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lakeofstars's reviews
56 reviews
Jade City by Fonda Lee
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
infreaking love this series and honey harper
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
when reading, i wished it was shorter because of how bored i was growing with the story. after reading, i wish it was longer- but specifically to weave in more (especially positive) interactions between the characters that would have made me more invested in the plot. the writing itself was... fine? it had moments of greatness and moments of weakness.
i loved the premise of book and mind eaters, and found the explanation of the mythos and pseudoscience of it all to be the most interesting parts of the story. however, it strangely felt irrelevant at times? excluding the mind eaters and their need to feed, sometimes it felt like you could have taken out the book eating and replaced it with a different, not anatomically unique, isolated society and the story would not have changed much at all.
a perfect 50/50 rating because i quite enjoyed the worldbuilding and definitely sensed the potential of everything else pulsating under the surface, but overall this book fell flat for me in the rest of its execution. i also have seen other readers bring up some problematic aspects of the themes regarding disability in this book, which i find troubling.
i loved the premise of book and mind eaters, and found the explanation of the mythos and pseudoscience of it all to be the most interesting parts of the story. however, it strangely felt irrelevant at times? excluding the mind eaters and their need to feed, sometimes it felt like you could have taken out the book eating and replaced it with a different, not anatomically unique, isolated society and the story would not have changed much at all.
a perfect 50/50 rating because i quite enjoyed the worldbuilding and definitely sensed the potential of everything else pulsating under the surface, but overall this book fell flat for me in the rest of its execution. i also have seen other readers bring up some problematic aspects of the themes regarding disability in this book, which i find troubling.
The Fear by Natasha Preston
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
i have never rated a book 1/10 before but i genuinely could not think of a single thing i enjoyed about this. or even a single thing that i didn't Dislike.
The Moon That Turns You Back: Poems by Hala Alyan
4.0
a raw, experimental, stunning collection. i may also be checking out the audiobook to hear the poet narrate them herself, though a few of them i would definitely recommend reading yourself because i doubt their format translates well to audio.
a few of the poems hit incredibly hard, and the rest were very solid. i especially liked the "interactive fiction" series.
a few of the poems hit incredibly hard, and the rest were very solid. i especially liked the "interactive fiction" series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Racism, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, and War
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
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? Yes
3.0
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
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? Yes
3.0
my dad gave me this book like five years ago bc he said he thought of me when he saw it and i think i was so offended bc of the title that i subconsciously put off reading it until now.
this was an equal-parts frustrating and neat little sci-fi thriller. i didn't put it down once other than to solve the time dilation problem!
misc thoughts/critiques:
- the first half was very tell>show, but this improved as time went on
- i wish we had more time with romy before the eternity, to connect with her and better understand her loneliness and subsequent excitement
- the fanfics were so short! i know that if they were longer it wouldve impeded on the story, but... a sixteen y.o. w nothing better to do writing half pages?
- i rlly dont like the juvenile writing style most YA books have... felt like it took away from the story, and made the graphic scenes really jarring (and not in a good way)
- loved the portrayal of mental illness. that is what really made me understand romy's character.
[SPOILER-ISH]
- personally i found every twist Very predictableand was quite frustrated with romy's naivete, but i understand that... of course she is? she doesn't have the same human experiences with selfishness and poor motives as the rest of us. but also. as someone w paranoia. I wouldve checked those files' physical source Before downloading.
-let's be honest, no way is NASA hiring that guy.
- i felt so happy for romy at the end. super satisfying ending, but again i wish we had a bit More!
this was an equal-parts frustrating and neat little sci-fi thriller. i didn't put it down once other than to solve the time dilation problem!
misc thoughts/critiques:
- the first half was very tell>show, but this improved as time went on
- i wish we had more time with romy before the eternity, to connect with her and better understand her loneliness and subsequent excitement
- the fanfics were so short! i know that if they were longer it wouldve impeded on the story, but... a sixteen y.o. w nothing better to do writing half pages?
- i rlly dont like the juvenile writing style most YA books have... felt like it took away from the story, and made the graphic scenes really jarring (and not in a good way)
- loved the portrayal of mental illness. that is what really made me understand romy's character.
[SPOILER-ISH]
- personally i found every twist Very predictable
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Medical content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Death, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
this book was hand catered for me i think
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, and Colonisation
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Suicide attempt