dreadthemad's reviews
432 reviews

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

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dark mysterious slow-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

4.0

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

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dark emotional 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

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

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

3.25

Backman never fails to make you feel something. This book made me feel anger, frustration, sadness, hope and joy all blended together. It was an interesting continuation of Beartown, though I feel Beartown could have just as easily stood as a stand-alone novel. This also felt like an end of a series again, so I wonder what could happen in the third. I’m curious to read it but the size of it is also scary! 🌿🌻
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

3.0

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

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challenging dark mysterious tense 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? No

3.5

A Sign of Affection, Volume 1 by suu Morishita

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? No

4.0

The King's Men by Nora Sakavic

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

Crazy. Loved every second of it. One of my favourite book series of all time! I love the foxes! 🧡🦊
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The Raven King by Nora Sakavic

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challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

The Young Team by Graeme Armstrong

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

“The smell ae the soil n trees takes me back tae being that wee boy n fur a moment A’m healed n runnin wae ma pals fae the dark.” 

This book is very nostalgic for me because it takes place in my home county in Scotland and uses the same language. Reading it felt like being among my old peers and their problems and reminded me of how far I have come from those feelings of paranoia, hostility and entrapment. It showed the camaraderie of people growing up in run down areas of Scotland but also the latent aggression which feeds into a vicious cycle of violence and addiction. It encapsulates the feeling of returning home and being sucked back into your old mindset. It is rare to find authentic Scottish media, so this was a real gem. 🌿🌻