jarnbooks's reviews
39 reviews

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

Go to review page

adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

I genuinely could not put this book down! The world is so built out that there could be a history class in each city. The main characters are very well written giving them personalities that conflict and mesh in the best way possible. The queer and Hispanic rep is amazing!! If you liked Percy Jackson, go read this book immediately!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Blackfoot by W.R. Gingell

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

As much as I didn’t like the first book, I liked this one a lot less. It reminded me of a video game or Dungeons & Dragons dungeon. The characters just wander around an abandoned castle for 300 pages. There’re small mysteries that are solved but they weren’t the ones that needed answering. Also, these are some of the most passive characters I’ve read about. Annabel needs to be told everything (and it could’ve been great character development for me but alas). 
This book carries little over from the previous book but the references were nice. Overall, this is a book where nothing happens until the third act and it’s not that exciting. It’s pretty much a book only to set up the next in the series. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Spindle by W.R. Gingell

Go to review page

adventurous fast-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? No

2.5

I got this book from a local craft fair and was very excited to start reading it. It’s supposedly a retelling of Sleeping Beauty but it has way more than that, pulling influences from Rapunzel and maybe Snow White as well. While the world is very interesting, it’s not described well. The magic system is very confusing and the history of the world isn’t explained historically (which kind of matters since we need to know about Poly’s past versus Luck’s present). Along with that, the main trio of characters were funny at best and intolerable at worst. Poly and Luck together remind me of a “Doctor-Companion” dynamic in Doctor Who with Luck knowing everything and being a smartass while Poly knows nothing and has a LOT of banter with Luck. The third of the trio is Onepiece. Onepiece has little to no relevance in the story other than just being there for comic relief and some deus ex machinas. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-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

Where to start?! The world building is some of the best I’ve read with every detail having some historical purpose and explanations. The characters are deeper than the Mariana’s trench and the emotions I felt when stuff happened to them! Ooooo. I haven’t felt that in a long time. The pacing was perfect with scenes never over staying their welcome or leaving too soon. The story line is compelling questioning the value of friendship in the face of death and how far is one willing to go before they’re a different person. Top of the favorites!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde

Go to review page

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

3.0

This book started off a little weak for me since true writing style is mostly “tell” rather than “show” and whatever is shown is told later and vice-versa. The characters are okay. They’re tolerable enough to keep reading. I found Zoe annoying at times since she talks about herself and her backstory constantly. I feel this could be made into a really good short film and I would rather watch it than read it. The powers were also weird in that what’s explained doesn’t make too much sense from a discovery stand point as to how Zoe discovered she could do what she does. Not the best time travel story I’ve read but certainly not the worst. Solid average. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Doctor Who: The Ruby's Curse by Alex Kingston

Go to review page

adventurous challenging informative tense 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? No

2.5

I enjoyed River. The story is very chaotic and becomes easily confusing the more you read. Combining River’s story with an Agatha Christie-esque mystery that leaves you wanting and confused at what’s going on. I love River in Doctor Who but here, she felt empty. She didn’t feel like River from the show. Maybe I would feel different about it if I listened to the audiobook but in print, it’s lacking. Not bad for a first book and written by the actress that originated her. It was okay. If you’re into Doctor Who books and River Song, go ahead but it might be a drag. And Honestly, I didn’t really like Melody Malone, here sections were the hardest to read through to me. Whether you liked the story or not, you’re in for a ride nonetheless. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

3.75

This book was a rollercoaster. When I started, most of it just reminded me of Percy Jackson until the plot actually gets started around half way through. It had a bit of an identity issue but it ended strong. While the characters are pretty bland and mildly entertaining, the plot is surprisingly interesting. It started off weak but ended relatively strong and I’m excited to read the next book. Not for the characters but I just want to see what happens next. For a pretty average middle-grade book, I enjoyed this a lot.

The writing is very simplistic and the naming of characters and others are terrible. The villain is compelling and the motivations are made very clear from the moment you meet them. One thing that I didn’t like was that the “call to action”, the reason the characters are where they are, isn’t resolved here. It’s most likely resolved in the next book. It just makes me think that Evans didn’t know what to do and had a deadline so just submitted what he had. 

If you’re missing Percy Jackson and want something different yet familiar, give it a try. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor

Go to review page

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

3.5

It was interesting. It starts out really fast getting right into the main plot then slows down as the characters try to solve the mystery. Which isn’t solved until the last 5 chapters. 

The characters are fun but there’s no growth until the last chapter. But the relationships are fun to read. Which brings me to one of my favorite bits: no shoved in romantic subplot. 

The story is very simple overall and took some crazy turns (which makes sense in Night Vale). But the main thing that I didn’t like was the writing style. Running gags are set up very early in the book and as it goes, they get tiring. One of the things I got tired of was “Character goes here. They know it was here because the sign said “here”.” Lots of pointing out the obvious. On the other hand, the metaphors used are never explained leaving it up to reader what is meant, which is very fun in most cases. 

As an avid listener of the podcast, you don’t need any previous info to read this but there are a lot of fun non-relevant Easter eggs and references that were a joy to see. 

The main gripe I have with this book is that it could’ve been a lot shorter. Maybe a hundred pages or so. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie

Go to review page

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I started out really enjoying this book. It was really slow and took its time introducing characters. But that’s the entire book. It’s really slow. It’s not until ~70% through the book when the plot actually happens. There’s hints of it earlier but those are around a paragraph and then never mentioned again. And even the supposed climax of the book was disappointing. It seemed like the author forgot that the book needed a story and haphazardly put one together right before the deadline. 

Some characters are great but some characters make the book drag on forever. The main antagonist is confusing and it’s hard to keep track of the djinn characters. Their names are interchangeable to me and I wish the book did a better job at establishing them. 

I really enjoyed the first half, despite nothing happening plot wise. But I can only read about the characters daily lives for so long. It was a weird read and I don’t think I’ll be reading it again. It only has 2 stars because I really enjoyed that first half. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

3.5

The story was okay. Not my favorite book but it’s not the worst book I’ve read dealing with Mental Health. The characters are pretty surface level and we learn little about them as people (other than the things they did to Hannah). 

Clay seems like too perfect of a character and is even admitted to “never hearing anything bad” about him. And Hannah is Clay’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl. We only know other characters based on what Hannah says about them and Clay’s non-insightful opinions of them. 

The book overall just made me uncomfortable. Not because of the content. Because it just seemed like a twisted revenge-fantasy of a teenager wanting to get back at those who wronged her. For a book this critically-acclaimed, I hated that. Suicide isn’t revenge. What’s left behind isn’t revenge either. Other than that, Hannah is a realistic portrayal of someone that is thinking about Suicide. There were moments where I used to relate to what she was doing or saying. 

The prose is good. It’s pretty fast paced and it keeps you entertained wondering what the next tape/reason will say. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings