should just get together but obviously won’t.
I’m counting this towards my reading goal because I invested so much time, but I’m not torturing myself through 100 more pages of misery and another week of reading and getting nowhere because there’s no brevity to be found here.