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ishu_u's reviews
132 reviews
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-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
cutesy. i liked the first book a little bit more bc of the villagers and emily's growth. it's pretty slow so i found it boring to read at times. but other than that, it's cute. i liked ariadne, she's cute and i wish we got a little bit more of her. emily and wendell are adorable!!! and yay they are engaged. i love shadow, too. i don't have much to say about this book. this was a cute, cozy read and i hope book 3 will be interesting.
Letters to Milena by Franz Kafka
emotional
sad
fast-paced
4.5
he is me, i am him. it's crazy that someone can put how i feel into words so well like that. "you are the knife i twist inside myself" BANGER. imagine writing that omg. he's such an interesting person and i've loved everything i've read by him so far.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
ngl i didn't enjoy this book as much as i thought i would have. but it definitely wasn't bad. the beginning was really slow so i had a hard time wanting to pick up the book again. it got more interesting as it went on. i love emily! she reminds me of myself in some aspects. and i love wendell too, he's so dramatic. the villagers r all lovely too and all of them coming together to save emily from the king was so sweet this was a cute book! i loved wendell and emily's dynamic and reading it wasn't boring. i just can't help but feel like something is missing in it for me, so i didn't like it all that much. oh and shadow is a cutie.
Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.25
i read the inheritance games series months ago and have the memory of a goldfish so while i was reading this, i had to google who half of them were and what their relations are to each other đ and STILL. the ending has left me a little confused. like okay alice hawthorne is alive and tortured jameson and... what? like, what is going on. i am so lost. and i feel like i'm not supposed to be but i am. bc what does her being alive mean and her warning and stuff??? anyway the best short story was definitely the one about hannah and toby. see, at first, i was like i don't like tobias hawthorne bc he kinda traumatised the hawthorne brothers but thennnn... he's so sexy. he's literally so sexy. had me giggling every three seconds. idk!!! something about him... like i need that man. badly. tearing my hair out over him and hannah not getting their happy ending though. like kill me now. they deserved to be together!!! they were so cute. but then, if they were together then jamie and avery would never happen but THEY WERE SO CUTE âš i was so sad when she woke up and saw him gone. and it was nice to read about the hawthorne brothers again, cutest ever. oh and i finally got nash and libby?!?! hell yea. i'm ngl their part was kinda boring đĨ i was a bit let down. the bits with jamie and avery were the cutest though. i enjoyed reading đ my only complaint is that i didn't get as much xander and grayson as i wanted.
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
i've definitely read better by freida mcfadden. this wasn't a bad book and i really enjoy her thrillers and i always look forward to guessing the plot twists at the end but i was off the mark on this one, like many others đ i didn't suspect tom though, bc he was made out to be too suspicious from the beginning. i was almost starting to think it was jake, somehow. which thank god it's not btw bc for some reason, i really like him. but i never would have guessed that gretchen was daisy so yeah, that was insane. umm i was interested in the beginning and looking forward to what the twist would be, but other than that, i can't say i enjoyed it too much. the ending felt somewhat rushed. it just didn't satisfy me. ofc i'm glad that sydney and jake r giving their relationship another shot bc he seems so sweet and i was rooting for them. and tom and daisy seem perfect for each other too ig, kinda. oh and i really like that he killed kevin for sydney. i didn't not enjoy it. idk, other than the twist, i can't say there's much about this book that i like.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
this was actually a super interesting read. i really like keiko's character and reading in her perspective was intriguing. the way she thinks is odd but super interesting. she makes for a compelling character. i didn't care much for the plot but it didn't bore me. i like the themes discussed in this book. it's interesting to read about how people are pressured into getting "good" jobs and getting married and being a good little member of society. i relate to keiko in some sense and i'm happy that she does what she wants at the end. instead of marrying shiraha. i feel like, towards the end, keiko was also subconsciously thinking a bit like he was after hanging around with and listening to him rant sm. he's definitely an interesting character, but he's creepy so i don't like him. also, i was surprised by how much i was on keiko's side reading this lol. bc her thoughts are strange. like she thinks of making two boys stop fighting by hitting them over the head and then thinks of stopping her baby nephew from crying by contemplating stabbing him đ but i feel for her, in some sense. i wouldn't say i'm really like her but everyone around her pissed me off bc they're all so eager for her to get married and pop out babies and get a good job like, mind ur own business. i'm pretty young rn so i doubt i understand fully what societal pressure like that is like. but just hearing about it upsets me. if working in the convenience store and being single works for her then that's great!!! people in society need convenience store workers too, after all. anyway, interesting read! i wasn't bored for a second.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
made me cry at the end âšī¸ this is a super cute and emotional book. i really like morrie! silly old guy. i wish i got to have conversations w him. the relationship he has w mitch is so special to me and i love how greatly he impacted mitch's life. also the reason this book was published just makes me wanna cry all over again. it's easy to read and i like the life lessons provided. i try often not to think of death but it truly is important to reflect on it and appreciate every little moment. this was a lovely read!!!
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
i wish someone wrote letters like this to me fr. none of it really left that much of a mark on me but the earlier letters had useful advice to me as someone who writes.
Spectacular by Stephanie Garber
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
3.25
this sure was... something. i have to say i'm really disappointed it was centered around tella and not scarlett đ i like scarlett sm better. and i love julian so so much so i was excited to read thinking omg i'm gonna see my scarlett and julian again. and i did see them. for like a second or two. so yeah that sucked. i liked the magical feeling this book had, though. like i did when i read caraval. and the holiday vibes and all of that. it's like the one thing i enjoyed about this book. and this is a novella so i can't expect the plot to be good but it wasn't even cutesy đ like i'm reading about tella being tied up and assaulted and i'm supposed to be giggling about it?? fuck no. that scene was so weird and creepy and then it's made out to seem like tella knew who it was all along. like okay? weird. i am not matching her freak. oh and i wanted some amount of evajacks. like. at least some amount of jacks. but no, neither of them were there. which, i can understand. but depriving me of scarlett and julian is crazy!!! not a great novella and it makes me sad it isn't bc i love caraval. oh and the illustrations are cute.
The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
2.0
interesting bc i've never read a book like this before until now. it's just a collection of her poetry. and i was.. well.. đ it was funny. the poems were like s(he) be(lie)ve(d) and i'm supposed to be like omg this is so emotional. no! it was hilarious. bc the rest sounded like: dear haters, i couldn't help but notice that ugly starts with "u" and awesome ends with "me" like be so fr rn đ i'm gonna cry. but!!! i will say, i did genuinely enjoy some of them. mostly the ones about her mother. otherwise it was just funny tbh. i wouldn't say most of the poetry was good, but that's just me.