ashykneesreads's reviews
79 reviews

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A cute romance. Not very memorable but it’s a fun read that makes you feel feelings. 
Playground by Aron Beauregard

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dark sad tense 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

3.0

I would never recommend this book to anyone because it’s disgusting but it made me sob and there was some sort of poetic justice at the end that made it brilliant. Totally mental and horrible though.
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg

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dark funny mysterious reflective 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

3.0

An incredible character study. First half of the book sucks but the actual memoir is fantastic. 
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

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

5.0

A phenomenal, gripping read. By the time I hit page 100 I was hooked and raced through the rest. It saved me from my long reading slump. The characters were compelling and it holds a lot of literary credit, the themes it explores are very interesting. I'm so glad I picked this book for my NEA, I highly recommend it :).
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fantastic. Actually got emotional in lessons reading it.
King Lear by William Shakespeare

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slow-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

2.0

Meaningful but confused. The plot is rushed and poorly thought out but it does encourage thought and deals with interesting themes.
God With Us: The Meaning Of The Cross And Resurrection - Then And Now by Rowan Williams

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informative fast-paced

2.5

A lot of unfounded comments stated as truth with an assumed christian audience. Truly perplexing as an atheist with generally weak arguments. Certainly interesting to read a devout man’s perspective.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

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dark sad fast-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

3.0

This book was a wild ride… i felt as though it flew straight over my head, i practically consumed it in one sitting but it didn’t actively feel as though i were reading the book. It was an extremely quick read with massive shock factor. 

Ultimately, this novel details a descent into madness, motivated by a childhood of neglect and abuse. We learn the coping mechanisms our protagonist adopts as a child remain in a sinister way. 

If you intend on reading this, please check the trigger warnings as it’s extremely uncomfortable at certain points. 

The ending had me questioning everything icl.

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Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

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

3.5

I really liked reading this book. The way the narrative is fragmented between the current day and Irina’s past is well executed, I particularly appreciated the photos telling the stories of her past as she’s a photographer. The main body of this book is excellent, the main character of this book who’s perspective we get is pure evil. It’s so interesting to hear how she deals with her wrongdoings, whether she feels bad or simply admits that it doesn’t bother her in the slightest. My only issue that bought the rating of the book down a lot was the the ending. It really just stopped in the middle of nowhere. The whole book we lead up to this big gallery she’s in and that could’ve been a lovely natural stopping point. Instead there’s an extra man she goes on a date with and then it suddenly stops, leaving you with unanswered questions. I wouldn’t say the sudden ending is poetic and it’s not one of those intentional things to leave the reader guessing. It just feels wrong and very underwhelming. I would recommend this book in that the narrative voice is intoxicating and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Before reading please read the trigger warnings it was a lot to handle <3.

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