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tonylovd's reviews
27 reviews
The Troop by Nick Cutter
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i picked up this book looking for something gross and scary, and it certainly delivered. it was more than i expected, if i'm being honest. i knew how it was going to end but the predictability it didn't make it any less enjoyable.
this book is not for the faint of heart for sure though, make sure to read warnings before reading!!!
this book is not for the faint of heart for sure though, make sure to read warnings before reading!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Body shaming
The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
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? No
3.25
spoilers are in the content warning!!!
This book wasn't necessarily a horrible or even bad read, I just feel like it was advertised wrong.
A YA thriller set at a summer camp, what more could I ask for? Yet. It didn't give me a need to turn the page, to find out what happens next.
I feel like we really only got into investigating after 120 pages, and it took a while for the story to progress through the plot, so long that I considered quitting reading it.
Most characters were original and certainly not bland, but I never felt a strong connection to any of them.
Another pet peeve of mine: the story was written in a non-linear narrative, meaning each chapter jumped back and forth in time, from fall of the previous year to the current summer.
I didn't like the main character much with how she investigated.
light spoilers below
She only discovered one thing, and even then it was all explained to her, all her theories were wrong—even her final ending theory, and at the end there was a very stereotypical big reveal all spoken by the murderers, so, basically, it was all spelled out for her at the end.<spoiler/>
This book wasn't necessarily a horrible or even bad read, I just feel like it was advertised wrong.
A YA thriller set at a summer camp, what more could I ask for? Yet. It didn't give me a need to turn the page, to find out what happens next.
I feel like we really only got into investigating after 120 pages, and it took a while for the story to progress through the plot, so long that I considered quitting reading it.
Most characters were original and certainly not bland, but I never felt a strong connection to any of them.
Another pet peeve of mine: the story was written in a non-linear narrative, meaning each chapter jumped back and forth in time, from fall of the previous year to the current summer.
I didn't like the main character much with how she investigated.
light spoilers below
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Murder and Fire/Fire injury
Stranger Things: Rebel Robin by A.R. Capetta
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
writing style isn't my favourite, but from my perspective it's written through a teenage girl's diary entries, so i wasn't expecting anything amazing.
i love robin buckley and i loved reading about her finding out she's lesbian and seeing some of her backstory.
the writing was easy to read and i finished it pretty quickly
i love robin buckley and i loved reading about her finding out she's lesbian and seeing some of her backstory.
the writing was easy to read and i finished it pretty quickly
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
there are a LOT of triggers in this book so be careful about those
i was reluctant going into this book because two teenage girl main characters written by a man? a little worrisome. but i sort of realised that the book was satirical towards what horror stories of that genre are usually like. the characters are all very stereotypical 1980s teenage girls, but it didn't slow down my reading or deeply negatively affect my experience reading it.
the pop culture references were wonderful. i found a lot of small moments to be funny while reading.
and wow this book was such a page turner. i couldn't put it down; i was overcome with the sole thought of what happens next?
i would recommend it for people looking for something stranger things-esque
i was reluctant going into this book because two teenage girl main characters written by a man? a little worrisome. but i sort of realised that the book was satirical towards what horror stories of that genre are usually like. the characters are all very stereotypical 1980s teenage girls, but it didn't slow down my reading or deeply negatively affect my experience reading it.
the pop culture references were wonderful. i found a lot of small moments to be funny while reading.
and wow this book was such a page turner. i couldn't put it down; i was overcome with the sole thought of what happens next?
i would recommend it for people looking for something stranger things-esque
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Self harm, Excrement, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Ableism
The Friend Scheme by Cale Dietrich
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
Could not for the life of me finish this. It reads like a wattpad fanfiction. It is so full of pop culture and it sounded like it was written by a 15-year-old. I am surprised it got published, honestly. The plot seemed to have a lot of potential, which is why I wanted to get through it, but I couldn't because it. Was so. Bad.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
The Institute by Stephen King
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Kidnapping
Minor: Racial slurs
Starflight by Melissa Landers
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were enjoyable moments in this book, but by page 200 I was considering dropping it. It was a slow read, and I feel like the author tried to put too many plots and subplots into it at once for me to fully appreciate it. I didn't feel a strong connection to any of the characters, either. The sci-fi is not super strong, if you want a science-y read this is not it.
Doran and Solara's romance felt forced, for most of the book they hated each other, until the very end where they were saying "i love you"s. Personal preference, I would have preferred a longer pining and learning to like each other phase.
It reminded me of the Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyers), if you're looking for that.
Doran and Solara's romance felt forced, for most of the book they hated each other, until the very end where they were saying "i love you"s. Personal preference, I would have preferred a longer pining and learning to like each other phase.
It reminded me of the Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyers), if you're looking for that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Slavery
Ink in the Blood by Kim Smejkal
adventurous
slow-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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, and Alcohol
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
emotional
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Grief