crookfeetsie's reviews
184 reviews

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

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funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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

4.25

Interesting plot, though some elements were very predictable
looking at you, Mick and I think it would be interesting to see a story where they aren’t mates for once
.

Reasonably likeable characters with some weight to them, and the world building was fine - loved the political elements, but it would have been good to go into a little more detail.

The dog dick put me off a bit.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

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adventurous mysterious fast-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

4.75

Excellent world building, lovely plot, a couple of interesting characters, but it all seems fairly surface level - hoping for more depth in book 2
Sh**ged. Married. Annoyed. by Chris Ramsey, Rosie Ramsey

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

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emotional 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

3.75

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

Beach Read by Emily Henry

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emotional funny hopeful medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-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

4.5

And she’s done it again.

Not my favourite out of this series, but still very good. SJM continues to keep us guessing at every moment, never sure what she’ll pull out next.

I found that I was slightly disappointed in areas, specifically in regard to
Bryce’s time in Prythian, where I would have loved to see more of Feyre and Rhys.


I also found that some of the plot points had been set up in the previous books which meant I could see them coming a mile off, so to have some characters
*cough* Ithan *cough*
take so long to get to the point was a bit draining. However, in true SJM fashion, when it does get to the peak, she absolutely nails it and manages to make it slightly different from what I expected.

I do feel that the overall plot has been nicely wrapped up here - however SJM has stated that there is due to be another Crescent City book. I wish that she had just shorted CC 1-3 instead to make this overall story a series of 4 to represent the 4 houses, but I’m still intrigued to see where she goes from here. I don’t think this will be the last we see of Bryce Quinlan
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I first read this book at 16 and hated it. However, in hindsight, it’s because I didn’t understand it. But I get it now.

None of the characters are particularly likeable - Bernard is an arsehole, Lenina is an idiot, but they all have purpose.

Lenina’s purpose is to remind us how odd Bernard is, and almost remind the reader that we are also strange. Bernard is a tool for bringing John into play, as well as evidencing that this “perfect society” is not perfect.

In some ways, this book has not aged well (low key racism). In others, it’s aged fantastically.

Towards the end of the book, Huxley starts having more transparent discussion regarding society and the value of God and order and morality - all things that have been suggested throughout the book. It almost feels as if Huxley is debating himself in these pages.
The Stand-In by Lily Chu

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emotional funny hopeful 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

3.75

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.75

A complaint I’ve often had about this book is that it seems too long. It does feel a touch too long, but it never drags, the pacing is always just right. But on this read, I wondered if I’d cry so much in the last 125 pages if I didn’t have the previous ones that provided well rounded characters with deep understanding of their relationships and motivations.

Forever grateful this was my first Sarah J Maas book.