semi's reviews
62 reviews

emotional reflective medium-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

3.0

I really enjoyed the prose in this book, and it had some really stunning lines. The book covers topics of grief, love, introspection, and perseverance. It was interesting seeing how Casey reacted to people who shared similar goals to her who had eventually settled into different careers as the years progressed.

While I think that there are some beautiful passages in this novel, they are hidden between (seemingly) long dragged out scenes that don’t seem to provide much substance. So I can see why some people may have trouble getting into this book because of its slow beginnings. Why I can’t rate this book higher is because I feel like something’s could’ve been fleshed out more. I also think the little love triangle was extremely lack luster. The guys felt extremely cliché and one-dimensional. I think style and writing wise, the book is well-written, but content wise, not so much. Nevertheless, I still had a good time reading this book.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

City of Thieves by David Benioff

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.25

I only finished this book out of pure spite. It started off fine, but I couldn’t get behind the dark humour, crassness, and how the male characters treat woman as sex organs that should be ready to please them at their will. The characters felt flat to me and I ended up feeling like I knew nothing about them in the end. The book also has a very detached feeling, so it’s not the kind of book that is meant to pull at your heart strings and make you feel the despair of war. It feels more like you’re passively watching two characters go on an adventure.

Also there was one scene that really rubbed me the wrong way. The two main characters played a part in “freeing” these young girls from being raped from German soldiers. But right after they were making comments about which girl they wanted to “have dibs on.” Like it just felt very tone deaf to for these guys (16 and 18) talk about wanting to be sexual with these girls (around 12-14) right after hearing all the sexual trauma they JUST went through. There was also a part where Kolya asked why the girls didn’t leave or why they chose to say…As if they had much of a choice.

Content Warnings

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is definitely the kind of suspenseful book that you’d want to read cozied up by a fireplace, if you only care about vibes. This book definitely creates a strong suspenseful, gothic atmosphere that draws you in. Though I can’t say much for the characters or the ending. Maxim had the most blaring red warning lights I’ve ever seen in a man (

a wife killing, groomer, love bombing, soulless, insecure man that doesn’t even view the heroine as an equal, but as a child. Ew.

). He was a freak through and through. I also couldn’t feel much for the fmc because she had no name, no character growth or any redeeming qualities throughout the novel.

she essentially just becomes an accomplice that mindlessly follows what Max tells her and they both don’t face any legal repercussions for committing and hiding a murder…

. The ending was ambiguous, but that doesn’t really bother me in this instance.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

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adventurous tense medium-paced