monarchbooks's reviews
492 reviews

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

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emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

There are a lot of characters that I got a little confused sometimes
Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

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adventurous emotional tense fast-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

Electric Idol by Katee Robert

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I can't pinpoint it but there was just something missing from this book 
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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adventurous emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.5

I wish we had gotten one last POV chapter from Rolando
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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dark mysterious 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

I have not been shocked by a plot twist this much in years
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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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dark mysterious fast-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

5.0

Even though I absolutely knew Nick didn't kill Amy, I was so convinced he did by the end of part 1


This story is absolutely batshit
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The Martian by Andy Weir

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adventurous emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is fucking hilarious at times and extremely sad at others, but most of all very easy to consume. Loved Will Wheaton as a narrator. 

Perfect for teenage boys:
Male mc ✅️
Comedy (mostly crude humor) ✅️
Very little "kissy stuff" ✅️
Adventure ✅️
Good message ✅️
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Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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emotional funny reflective fast-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

4.5

"She nods and gives me a smile, one that goes back in time and shows me her face from thirty years ago. It looks exactly like mine." SOBBING
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Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

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

5.0

If I wasn't so fucking tired from staying up late to reas this book, I'd probably be sobbing. Truly fantastic book for anyone who loves the found family trope. Very manageable high fantasy for anyone who might need an introduction (or a convincing) to that genre. 
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Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

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

5.0

I could not put this book down. Seriously. I need to be writing my thesis right now but instead I dedicated nearly the entirety of the last 24 hours to obsessively reading this book. It was insane! I always thought a completely unsympathetic main character was impossible to write but R.F. Kuang managed to do it and that is absolutely a compliment. AND SHE DOESN'T LEARN ANYTHING! I can't figure out why this book is so good because it really shouldn't be, but it is. 
I am a little concerned with how this will translate to a movie as much of the book is the narrators insidious internal thoughts, but I imagine it will be something like You, probably? Hopefully they don't try to make audiences like June.