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alex9's reviews
295 reviews
The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
Treacle Walker by Alan Garner
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-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? No
4.0
This Wound Is a World by Billy-Ray Belcourt
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really loved the author’s first book, especially the tense atmosphere he created that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. A History of Fear was one of the few books I’ve read that genuinely made me look over my shoulder while reading. I was expecting the same chilling and eerie setting in this book, but really only felt like it was creepy for the first bit, and then it just became expected whenever a supernatural presence would appear. I think partly this was because the premise of a museum haunted by dinosaurs was too far fetched to be really scary for me, and also because I’m not interested in dinosaurs at all, so the scientific processes and Simon’s description of his work was something I had to fight to keep from skipping over.
Despite not really feeling the fear from this book, I was invested in the mystery part of it which was enough to keep me intrigued, although I did guess a bit of what happened to Morgan about halfway through. I also liked the ending and how it tied everything together. I wasn’t always a fan of Simon throughout the book, and I felt that at points he seemed more of a device for the plot to progress through than a fully emotionally developed character. Still, I understood where he was coming from and why he behaved the way he did at times, and I think he grew enough through the story that I couldn’t really hate him at the end. I also really appreciate a queer horror protagonist, especially when the story isn’t centered around trauma or pain from homophobia/coming out, which did add to me liking this book a little more.
Despite not really feeling the fear from this book, I was invested in the mystery part of it which was enough to keep me intrigued, although I did guess a bit of what happened to Morgan about halfway through. I also liked the ending and how it tied everything together. I wasn’t always a fan of Simon throughout the book, and I felt that at points he seemed more of a device for the plot to progress through than a fully emotionally developed character. Still, I understood where he was coming from and why he behaved the way he did at times, and I think he grew enough through the story that I couldn’t really hate him at the end. I also really appreciate a queer horror protagonist, especially when the story isn’t centered around trauma or pain from homophobia/coming out, which did add to me liking this book a little more.
The Will of the Many by James Islington
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I did not think I would ever read this, despite the high rating and praise I’ve seen from people I follow. This was party because of the size (I can’t bring myself to DNF books so it’s daunting to start any that are 400+ pages), and because I haven’t found myself super interested by really anything in the high fantasy genre since I was a teenager. Nearly immediately after starting this book (like two chapters in), I was instantly drawn by the smallest hints about the world and characters and wanted to keep reading to find out how things progressed.
Excellent writing, complex characters, and an interesting plot kept me engaged and soon I felt the elements of the genre that typically I couldn’t get into or that I disliked becoming things I looked forward to reading in this book. It’s only February but I already know this will be in my top books of the year.
Excellent writing, complex characters, and an interesting plot kept me engaged and soon I felt the elements of the genre that typically I couldn’t get into or that I disliked becoming things I looked forward to reading in this book. It’s only February but I already know this will be in my top books of the year.
New Adult by Timothy Janovsky
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
3.5
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the second in the “series”, but I liked it more than the first. I do wish there was a bit more animosity from Drew towards Nolan when they reconnected in the future to give it more tension and be a true enemies to lovers trope but that’s just my personal taste. I also thought I would enjoy the magic/time travelling aspect a lot more than I ended up. It fell a bit flat to me and seemed just like a plot device with no real explanation behind it or reason why it made sense to go with that specifically rather than just have an actual time jump. It seems like this was done just to have Nolan appear more redeemable and likeable, since it wasn’t technically him that turned into an asshole and caused all of those issues with Drew/his family. I would’ve really enjoyed reading a true Nolan turned into a famous asshole redemption arc though probably more than I did this. The stakes of whether or not he fixed his relationships in the future timeline never felt too pressing, since it was always implied he would just end up going back anyway.
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Reading this for third time (for class ofc) but this one felt like I got the most out of it. Last summer, I saw this performed as a play and still remembered most parts of that. I kept getting flashbacks to seeing the play while I was reading, and it really showed just me how much can be missed when Shakespeare’s works are only read rather than watching them be performed.
Guardian: Zhen Hun (Novel) Vol. 1 by priest
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Read as part of my friend picking 5 books for my TBR for 2025!
Definitely not something I would have picked up on my own, but I’m glad I read it. This was a fun read, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Honestly, the writing isn’t at a literary masterpiece level, but it is easily digestible and pretty funny to the point where I laughed out loud in multiple instances. The book doesn’t purport itself to be anything life changing, so I could overlook that and just enjoy the story and the extremely slow burn romance.
I also found the mythology and supernatural aspects very interesting, although being super uninformed, at times I felt a bit lost when trying to understand what was going on. After finishing the entire book, I realized there’s a glossary/guide in the back that gives context and explains literally everything I was wondering about so that’s honestly my bad for not catching that sooner. At least I know now for the next book where to look, which I can’t wait to start reading.
Definitely not something I would have picked up on my own, but I’m glad I read it. This was a fun read, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Honestly, the writing isn’t at a literary masterpiece level, but it is easily digestible and pretty funny to the point where I laughed out loud in multiple instances. The book doesn’t purport itself to be anything life changing, so I could overlook that and just enjoy the story and the extremely slow burn romance.
I also found the mythology and supernatural aspects very interesting, although being super uninformed, at times I felt a bit lost when trying to understand what was going on. After finishing the entire book, I realized there’s a glossary/guide in the back that gives context and explains literally everything I was wondering about so that’s honestly my bad for not catching that sooner. At least I know now for the next book where to look, which I can’t wait to start reading.
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.75
I think I’m finally becoming a romance enjoyer, which I would’ve sworn two or three years ago could never happen.
Unfortunately the title of this book (and the last shreds of my denial of publicly enjoying romance) stopped me from buying a copy of this from my local bookstore. Yes, the title is a bit funny, I will admit that now. I wish I had just gone ahead and grabbed a copy earlier instead of waiting for the ebook version from my library to become available, because it was truly fun and enjoyable.
A cute story that does require a suspension of disbelief and a willingness to overlook a lack of world building and a full magic system explanation. Hopefully more will be coming in the next book, if I can actually get up the courage to hand something titled Go Luck Yourself to the bookstore cashier.
I also thought the MC and his brother’s different reactions to their family problems were realistic and allowed the reader to see more of who they were as characters. I wish we got more conversation between Coal and Hex about stuff that wasn’t Important Topics or flirting, but I was glad that them getting together wasn’t super rushed and they were both able to talk about things without immediately jumping into hooking up. I also enjoyed the side characters and hopefully we get to see Iris get her romance in a third book.
Unfortunately the title of this book (and the last shreds of my denial of publicly enjoying romance) stopped me from buying a copy of this from my local bookstore. Yes, the title is a bit funny, I will admit that now. I wish I had just gone ahead and grabbed a copy earlier instead of waiting for the ebook version from my library to become available, because it was truly fun and enjoyable.
A cute story that does require a suspension of disbelief and a willingness to overlook a lack of world building and a full magic system explanation. Hopefully more will be coming in the next book, if I can actually get up the courage to hand something titled Go Luck Yourself to the bookstore cashier.
I also thought the MC and his brother’s different reactions to their family problems were realistic and allowed the reader to see more of who they were as characters. I wish we got more conversation between Coal and Hex about stuff that wasn’t Important Topics or flirting, but I was glad that them getting together wasn’t super rushed and they were both able to talk about things without immediately jumping into hooking up. I also enjoyed the side characters and hopefully we get to see Iris get her romance in a third book.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Read for class and I was dreading reading this book because of how boring it seemed. Somehow it was worse than I thought. Hundreds of pages of the most mundane tasks in excruciating detail, and casual racism everywhere. (I get that this is from the 1700s and that was the general attitude of the British towards racialized people so I expected it. However, reading this literally brought nothing and was super unenjoyable to begin with, so it made reading about the racism/colonialism feel extra pointless.) I could literally not bring myself to care what happened to the main character and wasn’t interested in his story at all. There are much better classics, travel writing, survival stories, etc out there and I wish I could have read one of those instead of this absolute waste of time.