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kusu00's reviews
289 reviews

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

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dark emotional slow-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

3.25

I liked the idea and the setting. It gave me video game vibes (wouldn't it be such a cool game??!). I wasn't as into it as I had hoped I'd be. The characters are a little bland. The romance between Juliette and Roma actually doesn't have any sparks when you take away the supposed past relationship they were in, which was never shown, only mentioned, and we're just supposed to believe it was amazing and loving and magical. The gangs could've been more interesting, rather than just a setting the characters happened to be in.
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Sky Haven by Melanie Bokstad Horev

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slow-paced

2.0

I had such a hard time getting into this. Aurora just wasn't a character I liked, and unfortunately that didn't change as I went. I don't mind that all the secrets and mysteries were very easy to guess, but since the build up to learning the truth wasn't very exciting, it just failed to deliver any emotions. I liked the premise and I liked that the main character was a woman in her 40's. 

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

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3.5

Straw into Gold: A Rumpelstiltskin Faerie Tale Retelling by Carol Beth Anderson

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4.0

The Queen's Blade by Evelyn Ward

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

5.0

This took so many turns I did not expect. The world is great, and it works so well with all the different species(?) in the mix. The main cast is great, I really loved everyone. The spicy scenes were GIVING! I'm usually not the one to care about spice, but I might just get the hype now. This definitely took me through a whole spectrum of emotions. It was a lot of fun, tension, heartbreak, gasps and even feet kicking. So excited to read more of this story

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Rise of the Dawnbringer by I.A. Takerian

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  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

Wow, so much wasted potential. The first half of the book (literally the whole 50%!) was useless and boring. What could've saved the first half would've been
Mara overhearing some bits here and there, seeing it through her, not this weird all knowing narrator, planting the seed of doubt early on
, etc. Like this, it was just a
dragged out journey where you don't feel anything because you just don't know anyone's *truth* yet.
The second half on the other hand, is just too much. Everything happens.
She learns the truth, she gets depressed, she accepts the truth, she trains, she does the trials, ...
If the first half took up only 30ish % of the book, the second half could've been paced nicely, maybe. Overall, all of this made me completely uninterested in Mara, her goals (what even are they, revenge?), her story and the ending of it. Won't be reading the second book.
A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Earthbound by Katee Stein

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

5.0

My God! This is a true hidden treasure. I had so much fun, I was sad, I was angry, I was screaming, I was laughing. The world feels very real, and I just loved the characters from the first few sentences. 99% of the time I was just completely sucked in. I genuinely can't think of a bad thing to say. Maybe, at times, it was a bit hard to follow, but I would just go back a page and re-read it from there, felt more like a me problem than a problem with the book. Absolutely recommend to anyone.

 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 
The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare

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1.5