amy_holden23's reviews
316 reviews

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

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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? Yes

5.0

🏹πŸ”₯πŸ—‘πŸŒΌπŸŒ²
The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A fun middle-grade that handles a range of topics, including chronic conditions and mental health, in an age-appropriate manner, whilst still telling a fun story in a whimsical setting
The Crash by Freida McFadden

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dark tense fast-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? Yes

2.75

I found this to be quite predictable and lacked the twists that I'm used to in McFadden's books. The ending twist came from nowhere and was just weird.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

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dark tense fast-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

4.0

Freida McFadden's books are such great palette cleansers, but this is definitely a ranking based on vibes> the book. I was scared and creeped out in all the right places and was wrong in all my guesses, which justifies the rating, but the pacing for me was a little off and it suffered a little with 'locked room' conveniences. Having said that, this is a standalone, which needs to be considered.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

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2.75

I didn't get the hype for this one unfortunately,  and I was bored for a lot of it. Near the end, I thought it was going in a different direction, which I would have preferred, but it didn't.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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adventurous hopeful mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This is definitely a marmite book, but the vibes for me are immaculate! I can definitely see why some people wouldn't like it, but this book is like a hug πŸŽͺ🎠✨️
The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

An interesting and unique with a decidedly British vibe, tracking both racism, Thatcherism, and the Yorkshire Ripper murders in the 1980s. At times this read a little messy, and whilst I can see the purpose of this, I would have liked certain elements expanded more.

Although the ending twist had me shocked, and I'm still not over it!
The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

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challenging emotional informative
I will admit that I had followed 8 Passengers around the time their videos started getting questioned, and I followed the court case later. However, this memoir shed light on actions that nobody would have recognised, and my respect for Shari has only increased after reading this. This book touches on sexism in the Mormon Church, grooming and abuse which I did not expect. A hard read, but an important one, that demonstrates that everything we see on social media and the news is never the full story. 
The Bone Season: Author's Preferred Text by Samantha Shannon

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I love this book so much! The characters,  the setting, the plot- everything 🫢

"Run, Little Dreamer" πŸ˜«πŸ’žπŸ₯°