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luluwoohoo's reviews
472 reviews
The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
☀️☀️☀️
This instalment wasn't my favourite but it wasn't bad - It felt a bit too drawn out for the amount of plot we moved through, and from the intelligence of the kids up until this point their struggles with the poem clues felt too forced. Hector wasn't fleshed out enough for me and the escape was hard to root for in the end.
☀️☀️☀️
This instalment wasn't my favourite but it wasn't bad - It felt a bit too drawn out for the amount of plot we moved through, and from the intelligence of the kids up until this point their struggles with the poem clues felt too forced. Hector wasn't fleshed out enough for me and the escape was hard to root for in the end.
The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket
☀️☀️☀️⛅
Another entertaining tale that really leans into the physical comedy well. I liked the balance of having one good and one bad guardian, and the continuing mystery with the Quagmire kids has definitely given the series a new life. My one major gripe was Violet making the decision to reject important information from Duncan - it felt out of character and more in line with the dumb adults, not the clever kids.
☀️☀️☀️⛅
Another entertaining tale that really leans into the physical comedy well. I liked the balance of having one good and one bad guardian, and the continuing mystery with the Quagmire kids has definitely given the series a new life. My one major gripe was Violet making the decision to reject important information from Duncan - it felt out of character and more in line with the dumb adults, not the clever kids.
The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket
☀️☀️☀️☀️
Reminiscent of a Roald Dahl tale, the physical comedy and schoolyard setting made this book a joy to read. The friendship formed between the orphans and the Quagmire triplets added a lovely element to the story, and definitely helped to make the ending, which until this point felt obvious and inevitable, interesting again.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
Reminiscent of a Roald Dahl tale, the physical comedy and schoolyard setting made this book a joy to read. The friendship formed between the orphans and the Quagmire triplets added a lovely element to the story, and definitely helped to make the ending, which until this point felt obvious and inevitable, interesting again.
The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket
☀️☀️☀️🌥️
The pace of this instalment was much faster and the capitalist overtones gave the orphans another bad guardian which wasn't surprising given the context. I liked the challenge for Violet and Klaus to take each other's places in the group, and the tension of not knowing where Olaf was for most of the book. It still didn't have the drama or the intrigue of earlier books though.
☀️☀️☀️🌥️
The pace of this instalment was much faster and the capitalist overtones gave the orphans another bad guardian which wasn't surprising given the context. I liked the challenge for Violet and Klaus to take each other's places in the group, and the tension of not knowing where Olaf was for most of the book. It still didn't have the drama or the intrigue of earlier books though.
The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
☀️☀️☀️⛅
Another enjoyable story from the series that leans further into the dark and sad aspects well. Aunt Josephine is equally amusing and disappointing as a character, and I loved the grammar riddle, but something about this instalment lacked the magic of the first two books. I'm looking forward to number 4, which is where I stopped reading last time, so it will feel much more new to me.
☀️☀️☀️⛅
Another enjoyable story from the series that leans further into the dark and sad aspects well. Aunt Josephine is equally amusing and disappointing as a character, and I loved the grammar riddle, but something about this instalment lacked the magic of the first two books. I'm looking forward to number 4, which is where I stopped reading last time, so it will feel much more new to me.
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
☀️☀️☀️☀️
Writing full reviews for every book in the series is feeling too difficult right now, but be assured that I thoroughly enjoyed the second instalment. Monty is a delightful character whose presence helped to add light and shade to the predominantly dark plot. Poe is still an idiot, Olaf is terrifying and the children are brilliant. Excited to continue!
☀️☀️☀️☀️
Writing full reviews for every book in the series is feeling too difficult right now, but be assured that I thoroughly enjoyed the second instalment. Monty is a delightful character whose presence helped to add light and shade to the predominantly dark plot. Poe is still an idiot, Olaf is terrifying and the children are brilliant. Excited to continue!
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
☀️☀️☀️☀️
▪️The beginning of a long, dark and frightfully entertaining series that hooks you from the first page
▪️The quality of writing employed by Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) is well above what you'd expect of children's books, with difficult or unfamiliar words that are defined within the context to help the reader broaden their vocabulary. Snicket's tone is cynical, sarcastic and very much at odds with most authors of this age bracket, which is what makes it so wonderful to read
▪️ The plot is simple but built with high stakes and emotional maturity that takes it to another level of intrigue - I happily read this in one sitting
▪️The main characters are, at this stage, simply constructed without a lot of complexity, but within the fast paced plot it is understandable that the focus went there, and I trust later books will expand on this
▪️A very quick and entertaining story that resolves itself enough but leaves plenty of hints that make the next installment an urgent requirement.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
▪️The beginning of a long, dark and frightfully entertaining series that hooks you from the first page
▪️The quality of writing employed by Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) is well above what you'd expect of children's books, with difficult or unfamiliar words that are defined within the context to help the reader broaden their vocabulary. Snicket's tone is cynical, sarcastic and very much at odds with most authors of this age bracket, which is what makes it so wonderful to read
▪️ The plot is simple but built with high stakes and emotional maturity that takes it to another level of intrigue - I happily read this in one sitting
▪️The main characters are, at this stage, simply constructed without a lot of complexity, but within the fast paced plot it is understandable that the focus went there, and I trust later books will expand on this
▪️A very quick and entertaining story that resolves itself enough but leaves plenty of hints that make the next installment an urgent requirement.
"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. In this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle."
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌤️
▪️A fitting conclusion to a trilogy that promises sorcery, sex and secrets - this book delivers all three in perfect balance
▪️The overarching plot managed to expand on a lot of previously unexplored aspects of the world and the magic system, and it tied up a lot of loose ends without being too neat
▪️The romance between Hawthorn and Ross was honestly something I was worried about liking but their dynamic was interesting and well developed across the book. Their sexual chemistry was believable and the sex scenes, as always, well written
▪️Marske's writing is yet again a complete standout - her prose is beautiful without seeming pretentious, and the banter between Hawthorn and Ross was extremely well done, not to mention the other character interactions
▪️This is a series I'm sure to return to again and again and I'd recommend it to anyone seeking a well designed and mature romantasy.
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌤️
▪️A fitting conclusion to a trilogy that promises sorcery, sex and secrets - this book delivers all three in perfect balance
▪️The overarching plot managed to expand on a lot of previously unexplored aspects of the world and the magic system, and it tied up a lot of loose ends without being too neat
▪️The romance between Hawthorn and Ross was honestly something I was worried about liking but their dynamic was interesting and well developed across the book. Their sexual chemistry was believable and the sex scenes, as always, well written
▪️Marske's writing is yet again a complete standout - her prose is beautiful without seeming pretentious, and the banter between Hawthorn and Ross was extremely well done, not to mention the other character interactions
▪️This is a series I'm sure to return to again and again and I'd recommend it to anyone seeking a well designed and mature romantasy.
"The part of Jack that enjoyed being right and was generally convinced of his own rightness tried to tell him that he wasn't surprised. But he was. Every large and dreadful thing that had ever happened to him in his life he had worked his way through, afterwards, alone.
It was a new experience, to want his solitude and then find someone intruding on it and be glad."
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
☀️☀️☀️☀️
There's not much to say about this one - so so lovely, a wonderful continuation of the series that manages to mature appropriately with its audience without ever losing the wholesome, heartfelt vibes ❤️❤️
☀️☀️☀️☀️
There's not much to say about this one - so so lovely, a wonderful continuation of the series that manages to mature appropriately with its audience without ever losing the wholesome, heartfelt vibes ❤️❤️
Normal People by Sally Rooney
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Normal People by Sally Rooney (audiobook narrated by Aoife McMahon)
☀️☀️☀️☀️
▪️A poignant, complex and human coming-of-age romance that leans into the sharp reality of life
▪️All of the characters are flawed and mostly unlikeable, but despite this I was heavily invested in the relationship between Connell and Marianne. Rooney does a great job of making them believable without veering into whiny teenager territory
▪️The intense and magnetic relationship at the heart of the book was really well handled, but individually I do wish their struggles were given more page time towards the end - Connell's depression begins to have a resolution, but Marianne's mental state isn't addressed enough for my tastes
▪️I feel confident enough to assume that, had I read a physical copy and not listened to the audiobook, I would have struggled much more with it. I'm aware of the creative writing style when it comes to the lack of punctuation, but this choice isn't noticeable from McMahon's fantastic narration
▪️This is far from a traditional romance, but the soul of the book definitely spoke to me.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
▪️A poignant, complex and human coming-of-age romance that leans into the sharp reality of life
▪️All of the characters are flawed and mostly unlikeable, but despite this I was heavily invested in the relationship between Connell and Marianne. Rooney does a great job of making them believable without veering into whiny teenager territory
▪️The intense and magnetic relationship at the heart of the book was really well handled, but individually I do wish their struggles were given more page time towards the end - Connell's depression begins to have a resolution, but Marianne's mental state isn't addressed enough for my tastes
▪️I feel confident enough to assume that, had I read a physical copy and not listened to the audiobook, I would have struggled much more with it. I'm aware of the creative writing style when it comes to the lack of punctuation, but this choice isn't noticeable from McMahon's fantastic narration
▪️This is far from a traditional romance, but the soul of the book definitely spoke to me.
"That’s the only part of himself he wants to protect, the part that exists inside her."
"All these years, they’ve been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certain unlikely positions."