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arys_library's reviews
84 reviews
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.75
3.75 stars. i don’t fully know how to process this book!
it was interesting for sure, but also the ending half kinda ruined it for me. the beginning was great, it was intriguing and gross and uncomfortable. i was so excited to read it. but then the second half completely contradicted everything that happened in the first half. i won’t share spoilers but i am so mad at the ending parts of the book. it’s as if the author had this entire image of what she wanted for premise and takeaway of this book to be, but then got sucked into the harmful stereotypes of women and just gave into it with the last half. it was really disappointing. i would have probably given this around 4.5 stars had the ending been different, but the fact that it changed so much, ruined my thoughts of it.
it was interesting for sure, but also the ending half kinda ruined it for me. the beginning was great, it was intriguing and gross and uncomfortable. i was so excited to read it. but then the second half completely contradicted everything that happened in the first half. i won’t share spoilers but i am so mad at the ending parts of the book. it’s as if the author had this entire image of what she wanted for premise and takeaway of this book to be, but then got sucked into the harmful stereotypes of women and just gave into it with the last half. it was really disappointing. i would have probably given this around 4.5 stars had the ending been different, but the fact that it changed so much, ruined my thoughts of it.
The Lake by Natasha Preston
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ending sucked.
The Selection by Kiera Cass
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book had me blushing and giggling like a damn teenager lol.
well it got me out of my reading slump finally! i really liked it. i thought i had read this years ago but honestly, i think it just sat on my shelves for so long that my mind thought i had read it. so ftr and i loved it!
i know this is a y/a novel and these books are obviously simpler that other books, but i wish there’s was more showing instead of telling. it seemed like every paragraph the narrator was “i did this. and then i did that. and then i said this. and then i saw that.” i feel like there was no descriptions, it was just someone talking.
Also the entire book, America kept narrating on how smug and rotten Celeste is, and i agree ofc, but we didn’t really see that until the last 50 or so pages. so for the majority of the book it was just america complaining about a rude girl that wasn’t even important.
but besides that and the fact that america is the biggest “i’m not like other girls” girl, i really loved this book
well it got me out of my reading slump finally! i really liked it. i thought i had read this years ago but honestly, i think it just sat on my shelves for so long that my mind thought i had read it. so ftr and i loved it!
i know this is a y/a novel and these books are obviously simpler that other books, but i wish there’s was more showing instead of telling. it seemed like every paragraph the narrator was “i did this. and then i did that. and then i said this. and then i saw that.” i feel like there was no descriptions, it was just someone talking.
Also the entire book, America kept narrating on how smug and rotten Celeste is, and i agree ofc, but we didn’t really see that until the last 50 or so pages. so for the majority of the book it was just america complaining about a rude girl that wasn’t even important.
but besides that and the fact that america is the biggest “i’m not like other girls” girl, i really loved this book
Wet Hot Allosaurus Summer by Lola Faust
funny
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? N/A
2.5
WHAT DID I READ?!?!
Look, I didn't pick out this book to read ok don't judge me!! I thought it would be satirical, a funny book, not actual dinosaur p*rn! But it was actually pretty funny. It's a super fast read (it took me about 30 minutes) and it's just for laughs; don't make your review so serious!
I can confidently say that I won't read this book ever again, but that doesn't mean I hated it. It was fun!
Look, I didn't pick out this book to read ok don't judge me!! I thought it would be satirical, a funny book, not actual dinosaur p*rn! But it was actually pretty funny. It's a super fast read (it took me about 30 minutes) and it's just for laughs; don't make your review so serious!
I can confidently say that I won't read this book ever again, but that doesn't mean I hated it. It was fun!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
hopeful
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
Great start to a hopefully amazing series!
Another Sarah J Maas book that was pretty good. I'll be honest, I am still waiting (very impatiently) for some more diversity to be added to her books. I feel uncomfortable buying so many books from her when the diversity is so low. Because of that, the rating of this book has gone from probably a 4.5 to a 4-star book.
Overall, I really liked this book. I loved the characters and their relationship, I feel like we got a great glimpse into what's to come, I felt so immersed almost instantly into the book. I read this pretty fast, it's definitely a gripping and intriguing book, and one that I'll most likely recommend soon!
Another Sarah J Maas book that was pretty good. I'll be honest, I am still waiting (very impatiently) for some more diversity to be added to her books. I feel uncomfortable buying so many books from her when the diversity is so low. Because of that, the rating of this book has gone from probably a 4.5 to a 4-star book.
Overall, I really liked this book. I loved the characters and their relationship, I feel like we got a great glimpse into what's to come, I felt so immersed almost instantly into the book. I read this pretty fast, it's definitely a gripping and intriguing book, and one that I'll most likely recommend soon!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Cursing, Drug abuse, Gore, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Satan's Affair by H.D. Carlton
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was pretty good! to be honest, I didn't know what this book was going to fully be about when I started it and I was... shocked, to say the least. This book was decently gory, but the graphic descriptions of death during these sexual scenes made me very uncomfortable at times. I will admit, the ending twist was incredibly interesting, it made me want to reread it to spot clues that could have pointed us to what happened in the end. But altogether, it was a fun read, a great intro to a hopefully amazing series, but because of the uncomfortable scenes, I probably won't read it again soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Incest, Rape, Vomit, and Trafficking
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I absolutely LOVED this book! I went into this with low expectations because I see so many people posting about how amazing this book is, I didn't want to be let down. But this book definitely lived up to the hype! It was such a gripping y/a thriller, the characters were so interesting, and everything flowed together so smoothly. Throughout the entire book, I was creating different theories in my head as to what the ending could be and even though some parts were right, the ending was still so surprising! It was pretty diverse which is something I always look for when reviewing books. I don't have any negative thoughts about diversity. It was genuinely amazing! I think the only negative thing I have to say about the book is the similarities to other works. The TV show Pretty Little Liars has the main character Allie, and our main character Andie is exactly like her. Seems perfect until you get to know her and realize she is a bully and will do whatever she can to be popular and loved. There was one quote in this book by Andie's friend that reminded me so much of a quote from the show, it was hard to read this without thinking of it. Even then, it could be a stretch on my behalf, and the similarities are just coincidences. However, the second similarity I think is so specific that it's hard to believe it is a coincidence. SPOILER COMING SPOILER HEREThe scene takes place in the book where max and his friends tell Pip about the night he and his friends hit someone with their car. They were drunk and drove home under the influence and hit a man who came out of nowhere on an empty and isolated road. They thought he was dead and decided to leave him there, with Max angrily trying to convince everyone to lie. But someone happened to see the incident and begin to blackmail them because of it. That EXACT scene happens in the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer, down to the angry guy being the most responsible, and telling everyone to cover up what they did These similarities are so specific that I have a hard time thinking that this book was 100% the author's original idea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
Betrayed by Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast
adventurous
funny
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
4.25
I honestly liked this one more than the first one! I felt more of a connection to the characters. I was connected to them in the first book but with this one it’s even more.
I love how we got to see both positive and negative sides to each character, and exactly the depths of Zoey’s powers. I also absolutely loved Aphrodite in this book! Even though she was crazy mean in the first book and quite a bit in the second, her true self shined through as she helped zoey and her friends. I hope she gets some redemption in the next books.
I didn’t like the recap in this book. It seems like the way the author recapped the first book was so repetitive. So many small details were said multiple times that it felt dumb and annoying. I really hope the next book there isn’t any recap, if we want to remember what happened in the previous book, just reread if.
I love how we got to see both positive and negative sides to each character, and exactly the depths of Zoey’s powers. I also absolutely loved Aphrodite in this book! Even though she was crazy mean in the first book and quite a bit in the second, her true self shined through as she helped zoey and her friends. I hope she gets some redemption in the next books.
I didn’t like the recap in this book. It seems like the way the author recapped the first book was so repetitive. So many small details were said multiple times that it felt dumb and annoying. I really hope the next book there isn’t any recap, if we want to remember what happened in the previous book, just reread if.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
i do wish the ending were a little different. but it was still a nice ending that didn’t have many flaws, it was just my opinion and preference so i don’t think that too anything from the book.
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was such an amazing book! I think if someone were to ask me for a recommendation for a book to get a beginner into books about feminine rage, while not being too gory, but still extremely fun and gripping; this would be one of the top recommendations.
I thought this book was so fun and I absolutely loved the writing style. It's just under 250 pages and each chapter is extremely short (some chapters are only a paragraph long) so it's a pretty quick read and could be used to get out of a reading slump.
Since the POV was with the character who WASNT a serial killer, it isn't very graphic or gory, but it still is extremely gripping. After finishing this book, I actually prefer this point of view. it gives depth to the characters and their relationship. It highlights petty sibling feuds and jealousy, and how factors can change and stay the same going into adulthood.
the writing style and characters and everything else were so brilliant that this ending didn't make me too upset, it's just something to think about. I am planning on reading another work of Braithwaite in the future, this story was truly brilliant.
I thought this book was so fun and I absolutely loved the writing style. It's just under 250 pages and each chapter is extremely short (some chapters are only a paragraph long) so it's a pretty quick read and could be used to get out of a reading slump.
Since the POV was with the character who WASNT a serial killer, it isn't very graphic or gory, but it still is extremely gripping. After finishing this book, I actually prefer this point of view. it gives depth to the characters and their relationship. It highlights petty sibling feuds and jealousy, and how factors can change and stay the same going into adulthood.
the writing style and characters and everything else were so brilliant that this ending didn't make me too upset, it's just something to think about. I am planning on reading another work of Braithwaite in the future, this story was truly brilliant.
i do wish the ending were a little different. but it was still a nice ending that didn’t have many flaws, it was just my opinion and preference so i don’t think that too anything from the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Infidelity and Pedophilia
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Absolutely loved this book! It’s been years since I read it, years since I watched the movie and tv show but I still loved every bit of it. Thankfully, this book got me out of a reading slump. I will admit though Simon is even more annoying than I remember and because of him and what happened with clary and jace (no spoilers) I kinda want to skip the second book lol. But I still loved it