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tkatt20's reviews
99 reviews
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I loved this book. Its a really quick read if you're looking for something with a relatively simple magic system and high tension. I thought the pacing was wonderful for it being a standalone (accompanied by a short story) partially because it had such an interesting writing style and I felt like I could really connect emotionally to the characters which kept me reading. It also didn't feel like too much of an info dump which I run into sometimes with standalones and all the characters had depth and personality outside of the main character. My only complaint was the romance seemed to be very insta love which I'm not a huge fan of but considering that isn't the main plot, this book was great. Gave me major salem witch trial vibes too which I loved!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Blood
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Id say I feel very neutral about this book. I definitely liked it more than I disliked it, I just dont have an overall feeling for it. The banter was perfect and I liked how this book handled the heavier topics of abusive relationships and chronic illness, but the writing style wasn't my favorite and I feel like that was a big downfall for me. It felt like the author was trying to sound very elegant with quotable passages while also trying to keep it light and sexy for the intimate scenes and it didn't mesh well with me at all. The spice in this book seemed very poorly executed actually and made me extremely uncomfortable at times due to the vocabulary. Very mixed feelings for this book but I do think I would go back and reread it which doesn't happen often for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Physical abuse and Racism
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
I dont really have the words to describe how beautiful this book was. I've never read a book where I've hated the characters so much when I first started reading but loved them dearly as I got to know each one and discovered that none of them were quite as they seemed. This book made me laugh and cry while simultaneously leaving me completely content and wishing for more. Im immediately adding this to my favorites and recommendations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death
Minor: Addiction and Cancer
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Im choosing violence for this review so if you haven't read the book dont read this so you can formulate your own opinion. (May also contain spoilers)
I went into this book hoping for a cute story about witches and a 2nd chance at love and what I got was cringe dialog, confusing plot, and boring main characters that have zero chemistry. I could totally rate this lower but I did really like the setting and the 2 side characters, I mean, a cute little witchy town and 2 powerful female witches how could I not like that, I just wish it wasn't so overshadowed by the plot. My biggest issue it how wildly unrealistic a majority of this book is, you can't tell me that Rhys and Vivi were together for THREE MONTHS can get together after nine years of not seeing each other and its just perfect? I get the whole one that got away trope but it is never actually fully explained why these characters had to break up. Their entire relationship seems to be based off of good s*x and isn't healthy at all. Where is the communication? Where's the shared hobbies? These characters literally know NOTHING about each other and we're supposed to believe that they're "made for each other"? Gwyn and Janes relationship had more chemistry than these two and they were mentioned maybe 3 times. And dont get me started on how incredibly immature Rhys and Vivi are. They were more concerned about screwing each other than saving the town that is literally falling apart with magic that is totally out of whack but I guess that doesn't matter because Vivi doesn't even use her magic (yet still is able to conjure a spirit whos power literally kills a young witch who used her power regularly. Yeah right) this book even made me scared of cats. I love cats.
Anyway, if this book was just about the town and Gwyn and Elaine were the main characters then this book could have easily been 5 stars but instead we have incredibly immature main characters in a book full of clichés and plot holes. I recommend this book if you want absolutely mind-numbing nothingness with some half-baked spice thrown in.
I went into this book hoping for a cute story about witches and a 2nd chance at love and what I got was cringe dialog, confusing plot, and boring main characters that have zero chemistry. I could totally rate this lower but I did really like the setting and the 2 side characters, I mean, a cute little witchy town and 2 powerful female witches how could I not like that, I just wish it wasn't so overshadowed by the plot. My biggest issue it how wildly unrealistic a majority of this book is, you can't tell me that Rhys and Vivi were together for THREE MONTHS can get together after nine years of not seeing each other and its just perfect? I get the whole one that got away trope but it is never actually fully explained why these characters had to break up. Their entire relationship seems to be based off of good s*x and isn't healthy at all. Where is the communication? Where's the shared hobbies? These characters literally know NOTHING about each other and we're supposed to believe that they're "made for each other"? Gwyn and Janes relationship had more chemistry than these two and they were mentioned maybe 3 times. And dont get me started on how incredibly immature Rhys and Vivi are. They were more concerned about screwing each other than saving the town that is literally falling apart with magic that is totally out of whack but I guess that doesn't matter because Vivi doesn't even use her magic (yet still is able to conjure a spirit whos power literally kills a young witch who used her power regularly. Yeah right) this book even made me scared of cats. I love cats.
Anyway, if this book was just about the town and Gwyn and Elaine were the main characters then this book could have easily been 5 stars but instead we have incredibly immature main characters in a book full of clichés and plot holes. I recommend this book if you want absolutely mind-numbing nothingness with some half-baked spice thrown in.
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I almost DNFd at 20 pages because I did not like the writing style and I found it too descriptive and long winded, but something told me to keep reading and I am so happy I did. The characters were so fleshed out and well crafted that they were practically jumping off the pages, with an equally elegant setting to boot. There were so many layers to this story I could go on and on about all the emotions it made me feel and all the questions it gave me about my own morality but I truly have no words to express how good this book is. I rarely cry when reading books but this one had me sobbing when I reached the ending. The pacing was beautiful and matched an equally beautiful story and I am forever adding this book to my recommendations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Colonisation
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
funny
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
Kulti by Mariana Zapata
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
4.0
Such a cute book, I loved the characters and the story so much, the only reason I didn't rate it higher is because the writing style reminded me of a fanfic, which isn't personally my style
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.5
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
3.5-4 stars
I have very conflicted feelings about this book. On one hand I loved it, on the other hand, there were some very random things that happened that caught me off guard. For the most part I did love this book and I was so excited to read it when I found out it was a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. The story is extremely dark and gothic, bordering on demonic, and the writing style really made the characters come alive as they were all very interesting with each one having their own personality and quirks. The last 1/4 of the book became very fantasy heavy which I found could have been executed better if there was more of that element mentioned throughout the first part of the book, but that was my biggest issue and I got over it fairly quickly. This book had the perfect setup for a series but since it isn't the world-building as a little lacking and the ending seemed fairly rushed. There are some unanswered questions but with the story being first person I feel like it fits well with the narrator and I don't feel dissatisfied with the ending. All in all, I can definitely see myself coming back and rereading this book in the future.
I have very conflicted feelings about this book. On one hand I loved it, on the other hand, there were some very random things that happened that caught me off guard. For the most part I did love this book and I was so excited to read it when I found out it was a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. The story is extremely dark and gothic, bordering on demonic, and the writing style really made the characters come alive as they were all very interesting with each one having their own personality and quirks. The last 1/4 of the book became very fantasy heavy which I found could have been executed better if there was more of that element mentioned throughout the first part of the book, but that was my biggest issue and I got over it fairly quickly. This book had the perfect setup for a series but since it isn't the world-building as a little lacking and the ending seemed fairly rushed. There are some unanswered questions but with the story being first person I feel like it fits well with the narrator and I don't feel dissatisfied with the ending. All in all, I can definitely see myself coming back and rereading this book in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
adventurous
emotional
sad
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? No
4.5
I'm putting this book down for now, not because I'm not liking it, but because I've read the Illiad and know how this ends... I'm not mentally prepared for that heartbreak right now