wynterstrike's reviews
51 reviews

dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.25

"I always thought it was what I wanted: to be loved and admired. Now I think perhaps I'd like to be known."

What a gorgeous story about the things we'll do for those we love and for the sake of humanity. This novel drew tears from me like none other. The focus on love in all it's forms - parent/child, sisters, friends - was appreciated and made the characters and their choices more relatable.

I do think the pacing was strange at some points, and I particularly felt the ending was rushed. The story could've taken more of a dive into the horrors and struggles faced by the French women in WW2 but I don't think that would've helped the vibe Kristin Hannah was going for.

If you're a big history buff and enjoy more historically accurate books, be warned, this may not give you what you're looking for. The occupation of this little countryside village by such a number of Nazis seemed a bit strange but if you can look past that and read the book as fiction, you'll get a beautiful story of love and survival.

Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This one surprised me. I generally don't so much as finish sports romances, let alone enjoy them. I also demand a full and thorough plot which was practically absent from this book. Shocking, given the ~800 pages, which definitely could've been reduced as conversations seemed to be repeated often, but I still devoured this book and had a great time doing so.

I loved the depth of the characters, and Gibsie and Johnny's friendship was a highlight for me. There were a couple of questionable comments made by characters, and everyone seemed to act first, talk later, but given the characters ages I think it checks out.

What I'd like to see in book 2:

more character development from Shannon would be nice; she was meek the whole book. I'd also like to see Johnny actually listen to her for once.

Looking forward to picking up the next book regardless!

It's worth checking the trigger warnings if you're okay not going in completely blind, there's some pretty dark themes throughout.

Content Warnings

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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adventurous mysterious tense 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? No

3.75

A fun fast paced YA mystery. I appreciated the short chapters and thought Avery was a well fleshed out and enjoyable protagonist. I did find it tricky in the first half to keep track of the family tree and where all the other inhabitants of Hawthorne House fitted in but they all seemed to have their purpose. The mystery fell a bit flat for me but maybe YA just isn't up my alley any more.

Skin Taker by Michelle Paver

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced