bashsbooks's reviews
207 reviews

The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I see why this is a popular book. I wish I had read it when I was the target age demographic. I also wish I was more interested in owls, as I think I would've enjoyed it more, even as an adult, if I knew some owl facts/knew what different owl species looked like. But alas, I am a cat person. So that combined with the rapid pace of a juvenile book means it's just not for me at this point.
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The Gospel of Orla by Eoghan Walls

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

4.75

I think all the gospels would be improved if they were written from the perspective of grieving, trouble-making fourteen year old girls.

Seriously, The Gospel of Orla is unlike any other book I've read. The writing style is a bit unique - it's a stream of consciousness, and people speaking are marked off with dashes instead of quotes - which is fascinating but hard to read. 

I enjoy Orla as a character, and I like that this book doesn't answer every question you have. Much to think about now.
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My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

I first read this book when I was in the sixth grade. Since then, it has stuck in my head in a way few other books have. I remembered so much of the plot - mostly because whenever I would talk about books with my friends, I would tell them, "Hey, do you want to hear this really fucked up book I read at age 12?" The story was even better in that I found My Sweet Audrina in the classroom library, and when I finished it, I mentioned to my teacher that I enjoyed it. I can remember to this day how she blanched and murmured, "That book was in the classroom library?" (It disappeared from the collection soon after. Luckily for my teacher, my mom was very open-minded about what I read, being a fellow English teacher herself.)

I picked it up again because I was recounting this story to a friend about a month ago. I wanted to see if the book held up, if it was as enjoyable as it had been during those many days of silent reading we spent together. And I would say it did, more or less. It was much easier for me to read now (no duh), and the plot twists that I'd found so mind-blowing as a child were much more predictable, though for me, I like to figure out plot twists (it feels satisfying when you guess what's going to happen), so I wasn't bothered. It also wasn't as... problematic as I would expect a gothic lit novel written in the early 80s would be. Yes, it covers rape, sexual violence and trauma, gaslighting, murder, domestic and child abuse, misogyny, and disability/ableism... and it certainly doesn't shy away from any of that, or depicted it in a sugar-coated perfect world way... but I felt like Andrews has a good grasp on all of those subjects - and what true horror is (hint: it's not a physical disability or a mental illness).  
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Peter Darling by Austin Chant

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

4.5

Gosh, this book was so good. It was a little slow to start, but once it picked up, I couldn't put it down. Satisfying enemies-to-lovers arc, incredibly fascinating take on Neverland and the fairies, and a thoughtful exploration of non-accepting family. My only gripe is that it was so short, I felt like this concept had so much more room to grow. That isn't to say the story doesn't feel finished, but it does feel kind of rushed.
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I Would Leave Me If I Could: A Collection of Poetry by Halsey

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dark emotional slow-paced

2.5

Halsey writes poetry like she writes songs. Therefore, I would say you will like this if you like Halsey songs, and you will not like this if you like standard contemporary poetry. I have song and poem related brainrot, so I was FASCINATED to see a book that so clearly showed me what the differences are between the two. But if that doesn't really interest you, then I would not really recommend it. 
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The Vegetarian by Han Kang

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

4.75

The Vegetarian is so compelling. It uses the unusual but very appropriate lense of vegetarianism to explore a wealth of other topics, from sexual violence to self-harm to familial abuse. I will have to reread it again at some point, as I definitely did not pick up all its nuances the first time around - it may be short, but it's dense. It is told in three parts, each from a different perspective, and I haven't decided how I feel about the tri-point-of-view yet, which is just about the only thing keeping me from giving it a full 5 stars. Regardless, it is haunting, and my brain will keep wandering back to it, for sure.
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Never Seduce a Duke by Vivienne Lorret

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funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book is so funny & silly. I greatly enjoyed reading it, even if I wouldn't say it's well-written. It's got one of the most over-the-top plots I've read in a long time, plus a serious case of the leads need to talk to each other... and the author could do to lose the thesaurus. But those are all technical things. The smut was entertaining and the crazy plot was charming. 
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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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? No

5.0

OMG I love this book! Yadriel & Julian are such great characters, loveable without being too perfect. Julian especially is an ideal bad-boy-softie character that I just adore. I also deeply enjoyed the amount of Spanish in this book (I feel like I learned some new words) and the drawing on Latin culture for the paranormal fantasy aspects. Bonus points for things not being completely hunky-dory for Yadriel as a trans person, but also for the narrative not being bogged down with only his struggles.
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Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

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emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

3.75

Carrie Fisher is so funny and has so many punchy lines - Wishful Drinking ends with a zinger that I will be laughing about for ages. I appreciate how forthright she is about her struggles with addiction and bipolar disorder. Her choice to use her platform to combat the stigma for this two things is respectable and well-done. The thing that keeps me from rating this higher is that I know Wishful Drinking was originally a show, and it does not fully transition into a book format, even in an audiobook (although that is the format I recommend consuming it in).
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Sadie by Courtney Summers

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I don't know what I expected from Sadie but it was a much different book than I imagined. Crime thrillers are not really my typical genre, but this one came highly reccommended by a friend. I enjoyed Sadie herself as a character - by far, she was the best part of the book and her narration was great. I was iffy on the dual narrative structure (as half the chapters are transcripts from a podcast about Sadie and her sister, Mattie) - but I think it ultimately made the ending stronger. Wish it ended differently. I don't know. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
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