jomarie's reviews
314 reviews

Together We Rot is another title where the premise is better than the plot. The mysterious disappearance of a local woman after investigating the preacher and a creepy forest that almost seems alive? Sign me up! Unfortunately, the writing of this book felt too novice in its execution to deliver on the creepy vibes of the back cover copy. I likened it to Teen Wolf fanfiction to a friend (except I’ve read far better works from that fandom).

I think the story was just underdeveloped, - perhaps intentionally - in order to write it for a younger audience. To live up to the promise of the premise, I think the author would have to target an older Young Adult/New Adult audience, expanding the consequences of the world and the character development so they all actually felt like graduating high school seniors.

As a debut novel, Together We Rot definitely shows the author's potential if they continue to develop their craft. However, the novel itself was not enough to inspire me to follow on their journey nor recommend it to others. I do have to thank it, though, for returning me to one of my favorite hobbies after a time away and providing good writing lessons on what to avoid doing (or not doing).

Content Warnings

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

This was a really fun, creative story that took the apocalypse/antichrist plot in a new and interesting way. The format made it a touch hard to read at times - there’s really no chapters, just days and then jumping section in between - so it was a little hard to find a good stopping point some times. Haven’t seen the TV show yet, but imagine I’ll probably enjoy it even more because I can see the story working even better as something watchable. Plus, David Tennant. I’d probably recommend this book to fans of Neil Gaiman or folks looking for a fun, light mythology type of read, but even thought I enjoyed it - hence the high rating - I’m not sure it quite lives up to the hype.

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.

The only thing I'm getting is that there are two equally attractive guys interested in this cliche "good girl that's secretly kind of bad" character that is desperately set up to be Not Like Other Girls. The point of view changes arbitrarily and there's no explanation as to what this tagging system is for different human souls. Read like someone's first attempt at a love triangle where the author tried to do something big and epic, but just didn't have the skills for it.

My Life as a Rhombus by Varian Johnson

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slow-paced

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

1.0

If you want a math-theme sort of love story, read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.
If you want a story about teen pregnancy, watch Juno.

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Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I was hooked on the Grishaverse from the very first scene. I ADORE when science and magic are partners instead of foes. then, we layer in tension between nations and more between the rich and poor within just one nation. It felt like the sort of high fantasy you expect out of a Game of Thrones-type book, but without feeling too bogged down with the complexities - I had a blast with it!

With the rich world, it was a little hard for me to get behind Alina as our hero because she, in contrast, felt sort of flat. I did eventually warm up to her. I also found most of the supporting cast to be balanced and I especially love Genya. She reminded me a lot of Iko from The Lunar Chronicles. There’s just something so healing about a girly, fierce friend. Meanwhile, the Darkling I felt started off great, but kind tarnished over time. I think I only liked him because I know Ben Barnes portrays the character in the Netflix show.

Between the war, the secret experiments, the shady religious advisor, the mythos of the saints, and Alina’s journey being a literal embodiment of hope, there are SO many ways Bardugo could take this story and it keyed me up ready for the next one!

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan, Rachel Cohn

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

The main characters’ inner monologues were so insufferably Quirky™️ that it felt like a tweenager’s first attempt at writing something but from people who have written multiple books prior to this. Usually, I find that the plot lets down the premise, but in this case it was the prose that turned me off of what could have been an exceptionally fun, cute holiday novel. What a shame, honestly.

Content Warnings

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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dark mysterious sad 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

2.5

This was a book that I’ve had for quite a while and was interested in reading as a lover of sci-fi stories. Having read it, I’m not sure I gained any more respect for it.

Caveat: I don’t have a great track record of liking classics, so definitely take my opinion with a grain of salt!

I only knew the bare bones of the story through pop culture references. I was expecting a gothic, atmospheric story of man’s hubris. The actual story didn’t quite hit that mark. Mostly, I was bored. The monster featured so little, most of the characters were flat, and framing it as a story being told to a man on a mission to the North Pole felt unnecessary. The most interesting part was what the monster did after running away from Victor, but that was told as a dry conversation rather than actually spending time in that space. It frankly made Felix out to be a more enticing character than anyone else in the book.

Luckily, I read through the info in the front of my copy that explained some of the historical context that Mary Shelley wrote it under. If I hadn’t, I’d feel even more disconnected from the point of it all than I already am. If you’re only looking at it as an example of historic literature, it’s a fascinating study. However, that’s not what I was doing.

Knowing the kind of reader I am, I should have done the audiobook to better comprehend and connect with the story, or just picked my favorite movie adaption and called it good.

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jomarie's reviews 314 reviews

jomarie's reviews
314 reviews