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owlsreads's reviews
3507 reviews
Cursed by Marissa Meyer
2.0
Way too slow for me. I also didn't like Serilda's back and forth on standing up for herself only to fold when things didn't go her way. And the body switch was a major ick for me. The ending was sweet, though!
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
mysterious
No rating because I skimmed a bunch of it. Turns out I didn't need a sequel!
The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten
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? Yes
3.5
I can't quite give this 4 stars due to the way some plot points were developed. The positives were that I very much enjoyed the developing world-building and all of the new information and details we got about that! It gave some answers about questions raised in the first book and set things up nicely for the next installment.
Points I wasn't all that happy with: Lore's avoidance of what was going on. That was challenged in text and part of her character arc, but I think it went on a bit too long to the point of becoming frustrating for me as a reader. Another aspect I think could have been handled differently was the romance; it's obvious where Whitten wants to go with the characters, so much so it became too heavy handed in the book while still not progressing as it should.
Points I wasn't all that happy with: Lore's avoidance of what was going on. That was challenged in text and part of her character arc, but I think it went on a bit too long to the point of becoming frustrating for me as a reader. Another aspect I think could have been handled differently was the romance; it's obvious where Whitten wants to go with the characters, so much so it became too heavy handed in the book while still not progressing as it should.
Witches by Brenda Lozano
2.0
Feliciana's chapters were pretty interesting despite the format tripping me up a little. I just didn't understand why Zoe was the other perspective. I expected the story to focus way more on Paloma's death and her life, but that was not the case at all.
The Black Queen by Jumata Emill
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Amazing! I didn't quite know what to expect while reading this and Jumata Emill's writing captured my attention right from the very first chapter. The premise here was so strong and the character and plot introductions were extremely well done. The story kept me engaged and the mystery kept me guessing throughout the entire book.
The dual POV worked so well for me in the contrasting perspectives of Duchess and Tinsley. There were a lot of heavy subjects tackled here, especially racism and white privilege, and Emill did not shy away from any sort of conversation surrounding those topics. I could have done a little less with Tinsley victimizing herself, but that was challenged in text and a point of change for her.
The mystery also had a satisfying resolution, if a tiny little bit rushed! There were a lot of reveals one on top of the other and so I had some whiplash from that lol Still, a very entertaining read all around that makes me want to consume more Jumata Emill works :D
The dual POV worked so well for me in the contrasting perspectives of Duchess and Tinsley. There were a lot of heavy subjects tackled here, especially racism and white privilege, and Emill did not shy away from any sort of conversation surrounding those topics. I could have done a little less with Tinsley victimizing herself, but that was challenged in text and a point of change for her.
The mystery also had a satisfying resolution, if a tiny little bit rushed! There were a lot of reveals one on top of the other and so I had some whiplash from that lol Still, a very entertaining read all around that makes me want to consume more Jumata Emill works :D
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Perfect Little Monsters by Cindy R.X. He
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A good beginning, but things quickly went downhill during the second half. I wasn't a fan of the writing style or the direction the plot went, though I congratulate the author on taking things as far as they did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
adventurous
mysterious
4.0
Super fun and entertaining read, if a little rushed in its ending!
Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
This had such a strong beginning with the interviews being used as a framing device and the introduction and development of characters. I was so invested in what was happening and how the girls were going to solve this! And then I lost steam.
The story here was a bit too long for me. Guron's decision to split the timeline as a way to reveal some information didn't work for me at all and actively affected my enjoyment while reading. During the last third of the book, I was just waiting for it to end.
The story here was a bit too long for me. Guron's decision to split the timeline as a way to reveal some information didn't work for me at all and actively affected my enjoyment while reading. During the last third of the book, I was just waiting for it to end.
Archangel's Lineage by Nalini Singh
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
A bit of a mixed bag. I was very interested in and intrigued by the new world-building things revealed here about angelic origins and whatnot. The introduction of a particular new character was lovely and made some facts clear about angelkind. I will say the resolution to that problem was a bit anticlimactic, though. I really didn't care for the plot related to Elena's family.
This felt the a bit of a wrap upon the series in the form of a very long epilogue? I'm not sure where Singh will be going from here.
This felt the a bit of a wrap upon the series in the form of a very long epilogue? I'm not sure where Singh will be going from here.
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
I had such a good time reading this. I love mixed media stories and puzzles and this was great at both of those! It wasn't difficult to guess what happened, but it was still very entertaining to read about the characters getting to the point. Even more so when they didn't have the full picture of what went on :D