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artmuseam's reviews
237 reviews
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
a heartbreaking piece of fiction that tackles with grief during the plague. i did not expect to cry so many times throughout this book, and yet the writing seemed to know exactly how to get the waterworks going :,) as someone who isn’t really a fan of shakespeare (not that i have anything against him—just not interested enough) i thought this book did great in pulling someone like me into a fictional twist of shakespeare’s life before his rise to fame and the pov from his wife. i genuinely loved agnes as a character and following her story truly put me through some highs and lows. i may need to cleanse my broken soul after finishing this story—the sadness is too much for me to bear. 4/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Infidelity
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
what can i say? ve schwab has done it again. if i have to be honest, the second book was somehow even more enthralling and twisted than the first one. i loved the new characters we were introduced to and the way that both new and remaining characters were intertwined was so well done! the fast-paced action and constant suspense made it so difficult for me to put down this book. i can’t get enough of this!! 5/5 stars <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Sexual content
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
when i came across this book at my university’s bookstore, i had some high expectations and was really excited to read this book. now that i think about it, i would say i have some mixed feelings. the book started off very exciting, but once it got to the middle, i wasn’t exactly sure if it was worth reading due to the lack of action. the ending wrapped it up pretty well and i guess the next book continues with what actually happens in space, so maybe i’ll read that out of curiosity. i did find the main character somewhat lovable but i wasn’t entirely on board with how she chose to be so compliant and reserved in times where it was better to be resistant and brave. this frustrated me, but i also did need to take in the historical context at that time. i wasn’t a fan of the tense change in that last chapter—especially since first person present tense is my least favorite…but other than that, this book was exciting, inspirational, and fun to read. i still enjoyed the science jargon and the intense moments of liftoff at various parts :) 3.75/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, and Vomit
Moderate: Sexual content
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. this heart pounding sequel put me through an insane emotional rollercoaster. one moment im crying, and then the next im falling in love all over again, and then im unable to breathe from fear of what is about to come. i absolutely loved how this book gave more of roman’s perspective this time rather than iris’s, as we already got from the first book. i was a bit skeptical at first when reading the synopsis, since i absolutely HATE memory wipe storylines and usually never want to continue books that go through that. but this story was different, with the memory wipe not being a main part of the story anymore by the time i got to the middle. once again, my heart broke several times at how raw and visceral the story was with the reality of war and how it changes people. by the time i finished reading, i was so sad because i couldn’t believe the story of iris and roman were over!! please tell me there will be more…two books will never be enough for me :( as much as i hate that this was a conclusion, im still so happy and grateful to have read this series and experienced adventure unlike anything else. 5/5 stars <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
this is probably one of the most confusing but extraordinary books i’ve ever come across. first, i particularly enjoyed the ways in which different storylines from various timelines all connected together through “easter eggs”, but i didn’t entirely understand the significance of how each storyline was connected to each other. i also didn’t like the storyline occurring in the middle. perhaps this is just me being uptight on my end, but when i read something that is difficult to decipher and takes a while to actually understand what the convoluted words are saying, i lose motivation to read on. in fact, i had to skim through that entire part just for the sake of finishing the story and seeing what happens in the end. i will say, however, that the other storylines were quite thrilling and kept me at the edge of my seat. when i noticed those easter eggs, i grew excited and wanted to find the significance—only to realize there wasn’t really one (unless i misread, or just completely skipped over it?) the concept itself was very interesting and the different writing styles (aside from the middle one) created a lively and visceral setting for the entire book. who knows, maybe i will have to give this a reread in the future to actually grasp it. this was definitely a confusing, thought provoking, and disoriented read that i weirdly enjoyed. 4.5/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, and Sexual assault
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
this book was definitely one of the darkest and heaviest themes i faced when reading a historical-fantasy novel. while it had a fast-paced action sequence that had me hooked throughout the story, i was more interested in the character of rin and loved the challenge set by the author to decide whether i supported rin or not. i eventually found that answer later on, but i think this book wasn’t as compelling as i expected it to be for me to want to read the rest of the series. i still appreciated the grim realities of war that rf kuang did not shy away from within this book, as it serves as a reminder to the tragedies people had to face during those times. overall i would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in east asian history and fantasy. 4/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
there’s nothing more that i love than reading through the eyes of some very questionable and psychotic beings. this book was definitely something i didn’t expect, considering that the only premises i had was that it involved elements of fantasy and dark academia. but the ideas of powers and how that can transform people?? and studying the ways in which a villain doesn’t seem like a villain if others are doing WAY worse? everything was so interesting and kept me hooked the entire time! i will say the ending felt a bit rushed, but i think it was written in that way to set up the plot for the next book—which i WILL be reading by the way!! i recommend this to anyone who loves villain stories/fantasy. 4/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
still crying after i just finished reading this book :,) this was the first book i read written by tj klune and i definitely don’t think this will be my last. so much emotion and love and hope trapped into an adventure that left me glued to the book once it started. i loved this concept of robots in a whimsical world where machines find consciences and love…it was so well done. to my surprise, i became obsessed with every single character in this book—especially nurse ratched!! i can’t even count the amount of times she made me laugh but honestly she stole the show. and little rambo reminded me of a roomba vacuum and i thought that was so adorable! finally, vic and hap…i seriously want more of them. i am so sad that this book is over because i truly enjoyed joining this adventure with the characters and this book served as a reminder of how powerful love is. 5/5 stars :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Grief
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
DAMN. i wish i read this book before i saw the film because wow…i absolutely loved this so much. i don’t know why the reviews aren’t as high for this book, but the slow descent of snow’s madness into evil and seeing everything happen through his messed up mind was SO WELL DONE. lots of lines stuck out to me and i couldn’t help but get excited at all the philosophy easter eggs thrown into here. i know this just seems like another hunger games story but i think in an analytical point of view, this character study was so interesting and fascinating to read. i definitely recommend this book to anyone who has not yet read it but seen the movie!! 5/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
alright so i walked into this book with a LOT of expectations considering the hype around it and im not going to lie…it was just alright. i didn’t really like the narration style of the main character, violet, especially because she sounded more like an moody and angry 16 year old instead of the driven and determined 20 year old rider she was supposed to be. i think her character development was also pretty much expected, which made me not like her that much..the world building was overall great and easy to follow, and i liked how there were a lot of other characters that the readers got to meet so we weren’t just focusing so much on violet. now i will say this, (and some people might get mad) but the overall writing and story of this just sounded like it was written by a 14 year old kid writing fanfic on wattpad. i didn’t find the language engaging or poetic at all, nor did it have any level of maturity to it. just a bunch of f bombs thrown around and then very graphic sex scenes that kind of took me out of the book. the nickname thing too….CRINGE. CRINGE CRINGE CRINGE. every time i saw the nickname i audibly sighed out of annoyance. there were so many better ways for xaden to call violet a nickname and it just had to be that. the ending was also greatly expected and i felt like the actual climax of the story wasn’t very compelling. i was expecting to be at the edge of my seat, holding my breath, but the climax was pretty mid. the only thing i genuinely liked about this book was how fast-paced it was. other than that, not really sure why everyone hypes this book up so much. not my cup of tea :/ 3/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and War
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent