kellylayne's reviews
466 reviews

Small Game by Blair Braverman

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective slow-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? Yes

4.5

Really enjoyed this book. Ive always loved the way Blair writes and talks about wilderness and survival, and that perspective came through strongly in this book.  A note to anyone considering reading it for the mystery aspect: this book and its characters are much more interested in finding a way to survive their situation than in finding what caused the situation in the first place. The thriller elements come from the intense survival situation, not a whodunnit.
The Game Changer by Kay Simone

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I loved the first 80% of this book, but did not like last 20%
In particular, I found Vance's anger at Malcolm promising to come out, then not doing it very understandable and reasonable! Add to that that Malcolm fully lied about their relationship and Vance has a history of being others experiment, and it all makes sense. It was wild to me that the characters and author seem to think Vance breaking it off after the lie was equivalent to an ultimatum or a forced outing, without any consideration that dating Malcolm secretly would functionlly force Vance back into the closet. This feels like a reasonable line for Vance to draw. I also dont get everyone acting like vance had a temper when he didnt. Just a really insensitive treatment of people in Vance's position
Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was fun and silly and made me smile. As the authors warn up front, these characters are big ol' himbos and make bafflingly illogical decisions at times, but something about them felt real and loveable anyway
A Spooky Legacy by S.E. Harmon

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3.0

Free Fall by Kathryn Nolan

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adventurous mysterious 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

3.5

The Mars House by Natasha Pulley

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
I was very uncomfortable with how this author seems to be setting up a romance between an opressor and the oppressed with some sort of redemption arc for a character with eugenecist beliefs. Based on reviews, it sounds like this does not improve later in the book so Im putting it down before I lose it. Also some eyebrow raising choices around race and ethnicity. I dont know that anything I read rose to outright racism, but given the current state of the world it felt like a Choice to have an Englishman oppressed by Chinese people, and to make all immigrants in this world physically dangerous to locals.
Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita

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

2.75

Okay book. While the central mystery is "solved" in terms of the whodunnit, a lot of the characters' motivations went unexplained. To me, these werent interesting, "makes you think" loose ends, but rather sloppy writting. The racial politics of the book also felt very....odd. I know very little about Alaska's Indigenous cultures so I may be off base, but it certainly rubbed me the wrong way that the choices of a bunch of White outsiders led to the destruction of an Indigenous village and even the supposedly heroic characters didnt seem to spare a thought for the harm theyd caused afterwards 
City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

4.0

Very interesting setting! I thought this was a fun page-turner. At times, some of the characters fell into stereotypes I didnt love, but otherwise, good.
World Running Down by Al Hess

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adventurous challenging emotional 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

4.75

Excellent book - I loved the juxtaposition of a character who is frustrated with his body and a character who is experience a body for the first time. Would love to read a sequel of Valentine and Ausric standing up to the cities citizenship rules
The Spooky Life by S.E. Harmon

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3.0