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sannesbooks's reviews
241 reviews
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Loved this! Creative concept. So much action. Loved the characters.
Only critique would be the pacing. It was mainly very fast-paced with many twists and turns. But sometimes it felt it a bit off.
Only critique would be the pacing. It was mainly very fast-paced with many twists and turns. But sometimes it felt it a bit off.
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Sweet fast little book to read. Good to have social anxiety rep in a literary fiction YA book.
Didn't really like the documentary scripts and the over the top parents.
Didn't really like the documentary scripts and the over the top parents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Bullying
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
I only liked 'Boys go to Jupiter' and 'Anything could dissapear'. But these aren't more than a 3 star for me. The other short stories were boring to me or I didn't read because I couldn't get into it. That's why I quit the book. Maybe I'll give the novella a try later.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Did not finish book. Stopped at 57%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 57%.
I really thought I would love it. I love the idea of the story and the mixed media format. However, this really felt short to me. The information was brought quite confusingly and messily. But then, very specific (boring) information, like the specs of the ships, were elborated.
For me personally, I didn't like that a lot of it was told from interviews and chat rooms. But, that had mainly to do with the language / slang use. It was ok in the beginning, but it became fast really cringy. The romance was also not cute, but again cringy. I know it is a young adult book, but it felt really try hard, 'trying to be cool for teens'. I didn't expect that because of the high ratings of many adults. So, maybe it is just a personal preference.
For me personally, I didn't like that a lot of it was told from interviews and chat rooms. But, that had mainly to do with the language / slang use. It was ok in the beginning, but it became fast really cringy. The romance was also not cute, but again cringy. I know it is a young adult book, but it felt really try hard, 'trying to be cool for teens'. I didn't expect that because of the high ratings of many adults. So, maybe it is just a personal preference.
Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Picked up this book without knowing anything about it but what was written on the back of the book. I didn't know this book was so religious-heavy and Christianity inspired. There is also a lot of spirtitual symbolism involved, which I didn't expect going in. I enjoyed some part but didn't enjoy a lot of it either. My rating is based on the book itselfs but also my enjoyment while reading it. However, take my rating with a grain of salt since I am aware that I am probably not the target audience for this book.
I am not really into religious-heavy and spiritual books. That in combination with the writing and pacing of the book made this a difficult read for me. The book was quite slow, too slow in my opinion. It didn't make me want to pick it up again, but there was something in it that didn't make me DNF it either.
I am more of a fantasy reader and I do recognise the creativity of the author to use Christian elements to form a concept and plot for their book. I found that very intriguing since that was the reason I picked it up. The book was very slow and character-driven but there were some fast-paced acrion scenes as well. Especially the last 80 or so pages were a fast and ejoyable read. I also enjoyed the characters. Each of them has certain sins, regrets, etc. and those you will slowly learn about throughout the book. The author gave each character their appropriate and unique personality. Especially Reece's 'sin' was hearthbreaking.
I am not really into religious-heavy and spiritual books. That in combination with the writing and pacing of the book made this a difficult read for me. The book was quite slow, too slow in my opinion. It didn't make me want to pick it up again, but there was something in it that didn't make me DNF it either.
I am more of a fantasy reader and I do recognise the creativity of the author to use Christian elements to form a concept and plot for their book. I found that very intriguing since that was the reason I picked it up. The book was very slow and character-driven but there were some fast-paced acrion scenes as well. Especially the last 80 or so pages were a fast and ejoyable read. I also enjoyed the characters. Each of them has certain sins, regrets, etc. and those you will slowly learn about throughout the book. The author gave each character their appropriate and unique personality. Especially Reece's 'sin' was hearthbreaking.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I liked the concept of the story, but the book didn't wow me like it did many others.
It is a sweet and emotional story. The main character, Clementine, is grieving the death of her beloved aunt and is also struggeling in her career. This is a big part of the book besides the romance.
The romance is very insta-love and the switching of time lines sometimes got me confused. At the end of the book I became kinda bored and didn't feel like reading and finishing the book. Maybe this was the case because I didn't really feel emotionally connected to the characters. Both Iwan and Clementine felt kinda flat to me. If you easily forget things then this book is perfect. It is kind of impossible to forget the rules of the apartment because it is reapeted every few pages..
But there were definitely some cute moments and the audiobook was really good. I mainly enjoyed the first 2/3rd of the book.
It is a sweet and emotional story. The main character, Clementine, is grieving the death of her beloved aunt and is also struggeling in her career. This is a big part of the book besides the romance.
The romance is very insta-love and the switching of time lines sometimes got me confused. At the end of the book I became kinda bored and didn't feel like reading and finishing the book. Maybe this was the case because I didn't really feel emotionally connected to the characters. Both Iwan and Clementine felt kinda flat to me. If you easily forget things then this book is perfect. It is kind of impossible to forget the rules of the apartment because it is reapeted every few pages..
But there were definitely some cute moments and the audiobook was really good. I mainly enjoyed the first 2/3rd of the book.
