artmuseam's reviews
237 reviews

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Go to review page

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

maybe this just isn’t my cup of tea, but i found this book to be overall boring and slow. i wasn’t sure what was exactly happening and the abundance of names kept confusing me at times. 2/5 stars
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

holy. this novel was seriously a wild ride. i was not expecting the amount of turns this would take and the reveals just kept getting better in every chapter. i could NOT put this book down—literally kept thinking about what was happening next. this felt like a mashup of a black mirror episode and shutter island and knives out. so much was happening—and some really scary parts too—which just added even more to the thrill. i will say that im a bit disappointed about the ending because i think there could have been more to really give it a satisfactory conclusion, but aside from that, i seriously loved this book so much. 4/5 stars!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

maybe this book was just too overhyped, but i found it way too slow and boring throughout the beginning and middle. this is also the first time i actually hated the male lead of an enemies to lovers trope novel—i found him to be utterly insufferable and confusing. the plot picked up towards the end but fell short in the actual ending, so i was not very excited about what was going on. 2/5 stars
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i wish i could take this book and enclose it into my heart forever because of how much i loved it. not only did this give me so much insight about chinese history that i wish i learned more about in school, but it also amplified my love for books praising friendship, sisterhood, and motherhood. i’m a little bit sad that i will no longer be deeply involved in the life of  yunxian :( truly unforgettable and remarkable. 5/5 stars <3
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

truly heart shattering and emotional. this book knew exactly how to set fire to my emotions because at the end of the book i could barely read the damn words through my tears. the narration threw me off at first, just because it felt almost satirical, but i got used to it by part 2, and i seriously fell in love with all the main characters. it was so intimate to where i thought i was a part of the family and the town, and i especially loved the emphasis on how powerful words and stories are. this book killed me—in the best way possible. 4.5/5 stars <3
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

what a magical ending to this beautifully written duology. after that insane cliffhanger left behind from the first book, i was very glad that this one wrapped up a conclusion through an insane emotional rollercoaster. the plot twists had me hooked from the start and seeing a new romance between the characters actually made me enjoy this book even more. i felt like the ending was a little bit underwhelming since it did feel rushed, especially since the pacing of the book earlier had been perfect. regardless, i absolutely loved this book and i am genuinely so sad that we will not be getting more of elspeth and ravyn any time soon :( definitely definitely recommend!! 4/5 stars
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

currently at a loss for words right now after that ending. i genuinely believe ve schwab is one of the greatest writers of this entire universe and her books will never fail to leave me utterly speechless and yearning for more whenever i finish them! okay, first i will admit that the beginning was a bit slow and it took me a while to adjust having the new characters in the picture since i wanted to gatekeep the returners and always get a bit annoyed when new people take the spotlight (weird habit of mine, i know). BUT once things started kicking off, especially after 1/3 of the book, i was hooked. my love for the shades of magic world exponentially increased during this read and i found myself literally holding my breath in the last parts of the book. trust me, this book is something you do not want to miss!! time to distract myself with other books while i wait for the sequel to come out :,) 4.5/5 stars <3
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

OHHH my goodness…that ending left me speechless!! holy shit i’m actually surprised at how good this book turned out to be! the beginning was kind of slow for some reason and left me a bit bored at times, but once i got past around page 100 i became deeply invested in this story. this romantasy is a bit interesting in that the main character, elspeth, is almost a villain herself because of the “nightmare” that lives within her, and it was interesting to see this play out throughout the book. i actually really liked her dark side for some reason; it made her kinda badass even though she can’t really help it. the plot itself moved very quickly and i really enjoyed the action and romance. i honestly can’t wait to start the second book because that cliffhanger!! left me appalled!! 4.5/5 stars
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
1984 by George Orwell

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

haunting and heartbreaking..this book captivated me from the start with the insanely creepy details of this society and how it functions. while it was a bit slow at times, i still found it to be very interesting and i almost wish it was a little bit longer on certain parts. this book is definitely not a light read and honestly made me feel very sad at the end. 4/5 stars
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

what the actual fuck just happened? i’m at a loss for words from that ending. 

if i have to be honest, i don’t know if i truly enjoyed this book or not. there were so many times where this book made me want to throw it at the wall, and so many times where i kept asking myself why i was reading this book. the action, the fast-paced plot, and the overall politics of this world kept me invested enough to struggle putting the book down, but the narration and constant back and forth between violet and xaden was what annoyed me so much. violet slowly became insufferable for me from her constant stubbornness and lack of genuinely likable traits. if anything, i honestly wish the narration was from a different character, like rhiannon or even imogen. violet just seems like this annoying, unstable and horny teenager who can’t get her shit together.

this book also left a LOT of unanswered questions, which i’m assuming will be (hopefully) answered in book 3. the mini plot twists that eventually led to the biggest one were all done very well and i liked that this book read as a bit of a cinematic piece, where the action pivoted to carry the plot forward in an engaging way that mimicked a film—if the narration style didn’t sound so immature. 

perhaps i’ll let these thoughts marinate for a bit, at least until the shock of the ending wears off. i can’t confidently say if i’ll read the third book or not. i have a love/hate relationship with this series…

3.75/5 stars
Expand filter menu Content Warnings