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dododenise's reviews
359 reviews
Us, Et Cetera by Kit Vincent
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I ended up liking this book a less than I hoped I would.
Reading about the constant abuse Eke experiences as well as the horrible actions of the family was really rough. That family is severely dysfunctional and disordered. Every single one of them is in severe need of therapy.
Especially animal cruelty is very uncomfortable for me. I should have checked the trigger warnings before requesting this arc because I wish I could have spared myself from it.
Eke was a confusing protagonist. He is very naive and often acts like a child would. It makes sense for who he is, but it makes a story of rebellion seem rather odd. I am used to witty characters to manage such a thing and Eke kept making naive and bad choices. I have no idea how he survived anything in this book. To be fair, both him and Kyp would have died many times if not for the help of other smarter characters.
The story felt like a piece of something that could be much bigger. The plot is rather short while trying to do something bigger than it is. It made many attempts fall rather flat. The time at the family could have been cut shorter and instead more focus and time could have been spent on after, since I feel like it needed a lot more work for it to be impactful and so that the characters got the character development they needed from it. The world building had potential, but now I am left a bit unsure what exactly it was trying to tell me.
Eke and Kyp’s romance was not very exciting. It did very little for me. I’m not sure why that is, perhaps it was Eke’s lack of knowledge about emotions, but I am not sure. I think I also expected a bigger romance focus.
I really enjoyed Kyp’s chapters. They were always a highlight and tended to have the stories most interesting to me. I’m sad there were so few of them.
I leave this book not really knowing where to place it. I mostly think of it in quite neutral terms. I didn’t particularly enjoy myself but it’s also not like I didn’t like it.
Reading about the constant abuse Eke experiences as well as the horrible actions of the family was really rough. That family is severely dysfunctional and disordered. Every single one of them is in severe need of therapy.
Especially animal cruelty is very uncomfortable for me. I should have checked the trigger warnings before requesting this arc because I wish I could have spared myself from it.
Eke was a confusing protagonist. He is very naive and often acts like a child would. It makes sense for who he is, but it makes a story of rebellion seem rather odd. I am used to witty characters to manage such a thing and Eke kept making naive and bad choices. I have no idea how he survived anything in this book. To be fair, both him and Kyp would have died many times if not for the help of other smarter characters.
The story felt like a piece of something that could be much bigger. The plot is rather short while trying to do something bigger than it is. It made many attempts fall rather flat. The time at the family could have been cut shorter and instead more focus and time could have been spent on after, since I feel like it needed a lot more work for it to be impactful and so that the characters got the character development they needed from it. The world building had potential, but now I am left a bit unsure what exactly it was trying to tell me.
Eke and Kyp’s romance was not very exciting. It did very little for me. I’m not sure why that is, perhaps it was Eke’s lack of knowledge about emotions, but I am not sure. I think I also expected a bigger romance focus.
I really enjoyed Kyp’s chapters. They were always a highlight and tended to have the stories most interesting to me. I’m sad there were so few of them.
I leave this book not really knowing where to place it. I mostly think of it in quite neutral terms. I didn’t particularly enjoy myself but it’s also not like I didn’t like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
- 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 was so much fun! It combined cozy romantasy with classic fairytale fantasy elements in beautiful ways. While the first half was mostly romance focused, things got more intricate and fantastical in the second half. It made me not able to put the book down.
The dynamics between the characters were so good. In the beginning Gisela and Kazik’s dynamic kept reminding me of Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows. There was A-tier bickering, Gisela being beautifully flirty and teasing. But it then grew into its very own dynamic, especially with Aleksey added to the mix, who adds some wonderful himbo vibes. I desperately need a novella of them living happily ever after as a trio and it’s just filled with bickering and cuteness.
The world building was very minimal. It definitely was not the focus of the book. My brain, also based on the cover, made it purely an old times fairytale world but then technology was mentioned and I was a bit thrown off. I still do not quite know what this world looks like. It is all very limited to the town where this story takes place.
Overall I really loved reading this book. I immensely enjoyed learning about Slavic folklore. I loved that the romance was polyamorous. And now I really want more, because this book definitely leaves room for a part 2 and I really want to see Gisela, Kazik, and Aleksey being in a relationship.
The dynamics between the characters were so good. In the beginning Gisela and Kazik’s dynamic kept reminding me of Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows. There was A-tier bickering, Gisela being beautifully flirty and teasing. But it then grew into its very own dynamic, especially with Aleksey added to the mix, who adds some wonderful himbo vibes. I desperately need a novella of them living happily ever after as a trio and it’s just filled with bickering and cuteness.
The world building was very minimal. It definitely was not the focus of the book. My brain, also based on the cover, made it purely an old times fairytale world but then technology was mentioned and I was a bit thrown off. I still do not quite know what this world looks like. It is all very limited to the town where this story takes place.
Overall I really loved reading this book. I immensely enjoyed learning about Slavic folklore. I loved that the romance was polyamorous. And now I really want more, because this book definitely leaves room for a part 2 and I really want to see Gisela, Kazik, and Aleksey being in a relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
UnWholly by Neal Shusterman
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A really good sequel that broadened the world and leads to big possibilities of where this story and world will go in the future.
Neal really has a thing for writing the most unlikable antagonists ever. First Roland and now Starkey. While more unlikable than your average villain, they are still so human and that is what makes them great. I want to throw them down a ditch yet they give the story a lot.
I’m also hoping the future books will focus more on Hayden. He is a great character and I want him to have more moments to shine.
