emmafishhh's reviews
139 reviews

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

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

1.0

I honestly hates this book so much. Ralph is the worst main character, and so felt that he was extremely harmful to the groups progress and survival on the island. Rodger was a nasty character, and Piggy (the only likeable one) was murdered. Jack wasn’t any better than Ralph, and the plot the whole time felt boring. The idea that the “lord of the flies” was just a corpse was uncreative, and the ending was really rushed. It was extremely disappointing and I do not recommend.
Enola Holmes (Netflix tie-in): The Case of the Missing Marques by Nancy Springer

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

3.5

This was a pleasantly short and fairly decent book. I will say, I thought that it lacked areas of thrill and the mystery was really only half of the book, but it was super fast paced and the setting was really good. I wish Sherlock was featured more than he was, but I guess he was there for an appropriate length of time. The concept was good and somewhat interesting, but I did feel like it was intended for a younger audience. I am now intrigued to watch the film.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

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

2.5

To be honest, I did not like this book very much. The constant banter and the relentless use of “shortcake” was not my taste. The actual relationship felt dull and flat, which only made me dislike the book even further. The plot of the book felt lost in all of their constant bickering, and everything from page 100 to 300 felt irreverent. The only redeeming aspect of this novel was that it was fast paced and somewhat short so I could read it in one night.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I surprisingly found this decently enjoyable. Although I did not like the use of racial slurs from a white author, or the white-saviour complex of Atticus doing the bare minimum, I found this to be really interesting. The case of Tom Robinson was really interesting, and I thought it provided some insight to the racial injustices of the 1930’s in the Deep South of the US. I liked that I recognised Montgomery and Birmingham counties from learning about Martin Luther King Jr, and contextualised the settings a bit. A decent classic.
Iron Heart by Nina Varela

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book! I was quite fond of the language and writing style in this book, and it had a cohesive plot with the first one. The slow burn finally reached to their first kiss, but it felt like it took too long to get there. Ayla and Crier both had really well planned and individual plots, and they worked well together. This finished with a happy ending that I’m stoked about, and I thought the cover art was absolutely beautiful. Great LGBTQIA+ representation in this, and was very enjoyable.
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

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funny hopeful relaxing 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was so good! I absolutely adored this book, and I wish I had read it sooner! The relationship between Esme and Khai was so beautiful to see unfold, and I loved reading through it. This was surprisingly funny, and it was super enjoyable. It was really good to see Michael and Stella featured again, and Quan was an awesome brother to Khai. His adaptations and becoming Jade’s father was a really good ending, and the book was really well written. 10/10 and I am so excited to read “The Heart Principle”!
Galatea by Madeline Miller

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dark reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I really liked this short story! The progression of the study, although it was small, was really interesting and the characters felt well developed for the amount of time they had. The only part I didn’t like about this, was that I didn’t know if she was a statue or a person, which made it overall more confusing. Galatea’s calm but skeptical manner made for a really interesting book, and I thoroughly enjoyed its plot, writing, technique and cover art.
Crier's War by Nina Varela

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

4.75

This was really good! The slow burn between Crier and Ayla was really good, and it was one of the best “enemies to lovers” books I’ve read. It was a strategic move to make Scyre Kinok and Hesod somewhat enemies of Crier, but I also think I enjoyed them less as characters. The plot was really good, and I liked the fuse between humans and  atomae in the book. The characters were well considered, and it was a really good book. I am definitely looking forward to reading Iron Heart!
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

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emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

This memoir was so breathtakingly sad, emotional and beautiful. The author struggled through so many unimaginable hardships being a queer, black man in the 1990’s and 2000’s. The book felt so touching, and made me feel raw emotions. The lessons inside felt really important, and I feel so empathetic for the author and his experiences. It was such a vivid and live experience of his life, identity and struggles, which made me feel really sorry for him. Amazing book, and I will definitely be looking into getting more like it.
She Gets the Girl by Alyson Derrick, Rachael Lippincott

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was so good! It felt refreshing to read a sapphic romance that was between college-aged people, and there weren’t any awkward coming out scenes - it felt like an ordinary romance novel. The whole time, I was rooting for Alex and Molly, and I’m so happy that they got together. I honestly didn’t like Natalie or Abby very much. It was just a very cute romance and I liked the slow burn aspect of this. One of the best WLW novels of this year!