bacook0403's reviews
16 reviews

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark mysterious reflective tense 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

1.0

Found the book rather boring. Almost dnf. I wouldn't say the characters were interesting, they were just rich and pretentious assholes, which was fun for a while, but the plot never really moved in any direction.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

4.5

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-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

2.0

Note: I read cloud cuckoo land first hand I thought that book was amazing.

Overall, the book was a slog. Feels like something my high school english teacher would require students to read so they can learn about motifs, metaphors, and symbols. The story is simply not compelling. The

jewel that the story centers around doesn't really seem to serve any purpose other than moving the plot forward. Also... Nazis searching for hidden treasure... Indiana Jones anyone? Werner and the other characters besides Marie-Laure suffered from paper thin development. Literally Werner is portrayed as an ambivalent child who loves radios and at best maybe doesn't agree with what the nazis do and he remains the same pretty much throughout. 
cw: r*pe
Also...I understand that it is well documented that german women were systematically raped during and post war, but the inclusion of that in the novel felt out of place and left me confused.  Jutta's POV was never revisited throughout the novel until the end, so it just seemed weird to snap back to her POV at that exact time. While this is historically accurate, I just don't think it was necessary, or perhaps could have been handled differently I don't know.

 

Overall, a very predictable ending. The novel relies heavily on Doerr's beautiful prose, imagery, and metaphors, (2 stars for that alone, kudos) but these alone cannot salvage what is, at its core, an incredibly boring tale. 

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

An ode to the way stories are carried on through generations via books and libraries. The book makes each character feel human, and you as a reader will be drawn into each of the stories. While the beginning may be confusing with the changing timelines and characters, things quickly weave themself together into a beautiful novel highlighting the humanity of everyday individuals and the importance of home and belonging.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

adventurous challenging emotional slow-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

4.0

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

4.5

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

4.75

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

4.75

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective medium-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? Yes

4.25

The author handled motifs of generational trauma and grief in a nuanced and believable manner while still spinning a gripping, fast paced, retelling of Merlin and King Arthur's court at UNC Chapel Hill. Still succumbs to some common tropes in YA fiction like love at first sight and the prevalence of a love triangle, but these don't detract much from the strong points of the novel.