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emlawley's reviews
83 reviews
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Dumbledore dies and it upsets me every time!
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
5.0
I’m a huge Harry Potter fan so I love all the books and have read/listened to them multiple times. This is one of my favourites as it starts to dig into the darker and more complicated parts of the story, helping us better understand the link between Harry and Voldemort. I also like the deepening relationships between Harry and Dumbledore and Harry and Ginny and more focus on Snape and Malfoy as it makes the story richer and more mature as the characters get older.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found this book very slow to get started, so I did stop listening after the first few chapters before continuing with it a couple of weeks later as a result. I found the second half much more compelling as the tangled web of people’s stories started to be revealed more and I found myself more intrigued and invested. I liked the OTT drama of the present day story, despite it being wholly unbelievable, but didn’t much like any of the characters. It turned into a fairly enjoyable read, but in my opinion it certainly didn’t live up to the hype it’s been getting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual assault
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
Regrettably, I am About to Cause Trouble by Amie McNee
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! It is a story celebrating women’s amazing power and what happens when they embrace it - with all the difficulties and trials and tribulations that come with that. While it’s set in Henry Tudor’s time, the issues Maud, Zita and Hildy face from men is something women today can strongly relate to, sadly. The writing was impeccable and had me laughing out loud often. I loved Maud’s journey of discovery and the celebration of her gifts of sensitivity and perception. Certain parts of the story were challenging (TW: sexual assault and miscarriage). But this is up there with my all time favourite books I’ve read this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Blood
The Somerset Slayings by David J. Gatward
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was excited about the first book in David J Gatward’s spin-off series focusing on Gordy and it didn’t disappoint. After leaving the previous DCI Grimm novel on such an emotional, heart-wrenching bombshell I was keen to see how Gordy faired down south. I liked how Gatward focused on Gordy’s grief in such a detailed and sensitive way, not shying away at all from how she’d be feeling. I found this very refreshing and authentic. I liked the team he built around Gordy and also how he brought them to life without writing about them quite as much as her old team as they would have felt a little odd as all the fans love them so much! I also liked the dual timelines and the intrigue of the “slayings” themselves. I missed some of the police procedural details and felt there could have been more focus on the investigation itself in the book. I also guessed the killer, as I have in the past with Gatward’s books, but the book was good enough for this not to detract from the quality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, and Murder
The Anti-Heroes by Jen Lancaster
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.5
After getting this book through a Kindle 99p deal, I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, especially as Jen Lancaster has written a lot of non fiction/self help books previously. I really enjoyed the book - I loved the cast and how each character brought something to the story and supported the two protagonists well. Elements of the storyline were pretty far fetched and stretched the realms of believability…but it was balanced just right to make that enjoyable and compelling. I liked the mixture of humour and hope and found it hard to put down once I had got into the story.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Another belting book by Holly Jackson, which I read after loving her A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series and The Reappearance of Rachel Price. Obviously there are some similarities with the female teenage protagonist with a complex inner world, which I really enjoyed and wished I’d read when I was a teen! I love that the story happened over the course of a single night and that so much was packed into that timeframe. I was tense and left guessing right until the end and did not guess the ‘big reveal’. The narration wasn’t as good as her previous books, but that’s me nit picking!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Dark Road by Ian Rankin, Mark Thomson
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I am loathe to give anything Rankin writes less than 5 stars, but I really struggled to force myself to finish this play. I’d seen the less favourable reviews online in comparison to his other plays so half expected to feel this way, but it was nonetheless disappointing not to enjoy it. The dialogue was confusing and none of the characters were likeable so I struggled to follow the plot. The story was nowhere near as compelling as any of Rankin’s other work.
A Killer of Influence by JD Kirk
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another absolute hit from JD Kirk’s incredible DCI Logan series. The previous book ended on a tantalising cliffhanger so I couldn’t wait to find out what it meant and what would happen. The main characters were as amazing as usual, with more insights into their relationships throughout the book which I loved. The twists and turns and surprises in the story had me on the edge of my seat - literally gasping out loud, staring open-mouthed and, at one point, crying! I found every opportunity to listen to it as I was desperate to find out what happened next…and I demolished the book in 2.5 days! Absolutely fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Stateside by JD Kirk
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
3.75
I am a huge JD Kirk Mega Fan and have loved the Hoon spin-off series as much as the main Logan books. After absolutely loving Eastgate (the fourth book that preceded this one) I had high hopes. Unfortunately this book didn’t quite live up to expectations. The story was a little too over the top and, at times, totally unbelievable which was a shame. I felt the other Hoon books stayed just on the right side of that line throughout while still being bombastic and ridiculous and hilarious. I didn’t love all the characters in this one and I found The Duchess incredibly annoying and not at all necessary to the story. While I love Angus King’s narration of all the main JD Kirk characters, his voices for characters from any country outside of the UK are not brilliant so this also detracted from the experience for me.
Circe by Madeline Miller
challenging
dark
reflective
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I listened to this book in stages as it is intense due to the subject matter, but I enjoyed it a lot. I don’t know much about Greek history and mythology but had heard good things about this retelling as it centred Circe and other often-sidelined female characters in history. As expected, there are some very difficult and upsetting scenes. Fascinating, thought-provoking and important.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder