breadsalot's reviews
656 reviews

Lights by Brenna Thummler

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

3.0

Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven

Go to review page

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Go to review page

mysterious tense 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

3.75

What Worked:

The different POVs and timelines made for an interesting read. You wanted to keep turning the page to see where the next piece of the puzzle was going to fall into place.
Some of the reveals were genuinely surprising! Though the entire book wasn’t necessarily earth-shatteringly original, I was genuinely surprised by some of the twists.

What Didn’t Work:

The characters were rather unlikable. I suppose you don’t have to relate to any characters in order to enjoy a book, but I did find myself rolling my eyes at a few of the characters more than once, which took me out of the reading experience.

Recommendations/Final Thoughts:

If you like The White Lotus or other stories that start with a shocking crime that all starts to come together as you go along.
It was a fun quick holiday read that left me curious enough to want to eventually check out another one of Foley’s books.

Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

Go to review page

emotional tense fast-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

5.0

What Worked:

It’s very rare for me to be genuinely interested in everyone’s story in a book with multiple POVs and timelines, but this book did that so well. The 90s timeline sucked you right in and set the stage for the rest of the events throughout the book, and the present-day POVs of Grace and Shawn were equally captivating.
It was so hard to put this book down. The historical (and current day) backdrop of this book really raised the stakes and kept me turning pages wanting, or rather, holding my breath to see what would happen next.

What Didn’t Work:

N/A. I have 0 complaints.

Recommendations/Final Thoughts:

Anyone who wants a book that feels real, raw, and heart-wrenching. It’s a heavy book for sure, but completely worth the hype.
Being from LA and having grown up hearing about the LA riots, this book touched on local history in such a beautifully written way that piqued my interest the first time I heard about it. Living in the Valley now also added another personal element that connected me to this book.
If you’re from LA, if you like books that touch on race, class, immigrant stories, incarceration and policing, you’ll want to check this out.

The Holy Terrors by Simon R. Green

Go to review page

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

*Advanced Read Copy*

What worked:

The characters were likable (or unlikable, when it mattered)
Cool concept that made you want to keep reading, to find out what was going to happen next
Alistair as the protagonist - I’d keep reading books he’s in. He doesn't seem too 2-dimensional and is endearing enough that you find yourself rooting for him.
Though not a shocker of an ending, I didn’t predict it. Nor did I really feel like I knew where the story was going, so predictability wasn’t an issue.

What didn’t work:

It wasn’t very scary. I expected far more chills and thrills throughout.
Overall, the reading experience was somewhat underwhelming. By the end of it, I was left wanting more - maybe a sequel?

Recommendation/Final Thoughts:
I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants “lighter” horror read that keeps you engaged and curious. It had plenty of banter and interesting characters. And who doesn’t love a locked-room mystery?

Batman: Haunted Knight (New Edition) by Tim Sale, Jeph Loeb

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced