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sannesbooks's reviews
241 reviews
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
adventurous
dark
medium-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
4.0
That ending makes you want to read the second book asap! Not a perfect book (could use more editting), but an enjoyable, fun read with a side of romance.
It gives cyber punk vibes. It gets compared a lot with the hunger games but it is actually not that similar to this book so beware of that. This is more focussed on the 'super powers' of the people. People are able to 'jump' into other people's body in this universe. There is a deadly game with combat and killing but the 'arena' is the whole city and because of the 'jumping' it changes the game and the way they fight. Also, participation is voluntarily.
It gives cyber punk vibes. It gets compared a lot with the hunger games but it is actually not that similar to this book so beware of that. This is more focussed on the 'super powers' of the people. People are able to 'jump' into other people's body in this universe. There is a deadly game with combat and killing but the 'arena' is the whole city and because of the 'jumping' it changes the game and the way they fight. Also, participation is voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
Started of promising but I quickly didn't care anymore. It is quite good writing but I couldn't connect or get really into it so I decided to DNF. This story is not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
My Husband by Maud Ventura
dark
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
3.75
A simlle plot: an unhinged female character who is obsessed with her husband. Enjoyable, fast and short read. Finished it in one evening.
I see that this book is also described as a thriller but I don't agree with that description. This is a literary, contemporary fiction.
The writing was nice and easy to read but nothing too special. There were some nice quotes and I liked the internal monologue. I think the writer did a good job without using a lot of pages. It was a fun story but not super memorabele.
I think this book is not for everyone but I enjoyed it. This worked really well as an audiobook and that was part of why I enjoyed it. I don't think I would have liked it the same if I would have read it physcially.
I also like the epilogue even though many don't. It gives the story a turn and more depth.
I see that this book is also described as a thriller but I don't agree with that description. This is a literary, contemporary fiction.
The writing was nice and easy to read but nothing too special. There were some nice quotes and I liked the internal monologue. I think the writer did a good job without using a lot of pages. It was a fun story but not super memorabele.
I think this book is not for everyone but I enjoyed it. This worked really well as an audiobook and that was part of why I enjoyed it. I don't think I would have liked it the same if I would have read it physcially.
I also like the epilogue even though many don't. It gives the story a turn and more depth.
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
dark
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
I think I might be into horror books? I normally don't read horror. The reason why I picked up this book is because I thought it was a thriller. I think the book cover and description were a little misleading. Because of this, I thought it would be more of a domestic thriller/mystery book. So, I did not expect this but I am really glad I picked it up because it was amazing. The first part of the book (the majority of the book) however is more thriller-ish. The last part is horror. I read this book so fast. I couldn't stop reading it.
Don't expect big revelations at the end, there will still be a lot of unanswered questions, and I really enjoyed that actually. I think answering these questions would not have changed this story for the better. In my opinion, the unanswered questions leave more to the imagination, and therefore make it more spooky.
I like the concept of the book. It gave me a little bit of a Coroline (by Neil Gaiman) vibe but for adults. Coraline already traumatised me as a kid. This book definitely scared me as well,. It also gave me new fears, highlighting some underrepresented mental illnesses and distortions. Also, psych wards and hospital already give me the creeps in real life.
Don't expect big revelations at the end, there will still be a lot of unanswered questions, and I really enjoyed that actually. I think answering these questions would not have changed this story for the better. In my opinion, the unanswered questions leave more to the imagination, and therefore make it more spooky.
I like the concept of the book. It gave me a little bit of a Coroline (by Neil Gaiman) vibe but for adults. Coraline already traumatised me as a kid. This book definitely scared me as well,. It also gave me new fears, highlighting some underrepresented mental illnesses and distortions. Also, psych wards and hospital already give me the creeps in real life.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is honestly so overhyped. Wanted to like it but didn't connect with the characters. I wasn't rooting for them. She felt really childlike and he didn't seem to have much personality. Also, these characters are supposed to be 'best friends' but that didn't come across that well. I was bored throughout.
First it was quite promising but it doesn't go anywhere. The only reason why I kept reading it is because it is really easy and fast to read, most of the book is dialogue. Still, I found myself skipping so many pages, especially the last 100 pages of the book. Even though I skipped pages I could still follow the story. Why is that? Because nothing happends! It is so repetetive.
First it was quite promising but it doesn't go anywhere. The only reason why I kept reading it is because it is really easy and fast to read, most of the book is dialogue. Still, I found myself skipping so many pages, especially the last 100 pages of the book. Even though I skipped pages I could still follow the story. Why is that? Because nothing happends! It is so repetetive.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.0
For me this was a fast and easy read. I liked the vived atmosphere of New York. I also liked the characters, especially Cleo. You will not only read about Cleo's and Frank's point of views but also from their friends point of views. These are all troubled and complex characters, and I enjoyed reading from their point of views. However, I didn't enjoy reading from Eleanor's point of view. Her point of view was also differently written than all the other characters, which did not work for me and her story felt boring to read about.
There were also some relatable quotes and funny moments even though the story was quite emotional and dark.
There were also some relatable quotes and funny moments even though the story was quite emotional and dark.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
emotional
reflective
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
3.25
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
funny
mysterious
fast-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
4.25
Enjoyable read about a girl who can turn invisible. Alice is a straight-A student at a prestigious high school in China where mainly rich kids of powerful families go to. Alice is not well-off and envies her classmates greatly. She also has an academic rivalry going on with a boy who comes from the complete opposite background of her.
It was a fun, enjoyable read with sometimes more emotional elements. I liked the magical realism part in this book. I also liked the Chinese setting. Alice experiences emotions heavily and she has kind of a victim-complex. But her character development makes up for it and it was executed in a good way.
It is really a good YA book, but it read a little too childish for me since I am an adult. That took a little bit away from my enjoyment but I don't take that as the book's fault of course since I am not the target age group. And, I still would recommend this to adults.
It was a fun, enjoyable read with sometimes more emotional elements. I liked the magical realism part in this book. I also liked the Chinese setting. Alice experiences emotions heavily and she has kind of a victim-complex. But her character development makes up for it and it was executed in a good way.
It is really a good YA book, but it read a little too childish for me since I am an adult. That took a little bit away from my enjoyment but I don't take that as the book's fault of course since I am not the target age group. And, I still would recommend this to adults.
Bad Fruit by Ella King
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Going into this I didn't know this is not a traditional thriller or mystery. It is a very dark and emotional book. Search up trigger warnings if you are sensetive to certain topics. If you are not a sensetive reader, I wouldn't look up trigger warnings since I feel it might spoil the story, especially with 'thrillers'.
Beginning starts off relatively slow in comparison to the rest of the book but I don't mind that too much since the story is gripping from the very beginning. It helped me get out of my reading slump. Especially later on, I wanted to keep reading! What I find the best thing about this book are the characters. They are great, super complex characters.
This book provoked emotions in me, which makes a book really good in my opinion. It was so dark, it sometimes gave me the chills and made me tense. It also me worried and sad. This disturbing story will definitely hunt me for some time.
Beginning starts off relatively slow in comparison to the rest of the book but I don't mind that too much since the story is gripping from the very beginning. It helped me get out of my reading slump. Especially later on, I wanted to keep reading! What I find the best thing about this book are the characters. They are great, super complex characters.
This book provoked emotions in me, which makes a book really good in my opinion. It was so dark, it sometimes gave me the chills and made me tense. It also me worried and sad. This disturbing story will definitely hunt me for some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury