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emilynied's reviews
269 reviews
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
medium-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? No
3.5
I remember reading this story years ago as a kid and I'm glad I re-read it because I did not remember a lot! I love this prequel to the Narnia series and how it started with a crazy uncle and a couple of colored rings. Digory and Polly are fun children to follow and their dialogue with Uncle Andrew, world jumping and mysterious encounters were fun to read about. I thought the evil Queen Jadis' interactions with real-world London were fun, the POV switches kept the book interesting and the birth of Narnia was obviously a highlight. I've loved reading about the different versions of Aslan throughout this series and this book was no different. The little easter eggs to other other books were also super fun.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
This story is absolutely crazy and Flynn crafts an uncanny and eerie tone throughout the book which makes this story so captivating. The general mood of the novel is created from its characters, world and mysterious plot straight from the start. We have our protagonist, Camille Preaker, returning to her hometown of Wind Gap as a now big-city journalist covering a series of missing preteen girls and their consequent murders. She's a fractured character from the start, and as she gets caught up in the town and its inhabitants once more, her backstory is unraveled to reveal her own preteen sisters death decades ago and her history of self harm, which is grimly explored through the words she's carved into her body over the years.
We also meet Camille's mother, who she impassively calls by her first name, Adora, and Camille's half-sister (also a preteen), Amma. As she is wrapped up in the psychological darkness of her family and their history once more, the plot thickens along with the mystery. The ending is shocking (like jaw-dropping dreadful) to say the least, and just when you think you've figured it out, Flynn hits you again with another bombshell. I watched the television show right after finishing the book and would also highly recommend. Both stories were gripping and I'm still thinking about their endings a week after finishing. I would, however, caution any readers - this book is extremely dark. Please check trigger warnings before reading!
We also meet Camille's mother, who she impassively calls by her first name, Adora, and Camille's half-sister (also a preteen), Amma. As she is wrapped up in the psychological darkness of her family and their history once more, the plot thickens along with the mystery. The ending is shocking (like jaw-dropping dreadful) to say the least, and just when you think you've figured it out, Flynn hits you again with another bombshell. I watched the television show right after finishing the book and would also highly recommend. Both stories were gripping and I'm still thinking about their endings a week after finishing. I would, however, caution any readers - this book is extremely dark. Please check trigger warnings before reading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
I think it's cool that this story takes place during the rule of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy (and we got some features of their characters!) I thought the ending was particularly fun, especially with how the stories of all the characters wrapped up.
Gold by Raven Kennedy
adventurous
slow-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
3.0
The pace of this book was pretty slow but ultimately I liked it better than the last. I think the story picked up a little bit (despite the lack of action throughout the 500+ pages) but I can see an end in sight for this series. The POV of Queen Malina got much more interesting, Auren shined on her own (despite the fact that I thought I would hate having the FMC and MMC apart for the entire book). I'm looking forward to the sixth and last book to round out these characters and this world.
Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin
adventurous
slow-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
2.5
Unfortunately, the last book of the "Serpent and Dove" series did not deliver for me. I found myself pretty bored throughout the story and distracted by the jumping of plot and action sequences. The writing felt hard to follow, especially with the witchery and magic and I felt myself wanting it to be over early on. The good parts were good, but they were few and far between. I did like the last chapter though, it was very sweet.
Nena by Ann Boelter
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.5
I was pleasantly surprised by this book considering I went looking for a certain trope and found a recommendation for this on a random reddit page from a couple years ago. The world is explored so vastly and I can tell that there was so much exploration and research done here to supplement this different cultures explored. Each was so vibrantly described, I felt like I was living it myself. The main character relationship was rocky at first, questionable in the middle but then I really grew to like how they each helped the other grew in new ways. I also really liked the long and drawn out prologue, along with the call back at the end of the story.
Guts by Raina Telgemeier
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
I read the earlier "Smile" books as a young girl and fell in love with Telgemeier's artistic and writing style. She tells of the trials and tribulations of young girls so so well and her stories are so relatable. This book was no exception. I really love that she chose to tell this story and it was done really well.
Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.75
I'm honestly having a really hard time with this review. One one end I think it's a four simply because I love this world and these characters so much, but on the other end, I do think that it has a lot of flaws that I normally wouldn't overlook in a regular story. First of all, I love how deep we delved here with Gibsie (or Gerard) as a character. I was worried he wouldn't be able to step into the main character role but there is so much beneath the surface of the MMC's goofy, fun-loving best friend. His backstory is so so sad and I think it informs so much about his character. I love Claire and her loyalty and I really really enjoyed her POVs. I could not stop reading this book, I finished in in like a single day.
The problem with this book is that it goes in circles, many many times. There's probably about ten scenes in this book that end up with the same conclusion, with Gibsie and Lizzy storming off and the rest of the crew left in the crossfire. It got repetitive and kind of exhausting at times, considering no advancements in the plot would be made. Lizzie is an interesting character that I'm hesitant to say I dislike (considering we don't have her POV yet) but man, Chloe Walsh really wants to make us hater her, doesn't she? I'm so curious to see where this series is going to go, and so sad that Claire and Gibsie only get one book (also I'm angry at that too, WHY??) Anyways, I still love this world.
The problem with this book is that it goes in circles, many many times. There's probably about ten scenes in this book that end up with the same conclusion, with Gibsie and Lizzy storming off and the rest of the crew left in the crossfire. It got repetitive and kind of exhausting at times, considering no advancements in the plot would be made. Lizzie is an interesting character that I'm hesitant to say I dislike (considering we don't have her POV yet) but man, Chloe Walsh really wants to make us hater her, doesn't she? I'm so curious to see where this series is going to go, and so sad that Claire and Gibsie only get one book (also I'm angry at that too, WHY??) Anyways, I still love this world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
With "Redeeming 6," I continue to adore these characters so so much. Like, it's probably unhealthy. Joey and Aoife's story is heart wrenching in a different way than Shannon and Johnny's. Joey is on the edge of self destruction and he begins to drag Aoife right down with him. I think the characters and the dynamic of their strenuous yet persistent relationship is written so well and I ate up the crumbs of when they were actually happy (which was pretty scarce here).
I was a little frustrated to have most of the book just contain the contents of Binding and Keeping 13 from Joey and Aoife's perspectives, but it did reveal a lot that we as readers didn't know anything about, specifically the bomb that is Aoife's pregnancy?! I had gotten this spoiled for myself a little bit but honestly thought it was fan fiction or something because I really couldn't believe that these two characters could have yet another bomb dropped on them (and have it go well?) I think my problem was that there was no indication why Aoife wanted the baby so to me it didn't make that much sense as a plot point - especially because at times it took away from her development (like she didn't have any characteristics beyond being pregnant. Alas, I did eat up most of this book and the last couple chapters were amazing. I loved seeing them all finally happy because that's exactly what they deserve. I love this universe and these characters so so much.
I was a little frustrated to have most of the book just contain the contents of Binding and Keeping 13 from Joey and Aoife's perspectives, but it did reveal a lot that we as readers didn't know anything about, specifically the bomb that is
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.0
This story dragged a little for me compared to the others in the series thus far. No more Lucy and Edmund :( but we do get Jill and Eustace, a friend dynamic that we haven't gotten thus far in our main characters. Aslan played a bit of a different role in this book compared to the others so that was interesting and I loved the return of Prince Capsian, this time as King. I also loved Puddleglum :)