Not sure about the way the book handled disability. I was excited for there to be a main character in a wheelchair. While it makes sense for a society with those huge medical advancements to be more ableist too, reading about her being healed as being whole again was not great. I had hoped that the society critical characters would’ve made more arguments against that.
Cam, a human made entirely of other people’s parts, was also a really interesting concept to introduce. Hope to see more happening with that in the future, and also seeing where his quite toxic features lead an otherwise “perfect” human.
Neal really has a thing for writing the most unlikable antagonists ever. First Roland and now Starkey. While more unlikable than your average villain, they are still so human and that is what makes them great. I want to throw them down a ditch yet they give the story a lot.
I’m also hoping the future books will focus more on Hayden. He is a great character and I want him to have more moments to shine.
Not sure about the way the book handled disability. I was excited for there to be a main character in a wheelchair. While it makes sense for a society with those huge medical advancements to be more ableist too, reading about her being healed as being whole again was not great. I had hoped that the society critical characters would’ve made more arguments against that.
Cam, a human made entirely of other people’s parts, was also a really interesting concept to introduce. Hope to see more happening with that in the future, and also seeing where his quite toxic features lead an otherwise “perfect” human.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Fatphobia
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is sadly as relevant as before: 17 years later and the pro choice vs pro life debate is as alive as ever.
Unwinding is a twisted way to find the solution to this problem, that isn’t really a solution at all. While the science does not seem all that waterproof to me, that does not take away from the concept and message it sends.
The characters are very classic Neal Shusterman I have to say. The roles these characters play reminded me a lot of arc of the scythe.
I think this book truly plays beautifully what it means to be alive, what death is, and where that leads people. I cannot properly express everything this book tries to tell you, but I can say for certain that it worked for me.
Unwinding is a twisted way to find the solution to this problem, that isn’t really a solution at all. While the science does not seem all that waterproof to me, that does not take away from the concept and message it sends.
The characters are very classic Neal Shusterman I have to say. The roles these characters play reminded me a lot of arc of the scythe.
I think this book truly plays beautifully what it means to be alive, what death is, and where that leads people. I cannot properly express everything this book tries to tell you, but I can say for certain that it worked for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Medical content, and Abortion
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
I knew this would be a hard one for me but I wanted to give it a try anyway. However it is simply too slow and not interesting enough for me.
Aces Wild: A Heist by Amanda DeWitt
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? Yes
3.5
This was a weird book. It was a heist, but a very underwhelming heist. Maybe I’m used to the kind of heists from fantasy books that are a lot more epic and intricate.
I did not like Jack, and his whole plan of revenge seemed a little too unreasonable to me. I did, however, really like the other characters. They were very fun and my highlight of the book. And we love a lot of ace representation.
The ending was a bit disappointing as well. I thought, after the rest not being that epic yet, the finale would be more mind blowing than it ended up being.
I think I can summarise this book by falling a little flat.
I did not like Jack, and his whole plan of revenge seemed a little too unreasonable to me. I did, however, really like the other characters. They were very fun and my highlight of the book. And we love a lot of ace representation.
The ending was a bit disappointing as well. I thought, after the rest not being that epic yet, the finale would be more mind blowing than it ended up being.
I think I can summarise this book by falling a little flat.
Lose You to Find Me by Erik J. Brown
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I don’t know about this one. For most of this book, it did not do all that much.
Tommy was annoying. Gabe wasn’t that great either. Ava, Al, and Willa were legends. I like that the book decided to subvert the initial expectations and went the route I wanted it to go, so that is definitely a big plus for me. Yet, most of this book just was not that exciting, and sometimes even tiring and annoying.
Tommy was annoying. Gabe wasn’t that great either. Ava, Al, and Willa were legends. I like that the book decided to subvert the initial expectations and went the route I wanted it to go, so that is definitely a big plus for me. Yet, most of this book just was not that exciting, and sometimes even tiring and annoying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Death of parent
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Bloom by Kevin Panetta
4.5
Very sweet graphic novel and it turned out to be more serious than I expected it to be. There were lot of identity crisis and toxic friendship themes which I did not expect in a book that was advertised to me as the wholesome baking romance (although that is also what it is).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Toxic friendship
The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
2.5
That was a whole lot of meh. This book did nothing good, but also nothing really bad. I ended up dragging myself through this book. Since there was nothing truly bad about it I didn’t want to dnf it.
I tried, but I ended up not caring about anything. Not the characters, the relationships, the plot, or world building did anything exciting. I did not care about any of it. The world building was severely lacking. It was way too vague for me and I don’t think I really understand how this world works. The main relationship was doing the steps, but the meat all around it was missing, so it did not make a whole lot of sense to me and I did not feel anything for them. You cannot tell this kind of love story and not fill it with a lot for if you want it to blossom into the interesting relationship this kind of trope provides. The plot was boring. At no point was I invested.
Perhaps I should have stopped reading this book, but I also knew I was still hoping the book would get to me. The right tropes are there for me to like it, but in the end the execution was not doing it for me.
I tried, but I ended up not caring about anything. Not the characters, the relationships, the plot, or world building did anything exciting. I did not care about any of it. The world building was severely lacking. It was way too vague for me and I don’t think I really understand how this world works. The main relationship was doing the steps, but the meat all around it was missing, so it did not make a whole lot of sense to me and I did not feel anything for them. You cannot tell this kind of love story and not fill it with a lot for if you want it to blossom into the interesting relationship this kind of trope provides. The plot was boring. At no point was I invested.
Perhaps I should have stopped reading this book, but I also knew I was still hoping the book would get to me. The right tropes are there for me to like it, but in the end the execution was not doing it for me.