pikamonster's reviews
148 reviews

Mother for Dinner by Shalom Auslander

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

4.75

Normally I don't care for satire but this was really well done. It was thought provoking and funny. A little difficult to read but that's part of the magic. 
The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

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lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The book was boring. It felt like highschool fanfiction. All the characters felt like just that characters. The LGBT representation felt like an add on. The whole light and dark magic is cliche. The characters all feel homogeneous. The whole plot line was slow. Just overall not a fan. If we weren't in the middle of a hurricane I wouldn't have finished it. 
Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill

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

3.75

Honestly until I went to review this I had no idea this was a sequel novel. Nowhere on the book did it say this belonged in a series as I was reading I couldn't shake the feeling I was reading a sequel. I don't like to research too much too avoid spoilers but I thoroughly checked the book and no where did it mention this was in a series. 
That being said it was a really good book I didn't even need to read the first one (but I will) to understand what was going on. However this book felt more "for the boys" than a general audience. Colby is kind of an annoying character and the female representation felt very male lense. I enjoyed the read but definitely is not on my favorite list. 
Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill

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

4.0

Really good book. Checking out the author's other books now. Really wished he didn't write an epilogue though, I feel like it would have made the ending better
How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Didn't like reading about a 14 year olds sexploits
Season to Taste by Natalie Young

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 11%.
It's disgusting and boring and judging from the other reviews it won't get much better
Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine

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dark sad medium-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

3.5

Overall an enjoyable read but I was disappointed with the ending. It felt rushed and unsatisfying. 
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

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

3.0

This book felt pretentious. It wasn't particularly compelling or original or even mysterious. You can guess the entire plot as your reading and I feel like the book relies a lot on subtext to the point of it almost being lazy. The last half of the book was okay once it picked up. I was just expecting better.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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emotional reflective fast-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

This book jerked tears from eyes that guard them jealously. Very well written and reflective. All the characters are complex and the book leaves you thinking. All the critiques of this book feel nonsensical and frankly miss the point. I haven't read a book this good in a long time and if I could go higher than 5 stars I would in a heartbeat. It was so cool watching history unfold through Evelyn's eyes and all the twists were well done and the book was thought provoking. 
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

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challenging fast-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

2.0

Really could have used more pages. Felt like a half finished high school assignment.