melissaslibraryy's reviews
319 reviews

Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

omg!! This book definitely exceeded my expectations and was even better than the first. The action, the betrayal, and the angst made this a suspenseful yet gut wrenching read bc even if you predicted certain things, you never knew when or if they would happen or to whom. The way the book left off at the open ending of did they or didn’t they when it came to Juliette and Roma’s HEA, Chloe Gong wrote it in a way that makes you believe they did bc it’s the ending they deserves after fighting so hard for it. This duology was so good and one I’ll always appreciate reading. I’m also glad that people insisted on reading this before starting Foul Last Fortune since it’s a connected series bc I was able to get the full backstory on the rival families and the war on the city, etc. I 1000000% recommend reading this duology if you’re looking for a high stakes fantasy Romeo & Juliet retelling‼️ 
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These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.75

I love this version of a Romeo & Juliet retelling! The details when it came to the setting, characters and fantasy aspect of the world as well as the romance build up between the main characters was well written and had me completely immersed in the book. The ending was great and the cliffhanger definitely has me excited to pick up the sequel (which I will be doing immediately lol) 🤭 100% recommend this book!
Risky Business by Kelsie Rae

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

4.0

Such a fast read and got straight to the point. Though, there were still some plot holes in certain scenes but nothing too crazy other than missing context/backstory. Epilogue was lowkey anticlimactic as well rip so ik this book won’t be as memorable as I hoped. I’d still recommend to people looking for a quick romance novel.
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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challenging dark emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was absolutely heartbreaking and lovely, and one I will never regret reading. I’m glad I finally picked it up bc it’s one I never wanted to put back down. It’s times like this that make me appreciate the hype around a piece of literature because The Invisible Life of Addie Larue was truly meant for me. I laughed, I cried and fell as though  my life’s been changed, as silly as it sounds. It’s unfortunate that it took me this long to read after years of being on my tbr but it was truly worth the wait. Now I can happily recommend it to others looking for a wishful, low stakes novel full of magical realism, romance, heartbreak, and a cunning yet fierce fmc.
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Fairest by Marissa Meyer

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

4.5

Oh Levana, you crazed delusional woman, how many lives you’ve ruined including your own bc of your own selfishness and childish crush. The way she could’ve turned out a normal princess had her parents actually given a fuck about her and had her own sister not set her on fire and scarred her for life (physically & emotionally.) If therapy was a thing on Luna TRUST that Levana should’ve been first at the door 😭
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Cress by Marissa Meyer

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted sad 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

5.0

This book was more of a 4.8⭐️ simply bc Cress wasn’t my favorite of the female characters but I still enjoyed getting to know her and her backstory. Her naivety and awkward social skills made me cringe even though I understood that she grew up in solitude so ofc her social cues were out of whack, but seeing them happen was still 😵‍💫 Regardless, I love that we’re getting closer to defeating Queen Levana especially since Kai is now involved in the action. Looking forward to reading the next book :)
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Bad Decisions: A Forbidden Romance by Haley Tyler

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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adventurous challenging emotional lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The second installment of The Lunar Chronicles was just as action packed and well written as the first in the series, if not more. I love how we were introduced to the new characters and seeing how their storylines intercept with the character storylines from the previous book as well as, how all of them meeting leads to this new thrilling storyline that’s going to happen in Kress (the next book.)
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Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

Omg!! The Lunar Chronicles was one of my favorite series back in middle school and being able to reread it the way I’ve always planned too makes me so happy. I forgot how much I loved this book and feeling as though I’m reading it for the first time again makes me live it even more after all this time. If you’re looking for a thrilling, adventurous YA dystopian novel with a romantic side plot, Cinder is the book for you. 1000000% recommend !!
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The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

This book is a new concept of vampires (as per the author in an interview) and the thought of  a new take on vampire book eaters was so interesting to me and throughout the book I loved the story. The complex relationship of mother and son and how far a mothers love can go to save her child regardless of the consequences.
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