raenyreads's reviews
309 reviews

Deep Sea: 10 Things You Should Know by Jon Copley

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informative fast-paced

4.0

A great introduction to the deep sea. As someone more knowledgeable it was interesting to see what the author thought was the key facts to present to a general audience. Would recommend picking this up if it is something you are interested in!
She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai, Naruki Nagakawa

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

This is a really nice read. Not too life changing or anything but I had a good time reading it and liked all the characters. Would recommend for a simple and fun read!
Ayiti by Roxane Gay

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I think this is one of the best short story collections I've read so far. Each story felt well rounded, even in just a few pages. The emotion in each story shined through really well and had me invested in each one.
Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

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adventurous emotional 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

4.5

I don't even know how to start explaining my thoughts. There was so much in this book but also I'm left feeling like nothing happened until the last 100 pages. Fitz is an idiot but I do love him anyway. I loved the ending
though I would have liked to have it play out on page a bit more. Also Molly and Burrich? What the actual hell.

It's a much fuller conclusion to this trilogy than I thought we would get and so I am left feeling mostly satisfied. I'll definitely be continuing with the rest of the series.
The Odyssey by Homer

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read this as part of a buddy read where we read two books a week until we finished. I think doing this and so being forced to read it more slowly than I would with other books really helped me enjoy the journey more. Is Odysseus a likeable lead? Not for me. But was he interesting to follow? Absolutely. This was my first book I'd read that was written entirely as poetry and I thought I'd struggle more with it than I did. I think this is at least partly due to the amazing job Emily Wilsons did with the translation. It felt very accessible and understandable as someone not versed in ancient Greece. Highly recommend Wilsons translation.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This wasn't a book for me. I found the plot generally interesting but the method of storytelling was really boring for me and even though this book is so short, I really dragged myself through it.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

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

3.5

This is a deserving classic. I loved the atmosphere and the characters. I expected more horror but that may be due to having a modern view on the horror genre, nevertheless I did find this book had lots of tension and the isolation felt very real. I liked the themes on gender roles and how the characters both followed and defied these.
I think this is one of those books that if you really studied it you'd be able to analyse so many more themes and different aspects.
My main reason for not having a higher rating is it was very predictable.
Content Warning: Everything by Akwaeke Emezi

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced
I don't know if I have the brain for poetry but I liked some of these and found them thought provoking.
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

This is such an amazing book. The tension throughout the book comes from the romance and horror in equal measure and I loved all of it. The slow burn romance in this book is pretty much perfect to me, I haven't read one this good in ages. Nena and Nestor have my heart. The horror was also really well written, the vampires really feel like a terrifying presence throughout the book and kept me on the edge of my seat as to what would happen.
Highly recommend this book!
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

This is a fun story, and that's about it, but that's all it needs to be. Predictable in its ending but still felt satisfying. A great read for the time of year!