wuthrinheights's reviews
197 reviews

Salem Goes to Rome (Salem's Tails) by Cathy East Dubowski, Mark Dubowski, David Berendsen

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

A short, fun, and fast book. I read the Sabrina Goes to Rome book a few years back but didn't like it. For some reason, this Salem tie in was a much better experience. 

Salem was a funny character and his love-hate relationship with his hamster roommate was fun to read about. Watching them combine their wits as they race all around Rome to retrieve Sabrina's stolen locket, it was both suspenseful and exciting!

Rockin' Class Trip by L.E. Blair

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.25

Class Trip books/shows are always a great treat for me. Like in River Heights and Dawson's Creek. Taken out of their usual setting, being in a new touristy place, getting into all kinds of shenanigans. "Rockin Class Trip" delivered it well. It was just the right balance of lighthearted fun and stressful situations that you'd expect when going on a trip with many people. 

As a kid, I was obsessed with Girl Talk and it's been a while since I've picked it up. I forgot that it will focus on each character of the friend group. Unfortunately for this one, it was about my least favourite character. But the cute story made up for it. And as always, my favourite part of the book is when they have their phone call conversations. 

Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving

mysterious slow-paced

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

1.0

Utterly dull and sleep-inducing. Super slow story telling, with very little excitement. If it had been an audiobook, it would've flown from one ear to another. 

I've heard some stories of Sleepy Hollow and have always thought it was fascinating but reading the real thing was super disappointing. It wasn't creepy and the post script section made the story even more infuriatingly boring. 

Rip Van Winkle sounded interesting too, at first. But despite being really short, it was also uneventful. I don't think I'll be picking up any more Washington Irving in the future.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

adventurous lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

4.25

It has been a decade since I first read (and fell in love with) this book. I had a huge crush on Sage and even learned how to roll a coin over my knuckles like he did. For ten years, I kept saying how underrated this trilogy is and so far I've only known maybe one or two other people who have read and loved it like I did.

Rereading it now, I've certainly outgrown it. It is a lot lighter and childlike compared to other high fantasy books I've read (like Fallen Kingdoms). And if I've forgotten the plot twists during this reread, I would've rated this higher. Knowing the story took the fun out of it. 

But still, this was a really great book and I still have a soft spot for Sage. He makes a great main character, even if he's wild and untameable--much to everyone's annoyances. 

Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye

adventurous funny informative fast-paced

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

4.75

This story is like the kids book version of the TV show: The Good Place. Where the main characters have died and gone to the afterlife but they don't feel like they belong where they're assigned. And if they were wrongfully placed there, then there must be some kind of a mistake in the universe and how they judge these souls. And if that's the case, this could cause a really huge revolution. 

Fast paced, colourful, creative, and funny, it was a joyful ride (well, for me at least. Not for them. The poor kids got tortured) as they descended to the first level of Heck (the kids version of hell where they must undergo a series of tests and classes until their souls could be correctly assessed when they turn 18). Spanning over nine books (the last one hasn't been released yet), I am curious to see how the rest of the series will go. The first book was already so well-written. I wonder what kind of horrors will they face next. And yes, I'm rooting for them!

The Girl Who Cried Monster by R.L. Stine

tense 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? Yes

3.0

I don't have much to say except.. the ending. I definitely did NOT see that coming. I had to look up other reviews to see if I read that correctly. 

The whole book wasn't totally great, but there was a scene or two that kept me in suspense.

Beware, the Snowman by R.L. Stine

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I've always been fond of this book as a kid (even before I knew how to read) and when I picked it up today, I saw that my mum had written inside, saying it was my first selection of book. Pretty cool (ha get it?).

Beware, The Snowman was actually quite good, story wise. A big city girl had to move to the middle of nowhere, only snow all around, and with very little people in that village. A village with a creepy superstition--beware the snowman. 

But which one? The whole town was filled with the same looking snowman: black, beady eyes, crooked carrot nose, bright red scarf, angry raised hands made out of sticks, a scowl, and a deep scar on one cheek. In front of every house and peppered through the town: snowman, snowman, snowman. 

It was creepy and it had you guessing a lot. A certain plot twist/cliff hanger had me howling with laughter because I really didn't see it coming! 

RL Stine, you did it again. I'm hooked through and through. 

The Ghost Next Door by R.L. Stine

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Finished in one sitting, this book was fun. Stine has always been one of my fave writers. Told in a simple language, he could always deliver a good story. 

I could spot the main plot twist a mile away (clearly, since it was written for kids) but I was pleasantly surprised to find out he had one more trick up his sleeve so at least that was great to experience. 

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

Rereading The Maze Runner nearly a decade later and finding out it is just as good--no--is better than the first time around is such a great feeling. 

It was incredibly fast paced, exhilarating, and so scary, I felt like screaming out loud whenever there was a griever jumpscare. 

The characters are still so lovable and I could appreciate all of the dynamics much better now. They were all young and innocent, forced to participate in a deadly experiment. Some scenes were incredibly sad.

I was supposed to be asleep hours ago but I just had to finish up the second half of the book. I couldn't put it down. Amazing 5 stars.

El regalo perfecto by Spencer Johnson

funny fast-paced

1.5

This was my first time reading a book solely in Spanish and although I stumbled a lot (and making my head hurt from translating), I got the gist of it. It was terribly, painfully predictable to the point of being cheesy. 

It's alright though, I have nothing much to say except that I'm proud I've learned enough Spanish to roughly understand a whole book.