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honeyreads1066's reviews
335 reviews
Milkman by Anna Burns
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Honestly it's just not my vibe. I'm not keen on stuff that's historical and just the writing style was not a me thing.
When Wishes Bleed by Casey L. Bond
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Honestly, this book was exactly what I expected it to be. Whoever said it was like an action based on the selection it's true. There were also some elements of avatar the last Airbender and I guess like the hunger games without the violence.
This book scratched the itch I needed it to, did that mean it was good, not particularly but I did enjoy it until like the last third. There was a madness going on with the big villain, the new character and a reveal that felt not really needed. Also, the last couple of chapters after the battle felt a lot like filler and probably could have happened at the beginning rather than the end.
Overall would I recommend this book, no not really but again it scratched the itch it needed to and I enjoyed it and that's what mattered.
This book scratched the itch I needed it to, did that mean it was good, not particularly but I did enjoy it until like the last third. There was a madness going on with the big villain, the new character and a reveal that felt not really needed. Also, the last couple of chapters after the battle felt a lot like filler and probably could have happened at the beginning rather than the end.
Overall would I recommend this book, no not really but again it scratched the itch it needed to and I enjoyed it and that's what mattered.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Murder
HellSans by Ever Dundas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
I was really interested in the overall idea of the book especially the way it was structured and the concept. However I felt that the execution just got a bit confusing. The way that HSA actually works had me extremely confused and really took me out of the story. I would have carried on had it been explained better.
All of Our Demise by C.L. Herman, Amanda Foody
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- 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
I loved this book significantly more than I expected. With sequels or prequels, it's often that the hype and how good the first book is doesn't translate into the second, but here it did extremely well.
I think I was most surprised by the development of the characters. While as with the first book, there were multiple perspectives, even the characters that were not privy to their own POVs I felt were still talked about in great detail, enough for me to connect with them on a level I don't think I did in the first book. Also, the change in relationships and the way things developed felt SO natural. Relationships that, had they been written differently, I would have hated, I absolutely adored and found myself rooting for.
Another thing that surprised me was what Herman decided to do with the plot. I truly thought as I was reading that it was going to be completely predictable, but with every turn of the page, I was pleasantly surprised, sitting at the edge of my seat. There was no way to predict where certain things would go or how certain characteristics would change, and I loved that. I also commend Herman for the fact that she was not scared of making the book sad and did not have a happy ending for everyone. It made me connect to the story a lot more because it once again really did not feel predictable.
Overall, this was a pleasant surprise that I don't want to say too much about, but honestly, I will be recommending this to everything because I think it is up there with my top 5 books I've read this year.
I think I was most surprised by the development of the characters. While as with the first book, there were multiple perspectives, even the characters that were not privy to their own POVs I felt were still talked about in great detail, enough for me to connect with them on a level I don't think I did in the first book. Also, the change in relationships and the way things developed felt SO natural. Relationships that, had they been written differently, I would have hated, I absolutely adored and found myself rooting for.
Another thing that surprised me was what Herman decided to do with the plot. I truly thought as I was reading that it was going to be completely predictable, but with every turn of the page, I was pleasantly surprised, sitting at the edge of my seat. There was no way to predict where certain things would go or how certain characteristics would change, and I loved that. I also commend Herman for the fact that she was not scared of making the book sad and did not have a happy ending for everyone. It made me connect to the story a lot more because it once again really did not feel predictable.
Overall, this was a pleasant surprise that I don't want to say too much about, but honestly, I will be recommending this to everything because I think it is up there with my top 5 books I've read this year.
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.0
I loved this book honestly.
Firstly the magic system was incredible. I think it was such an interesting idea and I enjoyed every moment reading about it. The plot was simple but effective. It had a large amount of things I didn't expect as well a plot twists.
The characters were really likeable and usually I have issues with main characters but I really was rooting for Ning from beginning to end. The side characters were also very likeable. I was invested in the wellbeing of everyone and even characters that were in a only a few scenes I liked.
I think the only thing is, I wish there was a little more political intrigue. It becames clear that connections and politics were a huge thing when Ning went to the capital but I feel like for its importance it wasn't explored enough.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I look foward to reading the second book when it comes out.
Firstly the magic system was incredible. I think it was such an interesting idea and I enjoyed every moment reading about it. The plot was simple but effective. It had a large amount of things I didn't expect as well a plot twists.
The characters were really likeable and usually I have issues with main characters but I really was rooting for Ning from beginning to end. The side characters were also very likeable. I was invested in the wellbeing of everyone and even characters that were in a only a few scenes I liked.
I think the only thing is, I wish there was a little more political intrigue. It becames clear that connections and politics were a huge thing when Ning went to the capital but I feel like for its importance it wasn't explored enough.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I look foward to reading the second book when it comes out.
Babysitter by Joyce Carol Oates
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
I think this book is a very ambitious choice to start with when you've never read Oates' work before. I like that it's written like poetry but with what I expected the content to be about I found that it disconnected me from the story and the characters. While I'm usually one for abstract pieces of work, the writing style just was not for me but I am intrigued to read other books by this author (maybe a short story ) to get a better feel of the style without the pressure of reading a full-length novel.
Trust by Hernán Díaz
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I think I was expecting more from this book than I originally got.
I was intrigued to see that this book is technically 4 novellas as it consists of a novel, autobiography, memoir, and journal, and yet I think I only really connected to the memoir and the novel. I was not aware of it going in, but that is just my lack of research on the book. Though I was pleasantly surprised with the dramatics that the first section of the book entailed and confused with what I thought was only the beginning but was instead the ending to the novel's first part.
Despite this, I carried on reading, intrigued by how the rest of the book would play out, but until about 1/4 of the way through the memoir, I was really dragging my feet trying to get through it. The idea is that the complete truth of the story of this couple must be discovered by the reader as they read each section. Despite this, I felt that the only truth needed was the journal at the end, and I ended up taking that as the complete truth. I do think it was interesting how each part did reveal different aspects to paint a complete picture.
With each different perspective, the characters changed and thus it was hard to get a good read on what they truly were like, but I think that was the point. By seeing these characters from a range of different perspectives, they become more human.
Overall, this just wasn't what I was expecting and my interest was waning a lot during this read, but I appreciated what it was trying to achieve. While I would not recommend it, I recognise that I did find it interesting enough to finish.
I was intrigued to see that this book is technically 4 novellas as it consists of a novel, autobiography, memoir, and journal, and yet I think I only really connected to the memoir and the novel. I was not aware of it going in, but that is just my lack of research on the book. Though I was pleasantly surprised with the dramatics that the first section of the book entailed and confused with what I thought was only the beginning but was instead the ending to the novel's first part.
Despite this, I carried on reading, intrigued by how the rest of the book would play out, but until about 1/4 of the way through the memoir, I was really dragging my feet trying to get through it. The idea is that the complete truth of the story of this couple must be discovered by the reader as they read each section. Despite this, I felt that the only truth needed was the journal at the end, and I ended up taking that as the complete truth. I do think it was interesting how each part did reveal different aspects to paint a complete picture.
With each different perspective, the characters changed and thus it was hard to get a good read on what they truly were like, but I think that was the point. By seeing these characters from a range of different perspectives, they become more human.
Overall, this just wasn't what I was expecting and my interest was waning a lot during this read, but I appreciated what it was trying to achieve. While I would not recommend it, I recognise that I did find it interesting enough to finish.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I wouldn't say I liked this book as much as I was expecting to.
I think I expected too much from this book from the description and I read it for the LGBTQ rep. I think with the way it was marketed I expected the LGBTQ rep to be bigger than what it was but it was still okay. The characters in the book were not particularly likeable and I didn't care for them too much.
Despite that, I was pretty interested in the mystery and had no idea where it would go. Though the ending just confused me and at that point, I was sort of just in it for the vibes. I wish Claudia's relationship with her family was explored more because it seemed like Pek wanted to explore that more than they did but I think it was a realistic and refreshing take on family in general.
Overall, I just felt that this was okay, I didn't hate reading it, but I wish there was a little more emphasis on certain things and that the ending wasn't so confusing. While I wouldn't recommend it because I don't think it was my jam, I didn't not enjoy reading it.
I think I expected too much from this book from the description and I read it for the LGBTQ rep. I think with the way it was marketed I expected the LGBTQ rep to be bigger than what it was but it was still okay. The characters in the book were not particularly likeable and I didn't care for them too much.
Despite that, I was pretty interested in the mystery and had no idea where it would go. Though the ending just confused me and at that point, I was sort of just in it for the vibes. I wish Claudia's relationship with her family was explored more because it seemed like Pek wanted to explore that more than they did but I think it was a realistic and refreshing take on family in general.
Overall, I just felt that this was okay, I didn't hate reading it, but I wish there was a little more emphasis on certain things and that the ending wasn't so confusing. While I wouldn't recommend it because I don't think it was my jam, I didn't not enjoy reading it.
We Unleash the Merciless Storm by Tehlor Kay Mejia
adventurous
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? No
I didn't think this book could be as good as the last one and it wasn't but I still really enjoyed it.
This book changes the focus to follow Carmen instead of Dani which because of the way the last book ended I wasn't too keen on but I got used to it eventually. I like that we get to see the relationships that Carmen developed and also the way she felt about Dani. I'm kind of upset that this didn't have the same political stuff as the first one, I really enjoyed the sneaking around and trying to figure out certain things and this one was a lot more action.
I also didn't like that a few of the big twists at the end were really predictable and not in a satisfying way. I hoped that some things would come out of nowhere or there would be a massive curveball but nothing hit the way that some of the twists did in the first book.
I think overall this was an okay conclusion to the duology but because I loved the first one so much, with the change in story style and perspective, inevitably, I was never going to like the second one as much.
This book changes the focus to follow Carmen instead of Dani which because of the way the last book ended I wasn't too keen on but I got used to it eventually. I like that we get to see the relationships that Carmen developed and also the way she felt about Dani. I'm kind of upset that this didn't have the same political stuff as the first one, I really enjoyed the sneaking around and trying to figure out certain things and this one was a lot more action.
I also didn't like that a few of the big twists at the end were really predictable and not in a satisfying way. I hoped that some things would come out of nowhere or there would be a massive curveball but nothing hit the way that some of the twists did in the first book.
I think overall this was an okay conclusion to the duology but because I loved the first one so much, with the change in story style and perspective, inevitably, I was never going to like the second one as much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and War
Minor: Homophobia
Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
5.0