inkdrinkermal's reviews
712 reviews

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

The first 80% of this book had me thinking, OMG I might like YA novels afterall?? And then the decisions made at the 80% mark had me going, "here it is. Here's the frustrating young adult genre trope of terrible decision making abilitiy with literally no logical backing and just to move the story along."

But in all seriousness, the vibes and writing of the first 80% make up for the frustration of the last 20% and I am intrigued by the epilogue and will likely pick up the second book.

Heads Will Roll by Emily Lynne, Kate McKinnon

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I think what bothered me so much about this book is how much potential the story and characters had and how it was squandered with poor pacing and writing. It was an absolutely tangled mess, nearly to the point of being nonsensical. There were several points where I snorted in derision - random and unnecessary outfit changes described in great detail before massive plot points, the muddled musings presenting contradictory interpretations of events or characters without any deeper thought or resolution, absolutely bizarre displays of all powerful magic.

It frequently felt like the author was trying to write describing the scene as though it was a limited TV series, spending an inordinate amount of time on the setting and clothing and food descriptions, and not nearly enough time on the inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations of characters.

Gah. It was a waste. It was a waste of such a cool, compelling idea and I'm mad that I didn't get to read that story told in a better, more compelling, more logical way.

When We Were Very Young: Classic Gift Edition by A.A. Milne

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funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced