valeria_balzan's reviews
145 reviews

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I feel like this is a very solid book. It has the magic system/school sort of world building, the characters and the plot are all there. There's drama, there's romance (lightly), and everything but I feel like it's missing something I cannot quite understand.

We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu

hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.75

Simu definitely delivered with this book. He popped off.

He wrote everything I look for in memoirs, tbh. He was honest, he gave a retrospective about his teenage years with adult eyes, had good anecdotes, was relatable, etc. he said he put a lot of effort into this book and it shows, from the way he has written it to the way he also narrates it.

Also, Simu reading the acknowledgements had me almost tearing up in front of other people.

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Colleen Hoover, you will see my hands for this one. How dare you make me feel this way?

I feel like we been knew that I looooove the friends to lovers, and it was one of the reasons why I read it ends with us. When she announced this book I was ready to eat it up. So I did.
Girl, don't ask me for a single plot point of this because I have none, I just like the fluffy nice rosy coloured feelings I get from this. 
They're so cheesy and cute together.
Ugh. It hurts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

Minor: Medical trauma and Death of parent

The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I was both dreading and dying to read this book. Last books in a series are not usually my favorites, but this one is very *chef's kiss*.  

The set up was amazing, the jokes were funny, and the character archs all had their time to shine. I feel like it really rounded up the story in a very solid way.

I would also like to add that the ending in this books might be one of Rick Riordan's best. It just feels like a warm hug or someone giving you some hot chocolate when you're cold. It's that good.

Romeo And/Or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure by Ryan North

adventurous funny medium-paced

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

3.5

This is my first time reading a "choose your own story" type of book, and even though I enjoyed it I don't think I'd choose to read one again. 
When I read I like to infer on the plot and almost predict and read what happens, so this type of concept kinda didn't do it for me.

The book itself it's good. It's a basic concept but it isn't fool proof (and I am a fool). I felt myself lost in a couple choices, wondering how I could get out of the dead end. (I guess you kinda stop reading at that point, but I'm stubborn and I wanna read the whole thing...)
The story itself was a lighter (and funnier) twist on the classic, but even though there is so many different plot line you can go with, I'm basic so I kinda stuck with the og one. That's on me tho.

Would recommend to a younger audience OR Shakespeare nerds.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

Maybe this is just me, but I felt like the book had no main storyline. It was just him going to different places and reminiscing about different stages in his life. I'm convinced the book won the Pulitzer prize for it's great writing, not because of its amazing story.
I dreaded reading this book a lot of the times, and as I reflected on Less' character I cannot fully love or hate him.

And I completely despised the ending.

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I think this book is a sign that I am growing out of highschool-centered books...I thought this books was a nice read, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I read it before. Shame on me.

The real conflict of the book really turned the book around for me though. I love that it had a meaningful impact on Henry's life and that he actually suffered the consequences of his own actions.

The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan

lighthearted reflective 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? No

3.5

Seeing a character like Grover, who probably struggles with self esteem and how he has a hard time picturing himself as a leader because all of the trauma his past actions have caused him (Thalia and Pan) being a leader of such a great community of dryad's and trying to make the world more in touch with Nate and get other people to care as much to the environment as he does is just... really sweet. I missed stories like these.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

4.75

This memoir reads like an old friend, whom you haven't seen in a while, has come back to town and you're meeting up for lunch while she tells you how she's been doing.
It has such great narrative in the way the moments impact you as well as if you were living it yourself. 
The relationships, her emotions all is well expressed to the point you connect and acknowledge every single time.

Loved it.