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laurenleigh's reviews
634 reviews
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
slow-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
5.0
I am CONVERTED. I don’t know why I resist popular books sometimes, but everyone was right about this one. You really do have to read the first book (ACOTAR) like it’s a long intro to this book. This still bugs me to some degree, but the payoff is so great, it’s worth it. The rush I got from this ending was on par with the first time I read Prisoner of Azkaban. This is the high we readers are always searching for!! I had to rush out and buy book 3 immediately, and I’m officially a fangirl. 6 stars if I could!
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton, Lara Love Hardin
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
4.0
My latest car buddy read with Ben! Not the cheeriest read, but uplifting and important. I for sure happy cried at the end. I was inspired to read this after reading Lara Love Hardin’s memoir (which I loved!). Hardin cowrote this with Hinton. I guess I expected a similar structure to her own book, but this was almost entirely about his time on death row. His life after release is basically just the afterword. As a reader, I felt just the tiniest hint of what impatience Hinton must have felt, as the court system failed him time and time again. The appeals system in particular seems insane and nonsensical to me. I kept thinking “now he’ll be released,” only for it to take SO much longer than it should have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Murder
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
My first ever experience with Percy Jackson! I don’t know if these were marketed only to boys or if I was too old when they gained popularity, but I missed that boat. My friend Lenny was so excited about the new series, that I was inspired to give this a try. It was so fun! I think popular children’s books and movies are the most successful when they can also appeal to adults. Like I probably wouldn’t have got every Greek mythology reference when I was 12, but I appreciated it all now! I’ll probably read on in the series when I want something quick and fun.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This might actually hover somewhere around 3.75 stars, but it was a perfectly fine, entertaining thriller. Almost thriller-lite, for those that don’t want too much violence or scary bits. It was more like a moody, dramatic character study. I liked all the different narrators, and I felt that added to the reading experience. The ending felt abrupt and somewhat disappointing, though I’m not sure how else you could have wrapped it all up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Abortion, Murder, and Toxic friendship
XOXO by Axie Oh
lighthearted
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
3.5
For a light, quick, palette cleanser read, this did the trick, though I have to take some points off for one of the worst audiobook narrators I’ve listened to in a while. Somehow both robotic and whiny. Narration aside, I appreciated all the elements of Korean culture we got to explore through the lens of our Korean American FMC. I didn’t realize how intense Kpop fan culture is, or how there’s a whole system churning out new groups constantly. I’m curious to learn more about Korean culture’s international impact (K-pop, K-beauty, K-drama), and I might pick up the companion novel, but in a different format.
Warcross by Marie Lu
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I feel like I’ve read a lot of first books in series lately, but finally one has me immediately reaching for the second! Lots of Ready Player One vibes, where a virtual reality game has basically taken over the world and everyone plays it. Our main character accidentally gets thrown into the world championships, as well as a high stakes bounty hunt. The ending was really good, if a bit scary spot-on. I definitely want to see what happens next for these characters.
Silk: A World History by Aarathi Prasad
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
My first ARC! (Advanced Reader’s Copy, this one publishes 4/30.) This author clearly did a TON of research. It’s pretty densely packed, so if you’re into the science, genetics, and natural history elements of fabric, you’ll probably get into this. I appreciated Prasad’s attempt to humanize all this data by trying to expand on the scientists or researchers’ lives and backgrounds. I think I was looking for a stronger narrative thread to pull it all together, and I found it hard to retain all the information. Maybe it’s just because I was listening to a lot of Articles of Interest lately, but I think this could have been more successful for me as a Podcast series, where we have more time to situate these facts in the broader global history.
Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My initial response after reading this short book was that the main character—actually all the characters—were quite unlikeable. But I recognized that this was perhaps the point. Maybe Didion wanted to show us (in 1970) a female main character who isn’t fulfilling the expected wife/mother roles, who isn’t happy and cheerful and positive, who isn’t (and doesn’t need to be) likable. After discussing with my new book club, I found new appreciation for our MC, and a deeper appreciation for the book as a whole. Yay for finding a new book community!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
I read this was a witch vs. witch hunter romantasy, so I went into it looking for Nina/Mattias and/or Nina/Hanne vibes from Grishaverse. Oooh boy this did NOT disappoint! I loved the spy vs. spy, cat and mouse game between our two main characters. The plot never sat still, and the pacing felt perfect. The blood magic system was uniquely interesting, and I can’t wait to see where this goes next in the sequel. I can’t believe this is only going to be a duology, because I would probably read like 5 more books in this world!
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
I needed a comfort read, and Inspector Gamache always hits the spot. Truly some of the best audiobook performances ever. One of my favorite things about Penny is her ability to play with pacing. She takes her time when she needs to expound on a complex issue, but she propels the action forward when everything’s going down. I love the anticipation it builds.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Rape