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emilywemily6's reviews
259 reviews
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved every second of this story. Abby Jimenez writes really well and balances romance and more emotional/difficult topics in a way that portrays the characters as very realistic and lovable, yet with flaws. She handled the variety is domestic abuse really well and the challenge between the main couple was realistic, higher stakes, and took some soul searching for the characters to overcome. Though Alexis needed more therapy, for sure lol. Loved it!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, and Abandonment
Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Eh this book was a let down… maybe romantasy is not for me. This book started off strong for the first 15% and then the rest of the book was all over the place. This read like a YA novel and yet one two separate instances an f-bomb was dropped, which felt so out of character compared to the rest of the book that had zero swearing. The one sex scene also felt contrived, awkwardly timed, and not consistent with the characters or the relationships. There was a supposed love triangle but it was hard to root for either love interest when one lacked chemistry or personality and the other was just mean and grumpy. The world and backstory seemed interesting but this book left so many questions unanswered. The mystical library could have been its own character but was only in the first third of the book. I felt like the plot meandered randomly and while the author’s writing was easy to read, it didn’t add any gravitas or depth to the plot. Serious, climactic moments were glossed over after having zero lead up (like only one chapter devoted to a massive break-in/kidnapping) and insignificant moments/musings took up a lot of page time even though they didn’t have a bearing on the plot. She also made nonsensical decisions that aged her way down. There were no hints or Easter eggs about where the story was going or foreshadowing of any reveals, so many plot devices came out of nowhere without any lead up. It reads like a YA with a couple inappropriate moments and a lack of editing to improve the quality of the storytelling. I was surprisingly bored through most of the book. I want to read the second book since the world building interested me and the characters had more depth than another romantasy I recently read, but I’m not going to buy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
This book had an interesting premise, but lacked in so many ways. I’m honestly not sure why I kept reading. I guess I wanted to see what would happen? But there isn’t really any world-building or backstory, no distinct setting, the characters lack personality and, except for a few instances, their voices all sounded the same. It is clear from the beginning who has secrets impacting the rest of the group, so it was predictable. The murderous plan itself was not well flushed out and did not have any contingencies, so it wasn’t satisfying to read about any planning or execution of the treasonous attempt. I didn’t understand the relationships everyone became involved in and they felt mostly irrelevant and insta-lovey without substance. The relationships didn’t add anything to the characters or the plot either, other than people feeling more betrayed (I guess? I didn’t feel the rage/hurt through the writing). The writing style was clunky and very “tell” and not “show,” so I couldn’t get invested in the snippets of interesting things we saw. Though the little bits of mystical creatures, ancient relics, murder, and treason kept me interested enough to continue reading despite the story being not well written. Considering how long this book was, very little happened with the plot. I guess I still want to know what happens in the next book, but I’ll probably just Google it… I should have DNFed this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Trafficking, and Colonisation
Minor: Pedophilia, Torture, and Deportation
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
lighthearted
mysterious
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? No
4.0
This book was an entertaining intro to the omegaverse! The politics and backstory of the vampires vs weres vs humans was really interesting, and I loved seeing Misery come to love the werewolves and their culture. I wish some concepts had been explained a little more. I enjoyed these characters but they didn’t have a lot of depth. While I liked the romance for the first 3/4 of the book, I really hated the relationship dynamic toward the end and how Lore lied and gaslit Misery once their relationship progressed 🙄 obviously that resolved but I just didn’t like how the relationship evolved overall when things got sexual, or how easy it was for her to forgive him, or how clueless he was about his poor decision. Overall, this was a fun read, but I feel like there is more that could have made this a really great book in this paranormal romance category.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Kidnapping
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really enjoyed this book but it wasn't perfect for me.
This book is vibey and atmospheric, feeling like a gothic classic horror for the majority of the novella.
The horror ramped up at the end and was grotesque, but the pacing was a bit slow for me leading up to that. I really like this overall length for a horror story though, but I wanted more horror overall. This novella is based off of the short story, The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allan Poe and I felt like it elaborated well on the original while adding something new and fresh. I really appreciated the discussion related to a non-binary character and the fictional history associated with that character's backstory, but it didn't have much bearing on the story, if any, so it felt a little irrelevant in such a short novella. I'm hoping that comes into play more in the next book! In general I really enjoyed all the characters and found them interesting and human.
If you're looking for a horror novella that might creep and gross you out at the very end, with phenomenal writing and interesting characters, this one is for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: War
Funny Story by Emily Henry
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
On the spectrum of Emily Henry, this book was closer to Happy Place than Beach Read. I really enjoyed these characters and the natural progression of the relationship from roommates to friends to lovers. Something about the end of the book/third act conflict didn’t work for me, and I think it’s the miscommunication. I also just didn’t feel satisfied at the end that issues had truly been resolved. I feel like the relationship was still fragile when the book ended. However, this book made me laugh, cry, and feel seen in a lot of ways so I still really enjoyed it overall. Peter is the worst and I love how Daphne came to her own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Grief, and Alcohol
Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was a fast-paced popcorn family drama/thriller that was unique in premise! I enjoyed the 1990s setting of the original murder and how the family stumbled upon the footage. There were a few red herrings but overall the plot was kind of predictable. I wasn’t surprised when the killer was made known, though I hadn’t guessed it early either. I didn’t enjoy the characters really or how they interacted with each other, and I really didn’t care for the shallow romance built on trauma bonding. I loved the setting and it made sense that Jeneva was writing about her hometown. Overall, a fun read, but not one I will go back to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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 enjoyed this book just as much as the third one! The pacing of this one felt ridiculous the whole way through so it was a riot to read. I’m really glad that some major story lines from the previous books have finally been wrapped up so that we can move on. Also Stephen is clueless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Alcohol
The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a fun read as someone who enjoys the Grishaverse and wanted more background on the world building. It’s interesting to read about different saints, both those you have seen/learned about in the novels as well as others that are new to the reader. Not necessary by any means, but a beautiful collection of short stories for the Grishaverse fan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
For a YA fantasy series, I really enjoyed it and wanted to continue the series asap! I loved how sinister and magical Caraval is, though I still have lots of questions about why. The ending gutted me and I really hated how everyone manipulated Scarlett and doesn’t see anything wrong with it. I wasn’t super convinced about the romance though. This book is a lot of vibes and pacing, not a fleshed out plot. But I am really intrigued for the next book, this book really sucked me in despite its flaws!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content