landenemily's reviews
43 reviews

The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel

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

4.0

Serious page turner. Whipped through this one in an evening. Love the differing perspectives and weaving story. Always a fan of Emily  St. John Mandel’s work. 
This one was suspenseful and sad, woven beautifully to paint the fall out from 10 years ago. 
After having read many of her novels, I love the Mandel-verse.
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa

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hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is not science fiction. This book moreso uses a dystopian concept to explore loss, and how we can continue to live life after losses. 

No great explanation of the events, and the plot kind of faded out. This is one of the books strengths. Devastating and I loved the whole thing.

At a loss for words after this one. Beautifully written, and had me contemplating what is left after loss, and how we are never really whole again, but must go on nevertheless. Thinking about loved ones I’ve lost with fondness, as their memory is what I have left and I am oddly grateful to get to experience loss. 
Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Pleasant, meandering. 

Initially didn’t enjoy the character switching but appreciated the viewpoints. 

I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. Examines what happiness means, Pearl, while trying to help her son find happiness I think ends up looking for her own. 
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

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funny hopeful informative lighthearted medium-paced

3.75

Greatly enjoyed the informative nature of this book that was kept quite lighthearted and entertaining. Quite a few chuckles and beautifully insightful moments that will stick with me. 
3.75 as there were definitely topics I wasn’t too interested in, thought they were made interesting by the writing style. 
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Thanks, I hated it. Only kind of joking. 
Very difficult and dark. Necessarily so. Hard to put down, deeply uncomfortable and beautifully written. 
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

VERY FUN TWIST. Creative and well executed. I kept thinking that Daisy as a narrator was quite juvenile, and suspected her as the culprit, and ended up pleasantly surprised by this one. 
Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

Quick paced, mind bending stories. Quick finish that I enjoyed! 
Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Beautifully written and unnerving in the level of detail to the world created here. Found it quite slow moving, though I enjoyed the detail. 
Despite the vivid picture painted, much was left to the imagination or open to interpretation. 
Personally I love the character/timeline hopping, keeps the reader fresh and attentive while moving through the stories with the pace changes. 
Found it harder to get through Control’s sections. His man baby tendencies were a stark contrast to the director or ghost bird who I maybe related to more. 
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I am not personally a fan of romance (mistook this for more fantasy)
Fairly predictable plot, quite beautiful picture painted of life throughout the cities Addie lived in, which I enjoyed!
My Husband by Maud Ventura

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

4.5

Ripped through this one. I was captivated and stunned the whole way