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jillie's reviews
462 reviews
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Kind of a soft DNF for now. Was never wanting to pick it up and continue reading… and I don’t think mysteries are working for me right now anyway.
March 2024
March 2024
Murder Road by Simone St. James
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
This is a good, average mystery.
As a fan of many of St. James’ other books, this was a bit of a let down. The story never really grabbed me & I didn’t understand why the main characters were able to do so much detective work/why they wanted to (this is a big pet peeve of mine with mysteries).
Still, it’s Simone St. James so there were aspects of it that were very good. Eh. I would’ve been fine skipping it.
March 2024
As a fan of many of St. James’ other books, this was a bit of a let down. The story never really grabbed me & I didn’t understand why the main characters were able to do so much detective work/why they wanted to (this is a big pet peeve of mine with mysteries).
Still, it’s Simone St. James so there were aspects of it that were very good. Eh. I would’ve been fine skipping it.
March 2024
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
“Rushing ruins the bread.”
What this was so good! I can’t believe it’s not more popular in fantasy circles/booktube/etc. Great writing, character building, and wow what a fleshed out world! I would’ve loved to spend more time with Maia. I loved him & appreciated that he wasn’t an imbecile, though we really see him grow throughout this book. In a lot of books that have similar trajectories, the main characters are extremely naive, so it was nice to read about someone who was capable but still had a lot to learn. I didn’t want this to end!
The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star was because there were a lot of times that it felt like there must have been a book before. We were dropped in and just kind of expected to understand customs, families, etc. A couple of maps would have immensely helped as well.
But I LOVED this and am so glad I finally read it!!!
March 2024
What this was so good! I can’t believe it’s not more popular in fantasy circles/booktube/etc. Great writing, character building, and wow what a fleshed out world! I would’ve loved to spend more time with Maia. I loved him & appreciated that he wasn’t an imbecile, though we really see him grow throughout this book. In a lot of books that have similar trajectories, the main characters are extremely naive, so it was nice to read about someone who was capable but still had a lot to learn. I didn’t want this to end!
The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star was because there were a lot of times that it felt like there must have been a book before. We were dropped in and just kind of expected to understand customs, families, etc. A couple of maps would have immensely helped as well.
But I LOVED this and am so glad I finally read it!!!
March 2024
Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as St. James’ current novels, but it was still pretty good & has what might be my favorite romance from her.
February 2024
February 2024
The Fabulous Freaks of Monsieur Beaumont by Kelli Stuart
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
“Those people who wander into our tent won’t know how smart you are because they ain’t the Creator. They can’t see the inside. This is why you gotta know who you are—who the Creator made you to be. And you gotta believe it hard. Because if you start listening to what those people say about you—the ones who are stuck only seein’ the outside—you might start to believe them. And when you start to believe people who can only see the outside, you’re in for a world of hurt.”
Aw, i’m so glad I finally read this. I loved this cast of characters. It read quickly & I enjoyed the faith content. Definitely bittersweet but I really enjoyed it.
February 2024
Aw, i’m so glad I finally read this. I loved this cast of characters. It read quickly & I enjoyed the faith content. Definitely bittersweet but I really enjoyed it.
February 2024
What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Too despondent for my tastes.
February 2024
February 2024
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
The writing was beautiful & I still want to read other books by this author.
The main reason this one didn’t work for me was the lack of world building. We are thrown into this world where nothing is explained or makes sense, and you also aren’t given enough to piece it together. What time period was this supposed to be? Is this steampunk or modern day OR the 1920s?? What are these 3 main people groups? We really aren’t told much about them but their differences are a HUGE plot point. I finally sort of figured them out by equating them to cultures in our world, but I don’t think that should be how an author gets their message across.
Also, I know the romance is a big deal for people, but I wasn’t warming up to it & I didn’t want to deal with Other Woman drama that I could tell would be coming.
February 2024
The main reason this one didn’t work for me was the lack of world building. We are thrown into this world where nothing is explained or makes sense, and you also aren’t given enough to piece it together. What time period was this supposed to be? Is this steampunk or modern day OR the 1920s?? What are these 3 main people groups? We really aren’t told much about them but their differences are a HUGE plot point. I finally sort of figured them out by equating them to cultures in our world, but I don’t think that should be how an author gets their message across.
Also, I know the romance is a big deal for people, but I wasn’t warming up to it & I didn’t want to deal with Other Woman drama that I could tell would be coming.
February 2024
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Are y’all okay?? Is this really the thriller that’s taken the book world by storm?
Incredibly mediocre & super easy to guess! And sure, there’s a sort of twist towards the end, but not nearly enough of one to justify this. It was basically a book about annoying characters that you’re screaming at all throughout, just for the thing you thought might happen, does!
Genuinely shocked at all of the rave reviews (& annoyed at myself for reading this whole thing). Wow.
February 2024
Incredibly mediocre & super easy to guess! And sure, there’s a sort of twist towards the end, but not nearly enough of one to justify this. It was basically a book about annoying characters that you’re screaming at all throughout, just for the thing you thought might happen, does!
Genuinely shocked at all of the rave reviews (& annoyed at myself for reading this whole thing). Wow.
February 2024
People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
DNF @ 29%
I didn’t like the way the author chose to tell this story. It meandered a lot & I wasn’t always sure what was actually factual v. what might have been added for context. Wasn’t interested in continuing.
February 2024
I didn’t like the way the author chose to tell this story. It meandered a lot & I wasn’t always sure what was actually factual v. what might have been added for context. Wasn’t interested in continuing.
February 2024