whitreadslit's reviews
1325 reviews

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

I am always up for a book based on P&P! I enjoyed the author's interpretation of where the characters would be now. I found it a bit repetitive, and therefore boring, at points. The mystery was pretty good. 

3.5 Stars

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

I was not excited to read this one, but it held its own! I really loved the journey each character went on. And the plot twists were unreal! 

4.5 Stars

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Loved it! Such intricately woven plot lines. SJM is a mastermind! I NEED to know what happens now!! 

5 Stars 

A Murder to Remember by Brynn Kelly

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective fast-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? Yes

5.0

Such a fun read! The Austen fangirl in me loved Amelia so much! And I love a good mystery too. The chemistry between Amelia and Tom was delightful. Loved it!

5 Stars

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

This was both moving and sorrowful. I felt for all that Qian went through, trying to fit in but also hide. Trying to be a child, but also care for her parents. It moved a little slowly at times, but it was pretty good overall. 

3.5 Stars

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious 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

4.0

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for this ARC!*

I am a big fan of Stacey Lee’s previous works, most notably The Downstairs Girl (if you haven’t read it, go pick it up!!) I was really excited to read this title. I love a good mystery, and the early 30s is a fun era of Hollywood. Anytime I get to pick up a book with Chinese main characters, it makes me happy, as my daughter is Chinese and I want to pass on books to her where the main characters look like her ❤️

I enjoyed getting to view this murder from the perspectives of both May and Gemma. Although they are sisters, they are very different people with very different views of the world and personalities. May is the eldest, which makes her much more concerned with the family name and legacy. She is mild mannered and beautiful. What I loved about May was getting to see her work through these decidedly ugly situations.

Gemma, on the other hand, is a live wire who feels much less stress about keeping the family name pristine, and more concern with getting food on the table by whatever means necessary. Her ideas and gumption make her quite radical for her time period, though she would fit in perfectly in today’s more liberal and relaxed society.

Seeing 1930’s Los Angeles from the perspective of a minority family, in a minority neighborhood was enlightening. I am always eager to learn more about U.S. history from the lens of those that didn’t write the history books. I am so grateful that my daughter doesn’t have to live in a society where she will constantly be looked down upon for the shape of her eyes or the color of her skin.

It was also really fun to get to see a behind-the-scenes look at that Hollywood was like at this time. I don’t know if there was a Chinese actress that was on the rise at this time, but I really hope there was (though I hope she didn’t meet such a tragic end). Getting to see May step in as an extra, then as a lead, was fun. I am now more curious about how the film industry worked back then.

The murder mystery itself was just twisty enough to keep things interesting, but I was actually more interested in the dynamics between the sisters and the world around them. I would recommend this to someone who likes a light mystery with a healthy dose of historical fiction and family drama in the mix.

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave Kill Her Twice 4 Stars!


https://whitreadslit.com/2024/04/22/book-review-kill-her-twice/#more-7510

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

This was such an intriguing concept for a romance! What would you do if every relationship had an expiration date you knew about from the beginning? It was sweet and sad and thought provoking. 

4 Stars

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

Great read!! I loved this one and all of the adventures! I liked how all of the storylines finally started tying together. And I can’t wait to see what happens next! 

5 Stars

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

I am absolutely loving this story! I love how Celaena went through so much emotional work to get stronger - it made it so much more believable. I wasn't a fan of how POV jumped around so much, but that's my only complaint.

4.5 Stars

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.0

I’m a big fan of Alice Oseman’s work. I liked this one a lot, although the lack of communication started grating on me. This was a fun read with a lot of great representation in it. 

4 Stars