books_by_j's reviews
553 reviews

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

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3.0

I like the premise, 7 deadly sins represented by demons, witches, and possibly werewolves? Honestly spent the first 1/2 of the book confused about the world and what was actually happening, Emilia just kind of stumbled through events without much of a plan or knowledge of what was going on. the last 100 pages or so were where things started to come together. Will continue the series just to see if there’s more expiation for how this world works. Emilia and wrath relationship felt a bit forced but I like them as individuals. 
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone / Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - The Illustrated Collection by J.K. Rowling

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5.0

Tourist Trap by Emma Harrison

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4.0

Sleepless by Terri Clark

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4.0

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

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emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

Definitely rich people doing bad things, way more than a thiller/mystery. However, the mystery was there. Honestly wasn't sure where the ending actually ended up until the prologue. Pretty good beachy read
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper

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3.0

Fell in love with the women of the wolf den and their tight friendship kept me reading. Major insight on ancient greek culture, love learning things while I read! The author was very good at immersing the reader into the ladies town. Could have done with less dialogue from the customers of the brothel, major eye roll, ya heard it once, ya heard it a million times. A bit overkill in that realm, I understood after the first few times.
 Minus a star because the potter slave deserved better! Looking forward to the next book.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

3.0

For me, it was just ok. I definitely get the hype though. It was a fun and interesting premise, loved the house separations and nods to mythology. very well written battle scenes and some surprising twists and turns along the way that were presently well.  I feel like it may start to get a bit political based on the ending

I did get lost with all the character names and the complete different world- this is my first dabble into real intricate science fiction. Enjoyed enough buy and start the next in the series!
The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

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adventurous hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

Such a great found family read! The first 1/2 to 2/3 of the book was really setting up mystery around Letty's sisters death. It also gave time for me to fall in love with all the characters.....quirky motel guests and owner interactions were great comedic relief from the intensity of the murder plot. The last 1/3 of the book really ramped up in intensity. Love a good happy ending for the characters!
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I thought this was such a cute YA romance. The romance between Wit and Meredith was believable and so cute. I don't know if this is my own childhood trauma talking but I actually really loved the parts when the whole family was together and the easy and fun way in which they all interacted. I wanted to join the family on the island! The assassin game parts made the book fun to read. Such a great light summer book!
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

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adventurous funny reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I thought this was fun, so weird, but fun. I liked the physical manifestation of the different boroughs, i'm a sucker for books about places and culture. Cool creature fantasy aspects like i'd like a bit more exploration and answers for. But overall, really great!