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sannesbooks's reviews
235 reviews
Maple Drizzle Murder by Rosie A. Point
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Cute, fun, silly, short, cozy murder mystery.
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is more of a middle grade than a YA story. Be aware of that when starting this book.
This is a short book with some ilusstrations
I loved that the representation of someone who can't speak. But, I didn't enjoy this story that much. I was bored and read this really slow. I was debating to DNF but something kept me going. It was atmospheric, eerie and creepy, but I still should have DNFd this one.
This is a short book with some ilusstrations
I loved that the representation of someone who can't speak. But, I didn't enjoy this story that much. I was bored and read this really slow. I was debating to DNF but something kept me going. It was atmospheric, eerie and creepy, but I still should have DNFd this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
2.0
I didn't enjoy this book. I think this is partly due to that I expected a different story based on the synopsis but also partly due to the execution. I think it is a very slow start. I was bored throughout the whole book and debated on DNFing multiple times, but somehow I did want to know what would happen next.
The characters are very flat. The most interesting part to me was the ending but it did not impress me or truly horrify me. The writing was repetetive.
The characters are very flat. The most interesting part to me was the ending but it did not impress me or truly horrify me. The writing was repetetive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Vomit
Minor: Bullying
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was very good. It start slow with character devlopment in a more literary fiction way. After about 100 pages the thriller part starts and you are hooked. This is a true page-turner.
This story is absolutely horriffic, gruesome, and dark. Definitely not for the faint of heart! I was triggered multiple times and I am not easily triggered in the wsy this book triggered me. So, this is definitely a book you should consider carefully, and you need to be in the right mindset to read this.
The fact that you don't know who to trust gives the story another scary element.
I loved reading about the sister dynamic.
The story is told from the POVs of two sisters, and the diary from their dad. The diary was not super interesting to me.
The ending wasn't my favorite. It felt a bit sloppily finished. But for the rest this was an amazing thriller and I would recommend it to anyone who can handle dark thrillers.
This story is absolutely horriffic, gruesome, and dark. Definitely not for the faint of heart! I was triggered multiple times and I am not easily triggered in the wsy this book triggered me. So, this is definitely a book you should consider carefully, and you need to be in the right mindset to read this.
The fact that you don't know who to trust gives the story another scary element.
I loved reading about the sister dynamic.
The story is told from the POVs of two sisters, and the diary from their dad. The diary was not super interesting to me.
The ending wasn't my favorite. It felt a bit sloppily finished. But for the rest this was an amazing thriller and I would recommend it to anyone who can handle dark thrillers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicide, Stalking, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
dark
tense
slow-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
2.0
I was so bored! The info dumps were so boring. I skipped some of the information given.
Julia is such a one dimensional character and there was 0 chemistry between Winston and her.
Julia is such a one dimensional character and there was 0 chemistry between Winston and her.
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don't like whodunit kind of stories, and I didn't know this one would be that exactly because I just saw this audiobook on YouTube rondomly and stadted it without knowing anything about it. I was quite bored in the very beginning of the story but a little later when she got to the town I was starting to get invested.
The voice of the main character is refreshing, giving the book a quite lighthearted and funny undertone. Because this is told through a podcast in part, this book worked perfectly as an audiobook. I liked the voice acting a lot. The narrator really captured the sarcasm of the main character.
So, I enjoyed it for what it was. I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries and whodunits.
The voice of the main character is refreshing, giving the book a quite lighthearted and funny undertone. Because this is told through a podcast in part, this book worked perfectly as an audiobook. I liked the voice acting a lot. The narrator really captured the sarcasm of the main character.
So, I enjoyed it for what it was. I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries and whodunits.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, and Murder
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really enjoyed the writing. The story captivates you from the first chapter. This story mainly focusses on mother and daughter, and the story is told from both of their povs. Even though I liked the story, I am not a mother, I think this story would have hit harder for readers that are mothers. The book is divided in parts and I enjoyed the first half of the book best because I found that part the most emotional, and I was the most interested in the Dust Bowl. I love Rose and Tony.
The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl are events in history that I was not familiar with (I am not American). I found it a very interesting topic to learn more about. It was so terrible and I feel very much empathy for the people who lived during that time.
This is really not a happy book so I recommend to pick this book up when you are in the right mindspace for a tragic story.
There were also things I didn't like. I did not like the repetetiveness. I understand that all the tragedies were repetetive. What I mean with that is that, for example, the dust storms were very frequent and they were often described too long and in the same way. I was kind of bored at the part about communism. Again, quite repetetively written. Did not enjoy the ending but the epilogue was kinda sweet.
I also didn't like the way the mother died. It didn't really make sense. I think, the bullet should have been more fatal for here to actually die from it or she should have to recover. I also did not like the romance between Elsa and Jack. It seemed a bit forced and unnessecary.
The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl are events in history that I was not familiar with (I am not American). I found it a very interesting topic to learn more about. It was so terrible and I feel very much empathy for the people who lived during that time.
This is really not a happy book so I recommend to pick this book up when you are in the right mindspace for a tragic story.
There were also things I didn't like. I did not like the repetetiveness. I understand that all the tragedies were repetetive. What I mean with that is that, for example, the dust storms were very frequent and they were often described too long and in the same way. I was kind of bored at the part about communism. Again, quite repetetively written. Did not enjoy the ending but the epilogue was kinda sweet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Death of parent
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
This was a really enjoyable read. It was easy to read and fast to get through. The book started kinda slow, but once you are halfway you can't stop reading. I appreciated the time jumps in between. I think this was a good way to make the pacing right.
I liked the characters in this book. My only complaint is that the women in the bookclub had kind of the same personalities. This made it sometimes hard to follow, and you will mix up characters.
I loved the depiction of womenhood / friendship. It was frustrating to read about the sexism and misogyny, but I think it is realistic for that time period and it calls for reflection. It was interesting to see how different characters responded to injustice and misogyny. I also appreciated the description of rich vs poor neighbourhood and white vs colored people, discrimination that is still happening today. I enjoyed to see how the characters reacted to the differences in treatment.
Patricia's son, Blue, had an obsession with Nazis. I kinda think it is weird to include that because it didn't do anything for the storyline. I thought and wished this was a set up for something bigger but it wasn't and therefore I think this is an unnessecary 'story line'. I think the writer just want to add something to make the kid seem creepy but at the end of the book he portrait as creepy, so there was basically no point.
Another thing that was, in my opinion, only included for shock value was the thigh blood sucking. The vampire only drank blood from the inner thighs of people. In the book, it also clearly states that this blood sucking makes its victims sexually aroused. Also, the victims were naked during this for no reason. Unnessecary in my opinion, especially because his victims were minors! There was also no explaination for why it should have to be done this way, so I think it was just unnessecary.
I liked the characters in this book. My only complaint is that the women in the bookclub had kind of the same personalities. This made it sometimes hard to follow, and you will mix up characters.
I loved the depiction of womenhood / friendship. It was frustrating to read about the sexism and misogyny, but I think it is realistic for that time period and it calls for reflection. It was interesting to see how different characters responded to injustice and misogyny. I also appreciated the description of rich vs poor neighbourhood and white vs colored people, discrimination that is still happening today. I enjoyed to see how the characters reacted to the differences in treatment.
Another thing that was, in my opinion, only included for shock value was the thigh blood sucking. The vampire only drank blood from the inner thighs of people. In the book, it also clearly states that this blood sucking makes its victims sexually aroused. Also, the victims were naked during this for no reason. Unnessecary in my opinion, especially because his victims were minors! There was also no explaination for why it should have to be done this way, so I think it was just unnessecary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and War
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
Great short story, captivating page-turner you can read in one sitting. It was, I think, a perfect short story. Could have been a little longer, 10/20 pages maybe, to include more depth, but overall super entertaining and well-written book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Blood