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rhi_xo's reviews
125 reviews
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’m not much of a sci-fi person but this book was surprisingly accessible & profound. I felt like the humanity of Gaspery’s character & his love for his sister was the real overarching narrative of the book. I highlighted a few moments in the book that stuck with me regarding how we respond to illness, to impending doom, & what we consider to be “real.” will likely read more by her.
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
there was just something really missing in this story for me. I usually really enjoy books about sisters or even books that are historical fiction but I just could not connect at all to the characters in this book. the dialogue read very strange to me & the whole book felt way too fast-paced. the constant time jumping I think worked against the overall story & I really believe it would have been better told chronologically. I HATED the reveal at the end. I thought it was so silly & it actually made me laugh at loud. towards the end I just kinda kept rolling my eyes. also who the hell would leave their child sister by a river you yourself know is dangerous?? such a strange book..
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
this was surprisingly so poetic & emotional. I actually teared up at certain parts relating to the protagonist & his father’s relationship. I will say though that at times I felt like it was a little hard to picture exactly what was happening during jay’s struggles inside the whale so I really feel like this story is better suited on the big screen. sometimes the very short & kind of incomplete sentences that marks the style of this book worked against the overall storytelling & I would start to lose interest, but then I would just get hit with such a gut-wrenching memory of jay & his dad & was just brought right back in. overall a very sweet & heroic story.
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
2.0
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I kind of went into this with high expectations because I really love “Jane Eyre” & I’ve heard so many people say that “Wuthering Heights” is even better… I do not agree whatsoever though. I certainly respect the drama & creepy vibes in this book but there were so many odd choices emily made. like why write main characters who are so unlikable? I was so surprised at heathcliff’s character because I’ve always heard people talk of him as this really romantic character when he is an actual villain & psychopath. the “love” stories between these characters felt like when you read that annoying couple’s anniversary instagram post where they say “they’ve been through hell & back” & they actually fucking hate each other but they still stick around. also what was the point of having mr. lockwood as a character at all??? anyway, not to yuck anyone’s yum, but STRONG disagree on this book being at all better than “Jane Eyre” & please seek help if you like heathcliff. <3
There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.0
this is a hard book to rate just because it’s unlike any other book I’ve read so it’s hard to compare it to anything. I resonated with it because I currently am having a difficult time with just being a person working a job I hate & feeling like I’ll never find a job I’ll actually enjoy. the book was actually very relaxing & easy to read but I do feel like I was waiting for something to happen that never did. it has an eccentric feel to it & all in all I’m happy I picked it up.
The Killing Lessons by Saul Black
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
there are things I really liked about this book. the premise is strong. the idea of reading from all these different perspectives - the killers, the girl that got away, the detective, the next victim - is really interesting. BUT this is a very heavy book with a lot of redundancy that I don't think worked well a lot of the time. idk.. liked it but didn't love it.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
like most people I read “the secret history” first & fell in love with how donna tartt writes her characters. theo decker felt like a real person to me & I already know that I will be thinking about him & this book for a long time. I felt a lot more emotionally connected to him & hobie & the other characters than I did while reading about the characters in “the secret history.” although I feel like “the goldfinch” is “better” than “the secret history” I still give both 4 stars just because there were some moments when I felt the story dragged. I appreciate how long donna tarrt spends on a book. you can tell that she wants you to immerse yourself in these characters, but at a certain point I start to get antsy & want to move on. the final pages though were really memorable & I feel accomplished in having finished it.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
so this was my first time reading neil gaiman & honestly, I had pretty high expectations since Coraline is one of my favorite movies of all time. however, I just couldn't get into this book. for one, I'm not really a huge fan of modern fantasy/hidden fantasy worlds, but I do think they can be done well (like in Coraline). unfortunately, this one was not. there were definitely some cool ideas here: I was really interested in the marquis de carabas, in the black friars, and the idea of these ancient evils and angels. but the world-building felt so vague and the main characters were so surface-level, that I found it really hard to maintain focus. that being said, the ending was quite good - just wish the rest of the story held up!
Watership Down by Richard Adams
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i'm going vegetarian again.