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stargirlish's reviews
42 reviews
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
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? Yes
4.25
this book was SO good i loved the plot, i loved the characters and i loved the romance. i was eating it up. i was gonna rate it 5 stars. but then the fucking ending happened and it ruined everything for me. i wont be continuing the series, sadly
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.5
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
hands down, the best book ive ever read. im usually not big on descriptions since i have aphantasia. to me, its just words on a page. i cant see the things described and its just unnecessary paragraphs. now, im not saying this book changed that, cuz i doubt that can be changed. but the writing style WAS so good that although i couldnt see the things described, i still had this familiar feeling, as if id seen those things before or had been to those places.
the characters were also wonderfully written. tasha suri doesnt miss, i fear. i grew to care about all of them so quickly and i love how different they are from each other. they felt like real people and it felt as if i was reading history, not a fictional story. that was until magic played a part, of course.
which, speaking of: by the time i started reading this book, i kinda grew out of my fantasy phase. there is nothing wrong with liking fantasy and i actually enjoy it in shows and movies, but i have a hard time reading about it due to aphantasia. also due to the fact that most magic systems arent really thought through. but this one IS and the magic felt so natural. i was in awe of everything that happened, really
the characters were also wonderfully written. tasha suri doesnt miss, i fear. i grew to care about all of them so quickly and i love how different they are from each other. they felt like real people and it felt as if i was reading history, not a fictional story. that was until magic played a part, of course.
which, speaking of: by the time i started reading this book, i kinda grew out of my fantasy phase. there is nothing wrong with liking fantasy and i actually enjoy it in shows and movies, but i have a hard time reading about it due to aphantasia. also due to the fact that most magic systems arent really thought through. but this one IS and the magic felt so natural. i was in awe of everything that happened, really
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 57%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 57%.
i tried to force my way through it since i bought the entire series like an idiot, but the only good thing about this book was julia. it has the same issues as the first one. idk why i thought it could get better
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
i bought this series because i really enjoyed the show, so naturally i thought that i would adore the books since the books are better than their adaptations
boy was i wrong
i dont understand how someone looked at this garbage and saw potential in it and managed to take such a misogynistic, homophobic, entirely white cast of characters and manage to turn them into the most diverse cast in the adaptation. i swear whoever made the show was like "the names are so cool but thats the only thing worth keeping" and completely changed everything and everyone FOR THE BETTER.
i think the only well written thing in this book was quentin's struggle with mental health, as it was written in a realistic way. everything else tho was horrible. the girls were all blue eyed blonds with big boobs who played no important part in the plot, really; eliot was the queer predator stereotype, and there was even a r@pe scene for some reason???
this book marked me in the worst way possible.
boy was i wrong
i dont understand how someone looked at this garbage and saw potential in it and managed to take such a misogynistic, homophobic, entirely white cast of characters and manage to turn them into the most diverse cast in the adaptation. i swear whoever made the show was like "the names are so cool but thats the only thing worth keeping" and completely changed everything and everyone FOR THE BETTER.
i think the only well written thing in this book was quentin's struggle with mental health, as it was written in a realistic way. everything else tho was horrible. the girls were all blue eyed blonds with big boobs who played no important part in the plot, really; eliot was the queer predator stereotype, and there was even a r@pe scene for some reason???
this book marked me in the worst way possible.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
one of my favorite books!! evelyn is one of my all time favorite book characters, honestly. i adore flawed protagonists and i liked the format of the book and the writing style. i still think some aspects couldve been improved and there are certain things that are written a bit stereotypically in a problematic sense, probably because the author was ignorant about them. however, the story itself was really good in my opinion. problematic aspects aside. although i was disappointed in the main romance because i thought it was really toxic at times and the bad moments really overshadowed the good ones
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
at times i thought it was a little bit too slow and i had a hard time focusing, but i thought the story was really interesting and i had fun trying to figure out what was really happening. im proud to say i half guessed the plot twist, but it still managed to shock me. i dont like mystery books all that much, mostly because a lot of the ones i read werent that great, but i loved this one!!
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
andrew joseph white is the best author ive ever read. i love the themes he explores and the way in which he does it. his stories and writing style feel very personal to me and i adore how different his characters are. you really get the feeling that theyre their own people, not just characters someone wrote
Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
although i like the story, i feel like it works a lot better as a movie. the writing style is pretty simplistic which makes it easy to read, but it kinda reads like a wattpad story i wouldve written in 5th grade (writing style wise, not action wise). there is also an SA scene which i thought was wildly unnecessary. despite all this, im very attached to the story and to its characters so my heart wouldnt let me rate it any lower :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault