cgreaderbee's reviews
469 reviews

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I just can't give this book anything less. 
So many facets to pick apart & discover. Limitless insight. 
This is a book to return to again & again. 
Highly recommend.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

The Drift by C.J. Tudor

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A dystopian thriller-mystery, The Drift is a fast-paced, plot-driven story of survival. Set on the backdrop of a viral pandemic, it consistently held my attention, keeping me guessing from chapter to chapter. I would be interested in checking out other works from this author. 

The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

It’s gonna have to be a No for me & this book. Starts with an unlikeable (read: detestable) male narrative perspective (risky choice, imo), & proceeds to jump to multiple other people, making it difficult (for me) to care about anyone or anything. 

Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.

My loan at the library ended & I’m not feeling particularly inclined to want to continue reading. 

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.5

Well-written & gripping in that I-can’t-look-away/what’s-going-to-happen-next kind of way. The narrative perspective of the story creates an ominous tone as we follow Lacey from her youth to adulthood, bearing the burden of years of trauma when

her parents are accused of child molestation during a satanic panic sweeping through America.

She is failed in so many ways, from adults & systems that should be protecting her—until she takes matters into her own hands. Lacey is a very sympathetic character, whose actions & reactions build like dominoes, destined to fall. This is a story diving deep into themes of lies & truth, love & loss, & guilt & blame—and all the gray area in between.

The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

Finished! Reading this as part of a book club is pretty much what motivated me to get to The End. There was something about the writing that didn’t work for me, but it could simply be the genre: a campy-verging-on-cliche slasher-thriller. I probably am not the intended audience, & that’s ok. 

Things I liked:
- I love a book with a cast of characters with interesting dynamics, so there was some of that. 
- LGBTQA+ rep. 
- The emphasis on communicating with the important people in our lives. 
- The message that we aren’t just “one thing” & can’t be put in box. We are ever changing. 

Things I didn’t care for:
- The repetitive “best summer ever!” trope. 
- The MC’s motivations revolving around a sister that honestly was just the worst, so it was hard to care. 
- Suspension of believability when it came to the sheer number of murders that happened around these kids without consequence. Also, on that note, how everyone who was murdered in place of our main group was painted in shitty light, like that somehow made it alright. 
- The ending villain reveal felt cheesy in an lol, eye-rolling kind of way.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.25

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories by Roald Dahl
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.

I admittedly thought this was a book of ghost stories written BY Roald Dahl, but it’s just a collection of others’ that he found & bundled his favorites. The stories are old, & they’re mostly just okay. More than once I’ve found myself not really wanting to pick up the book, even though they’re short stories to get through.