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shereadytoread's reviews
806 reviews
Paradise-1 by David Wellington
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an excellent start to a series, but it was about 100 pages too long. It lays the dread on heavy as we follow our cast through a number of dark and twisted encounters with AIs and space colonists.
I loved the variety in the encounters but I think if they were all shortened a bit, we could have wrapped this entry up around the 500-550 page mark. This books has a few extraneous plot lines and flashbacks (that maybe pay off in the following entries) that felt a little disconnected from the rest of the book.
I cannot wait to start the next entry!
I loved the variety in the encounters but I think if they were all shortened a bit, we could have wrapped this entry up around the 500-550 page mark. This books has a few extraneous plot lines and flashbacks (that maybe pay off in the following entries) that felt a little disconnected from the rest of the book.
I cannot wait to start the next entry!
Out of Air by Rachel Reiss
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Any book that I can read in a single sitting is a book that I enjoyed. It is along the lines of an adventure horror story that combines hidden treasure with an unknown entity.
What really stuck out to me is this book is dark from start to finish. The tone is set and continual, just dread of what’s next (in the best way). This isn’t something I’ve come across in a lot of YA, so I loved that piece.
This book centers on multiple fractured relationships. Some fractured by circumstance and others by choice, revealing the full story over a current timeline and a recent past timeline that converges with the present story.
I haven’t read anything by this author before but I will definitely be checking to see if they have a backlist after this!
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publisher.
What really stuck out to me is this book is dark from start to finish. The tone is set and continual, just dread of what’s next (in the best way). This isn’t something I’ve come across in a lot of YA, so I loved that piece.
This book centers on multiple fractured relationships. Some fractured by circumstance and others by choice, revealing the full story over a current timeline and a recent past timeline that converges with the present story.
I haven’t read anything by this author before but I will definitely be checking to see if they have a backlist after this!
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publisher.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
No Ordinary Love by Myah Ariel
emotional
- 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
I loved this book from the start but the ending (including the epilogue) felt a bit too abrupt for the type of the build up that MA created.
Not just the romantic relationship but also the friend group and professional aspects were great. I also loved that our MMC had a speech impediment (stuttering) that was discussed throughout the story.
I definitely will be reading her first book after this one!
Disclosure: I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Not just the romantic relationship but also the friend group and professional aspects were great. I also loved that our MMC had a speech impediment (stuttering) that was discussed throughout the story.
I definitely will be reading her first book after this one!
Disclosure: I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Hers to Rule by Coral Alejandra Moore
dark
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a high spice series starter. It is essentially a mafia monster romance? I did like it but there was a big lack of world building around the magic system. It seemed very specific but wasn’t really explained outside of short instances in which we see it in action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content
Alien: Seventh Circle by Clara Carija, Phillippa Ballantine
adventurous
tense
3.75
This is a solid sci-fi adventure! There is a little less xenomorph action than I would want but a solid plot line of the xeno experimentation that we see in the films. I am excited to see if this will be a continued arc. I would love to follow these characters on further missions.
I liked Mae’s character arc and how they tied the two timelines together. The timelines are not terribly far apart, which kept the story pacing pretty similar no matter which timeline you were in.
Probably the biggest issue for me was having dual timelines but no indication at the beginning of each chapter which timeline they were in until you read through.
Disclosure: I received a free gifted copy from the publisher.
I liked Mae’s character arc and how they tied the two timelines together. The timelines are not terribly far apart, which kept the story pacing pretty similar no matter which timeline you were in.
Probably the biggest issue for me was having dual timelines but no indication at the beginning of each chapter which timeline they were in until you read through.
Disclosure: I received a free gifted copy from the publisher.
Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel
dark
tense
- 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
5.0
This is a book that I'd give 4 stars for the actual story/plot and then 5 stars for the originality of the ideas. This book put such an interesting spin on the realities of a self-sacrificing eldest daughter.
I loved that the relationships between the siblings were fraught with conflict and extremely fractured, but it wasn't ever an indication of their feelings for each other, but their feelings about themselves and their different paths on their own.
I cannot wait to see what this author writes next!
I loved that the relationships between the siblings were fraught with conflict and extremely fractured, but it wasn't ever an indication of their feelings for each other, but their feelings about themselves and their different paths on their own.
I cannot wait to see what this author writes next!
William by Mason Coile
dark
tense
3.5
This was an interesting twist on a frankenstein story. Creating life that you can't control for the sake of innovation, with some meditation on the definition of humanity and being. The book has a good tension and pacing throughout. The story is rather quick, taking place over a single afternoon which I think made me like it better. Once it gets started, it keeps moving until the end.
I Found a Lost Hallway in a Dying Mall by Ben Farthing
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked but didn't love this one. It definitely captured the "past" of the malls, but the character's choices didn't make too much sense to me after a certain point. Mannequins are scary so it gets some automatic points for that but the ending felt like it undermined a lot of the story to me.
Fan Service by Rosie Danan
emotional
funny
- 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? Yes
4.5
This was my second read by Rosie Danan and the first one was 1 star. I was hesitant to pick this one up, but I found the premise interesting. I am glad that I didn't skip this one because it was exactly what I was wanting! It was a little slower in the first 30%, but after the first 100 pages the pace picked up a lot.
I am not a fan of the age gap trope but I liked how the relationship and connection was established in the past and then the differences in the future. It is not a spice heavy book but there are a few open door scenes that flowed well with the story and actually had a purpose in the story outside of just the intimacy developing which I thought made the story flow better.
The banter between the chracters was pretty good and outside of a single Twilight reference that was really cringe, she kept the pop culture references to a pretty comfortable minimum (also there was a fresh prince of bel-air reference that returned the brownie points I took for the twilight line haha).
I liked that Alex is a main character that has convictions and stands for something. She constantly reminds and tries to stick with her values. Even when she falls short of that, it playedn important role in the plot. It made her world feel really full of having friends, enemies, family, and causes that are important to her. I wish there was a little more balance for the same with Devin, but it didn't feel too far off.
I am not a fan of the age gap trope but I liked how the relationship and connection was established in the past and then the differences in the future. It is not a spice heavy book but there are a few open door scenes that flowed well with the story and actually had a purpose in the story outside of just the intimacy developing which I thought made the story flow better.
The banter between the chracters was pretty good and outside of a single Twilight reference that was really cringe, she kept the pop culture references to a pretty comfortable minimum (also there was a fresh prince of bel-air reference that returned the brownie points I took for the twilight line haha).
I liked that Alex is a main character that has convictions and stands for something. She constantly reminds and tries to stick with her values. Even when she falls short of that, it playedn important role in the plot. It made her world feel really full of having friends, enemies, family, and causes that are important to her. I wish there was a little more balance for the same with Devin, but it didn't feel too far off.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual harassment
Saint Catherine by Anna Meyer
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
No issue with the book but the eARC I received had no text only pictures so I couldn’t actually read it 😂