wisteriariaa's reviews
131 reviews

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

slow-paced

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

1.0

 Oh my fucking god is this book fucking boring. Like, mind numbingly boring. The protagonist is bland, the love interest isn't interesting in the slightest, every time they interact I want to set the book on fire. Its really poorly written too, I was shocked that this wasn't a debut. If I have to hear about Winnie's goddamn teeth clicking one more time I swear to god.... Oh and the worldbuilding is horrible as well, thanks for asking. Its so confusing and half baked. Book bad. 

Small Angels by Lauren Owen

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

lighthearted reflective medium-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

4.0

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

emotional lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.0

 My only issue with this book is that I don't like what was done with Wallace at the end. It feels like a cop-out and kind of butchers the themes of the book. Other then that, I can acknowledge that this is a good book, I just wasn't as crazy about it as a lot of other people seem to be. I found it a bit boring and confusing at times, but thats my own opinion and not on the book. It's just not for me, and thats okay. 

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar

adventurous sad fast-paced

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

3.0

 Wow. I have not been this disappointed with a book in a long time.

I expected thrilling high stakes heists with kickass sapphics. Instead what I got was a confusing slog of a book brimming with characters I did not like, a lackluster underdeveloped romance, and a ridiculous heist. Thats all I really have to say. What wasted potential. The only reason I'm giving it three stars is because I reserve three star ratings for books that are just average to me. While I was underwhelmed, I didn't vitriolicly hate it. Thats right, this book couldn't even illicit hatred out of me. All I felt was nothing. Yay. 

Desert Creatures by Kay Chronister

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

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

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

dark sad medium-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

3.0

 The writing was fine, but the book eaters make literally no sense and it kind of ruins the story. A lot more thought should have been put into creating them. I kept asking myself why they were the way they were, everything about them was so confusing. What are the point of the dragons? Why are they called dragons? Why are book eater women simultaneously treated as rare and important, seen as unable to do wrong as children, but are treated as lesser than as an adult? Who is the Collector? What is the purpose of the book eaters? What are they supposed to be doing? So many questions with few answers, and the answers we do get are confusing. I did like the theme of motherhood and how Devon struggled to adjust to it and adapting to a world outside of the sexist environment she grew up in. Although I always kind of felt like she didn't really care as much for Cai as the book made it seem, and that she'd drop him in a heartbeat for her daughter so that's not great. Overall, the book was fine. Nothing terrible, but nothing super special either. I'll probably never think about it ever again. 

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins

fast-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

4.0

Paper Girls, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan

fast-paced

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

3.0