victorias_booknook's reviews
105 reviews

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

3.5

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed Sutherland's story which is loosely inspired by the Scottish folktale "The Selkie Wife", rather than a retelling. Far less predictable in detail and ending than a retelling would have been. I really loved Jean, the village midwife and main character of the story. The strength she's had to dig deep and find in order to carry on in a tightly knit community that's socially rejected her is heart breaking at the beginning of the book. You can't help but cheer her on and hope that she gets the girl.

The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Coates is a good writer and her style of storytelling is definitely unique. She's does well at putting fun twists on what at first seem to be classic horror set ups.

When it comes to the explanation of events in the novel, the author doesn't construct anything unnecessarily complex. I both liked and disliked this. In a way, it was nice that it didn't detract from the main storyline unfolding. But in other ways, it left my imagination somewhat dissatisfied. 

There's a line about gums receded from teeth that is somewhat overused in the same context, for the same character, which I found annoying. The author is clearly better than that with words in general, as is the editor. Things like that really mess up the flow of an otherwise great read for me 🤷‍♀️

Small Favors by Erin A. Craig

dark mysterious 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

4.25

Small Favors was a really fun, dark read, as well as a very intriguing retelling of Rumplestiltskin. There were quite a few twists thrown in that kept me guessing at what was going on with the odd occurrences until around halfway through the novel. Even after you know what's going on, there are still a few surprises left for the reader towards the ending. 

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.25

This book was full of surprises up until the very end, something that the author is good at it seems. This is my second book of hers and I'm a fan. 

The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

Such a fun, dark, and dramatic read! There's a little bit of everything- family infighting and betrayal, a unique magic system, budding romance, two beautiful con-artists who may be being conned themselves.. And more than one murder to solve. 

The Moon, the Stars, and Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan

mysterious reflective relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.0

This is a delightful, light read with enough mystery and intrigue to keep you turning the pages in surprise until the very end. 

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was disturbing but quite good. The truly disturbing bit doesn't come until the very end, like a well told horror story.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

  I enjoyed this novel for the most part and found it to a page turner. However I thought there were some parts where it fell apart a bit. 
The main plot is that the MC goes undercover at a luxury rehab to investigate her sister's death which she believes to be foul play but has been labeled suicide. There are a lot of complications to her plan, but the two big ones are: 1) The MC, Meg is an actual addict with repressed trauma memories; just like her sister Haley who died in rehab. 2) There's more going on at the rehab than meets the eye.
  When it was eventually revealed, I found the underlying trauma that the sisters in the book shared to be sort of anticlimactic. If you read it and find that callous, please keep in mind this is just my opinion, and I mean in contrast to all of the remembered trauma, as well as what the MC assumed she was repressing. It felt, otherwise, like a very good portrayal of the way that a child's mind can warp details of trauma, actually.
  I also wasn't really satisfied with the way that the novel ended. It seemed kind of wishy washy. I would have expected a harsher, less open ending from the rest of the novel. But overall, it was a pretty good read. Just could have tied together better in the last 90 pages or so :)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

adventurous reflective 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

This was a really entertaining, well-written read. Based on this novel, I would definitely read any of Schwab's other books 🙂 

When Addie, the main character finds herself in need of the help of a god, she makes a terrible mistake in her negotiations. In her desperation to escape a marriage, she barters her soul for her freedom to do as she wishes until she tires of living. The catch is, that in 1700's France, she would practically have to be invisible to be free as a woman. So the god tricks her and makes her impossible to remember. 
Addie spends the next three centuries learning the boundaries of her curse, as well as how to manipulate them a bit here and there. All the while, her and the god are carrying on a struggle of wills, neither of which is willing to concede. 
Everything changes, suddenly,  after nearly 300 years. Addie meets someone who can remember her, and it will change the course of the rest of Addie's life.