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-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
2.25
Dissapointing read... I love mermaids, sirens, ocean type stories. The Little Mermaid is on of my favorite Disney movies. So this book felt really promising to me. However, this one failed to entertain me. I didn't like the performance of the male narrator of the audiobook, so that didn't help either.
I did like the plot and action scenes. But, didn't feel for the characters and was not curious about or rooting for the romance. The characters felt really dramatic and over the top to me, so much that it felt unrealistic and childish. Maybe this was meant for a younger YA audience.
I did like the plot and action scenes. But, didn't feel for the characters and was not curious about or rooting for the romance. The characters felt really dramatic and over the top to me, so much that it felt unrealistic and childish. Maybe this was meant for a younger YA audience.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I adored Hamnet and therefore I was sure that I would enjoy The Marriage Portrair as well. However, this book for some reason took me forever to read. Especially the middle part of the book was really slow-paced and quite boring to be honest.
Normally, I love beautiful writing and vivid discriptions, but here there was simply too many of them all. I found myself scanning a lot of the discriptions just to get to 'the interesting' parts. I also was quite dissapointed about the tiger portion. I loved reading the interraction between the tiger and Lucrezia and wished there would have been more of it. Especially since the tiger is on the cover, you would expect it to be a larger part of the story line.
I liked the ending of the book and I liked the dual time lines.
Normally, I love beautiful writing and vivid discriptions, but here there was simply too many of them all. I found myself scanning a lot of the discriptions just to get to 'the interesting' parts. I also was quite dissapointed about the tiger portion. I loved reading the interraction between the tiger and Lucrezia and wished there would have been more of it. Especially since the tiger is on the cover, you would expect it to be a larger part of the story line.
I liked the ending of the book and I liked the dual time lines.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Terminal illness
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Cute story about a somewhat famous gay uncle (Guncle) taking care of his niece and nephew after their mother passed away, besides their mother was also the Guncle's best friend. So, grief is a big part of the story.
There are also a lot of celebrity and pop culture references, so that's nice if you are into that. I am into that as well, but did not understand all of the references. A big part of this book is set in LA / California, because of this setting, this book is especially nice to read in the summer.
It was nice to see how the Guncle warms up slowely to these kids. I also liked that the Guncle talked to the kids like an adult insteaf of baby talk. Grief is something they all three have in common and it was beautifully handled in the story. Even though grief is a big part of the books it is still a lighthearted, funny, easy read. 'Nothing' really happens in this books, it's just vibes. Maybe because of this I found it a bit hard to read fast. I even took a long break from reading it. There is nothing particularly wrong with the book, so I don't know why this took me quite long. I think I personally just was not captivated enough by the characters, but that doesn't mean you won't fall in love with the characters (as many did).
There are also a lot of celebrity and pop culture references, so that's nice if you are into that. I am into that as well, but did not understand all of the references. A big part of this book is set in LA / California, because of this setting, this book is especially nice to read in the summer.
It was nice to see how the Guncle warms up slowely to these kids. I also liked that the Guncle talked to the kids like an adult insteaf of baby talk. Grief is something they all three have in common and it was beautifully handled in the story. Even though grief is a big part of the books it is still a lighthearted, funny, easy read. 'Nothing' really happens in this books, it's just vibes. Maybe because of this I found it a bit hard to read fast. I even took a long break from reading it. There is nothing particularly wrong with the book, so I don't know why this took me quite long. I think I personally just was not captivated enough by the characters, but that doesn't mean you won't fall in love with the characters (as many did).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book has been one of my oldest books on my physical TBR. Glad I finally picked it up, because it was better than I expected. Since this is such a popular book and also a movie, I read and saw a lot about this book already, also it is a YA book (which I tend to enjoy less than adult books) and I therefore thought it might be unnessecary to read the book.
Even though I already knew a lot about the book it was not boring. The book is divided in clear parts and the dialogue is really realistic. I also think the characters are written appropriately for their age, sometimes authots portray characters a lot younger or older than the character is.
I also was scared that the book would be too dark and heavy for me to read. It was still dark and emotional, but it was not too heavy because of the mant funny and lighthearted moments. I think this was done in such a great way!
This is such an important book, especially very reflective and informative for young readers. But, as someone who does not live in the US it was informative as well. In my opionion, this book is also very appropriate for adults, even though this book is meant for a more YA audience.
Even though I already knew a lot about the book it was not boring. The book is divided in clear parts and the dialogue is really realistic. I also think the characters are written appropriately for their age, sometimes authots portray characters a lot younger or older than the character is.
I also was scared that the book would be too dark and heavy for me to read. It was still dark and emotional, but it was not too heavy because of the mant funny and lighthearted moments. I think this was done in such a great way!
This is such an important book, especially very reflective and informative for young readers. But, as someone who does not live in the US it was informative as well. In my opionion, this book is also very appropriate for adults, even though this book is meant for a more YA audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse and Vomit