bibicornxx's reviews
55 reviews

Purple Hearts by Michael Grant

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

this book really drives home the idea that in war all rules are off. even if theyre universally accepted rules, they are still cast aside to make room for the absolutely evil of conflict. 
this book also played around with me, as several times we are introduced to new characters now that Rios squad was depleting in numbers, and i could never tell which of them would live and which would die.

i almost cried at the ending. after 3 books of hellish war, seeing the characters settled and happy was so relieving. And Geer becoming a social activist because of Pang hit me in the feels so hard it hurt.

upon further reflection the rating has been bumped because i cant stop thinking about this series and want to read it again.

Silver Stars by Michael Grant

challenging dark funny informative reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

this book builds wonderfully off of the first. it delves deeper into realistic wartime experiences as the characters get more battle-hardened. it feels less hopeful and patriotic than the first book, and more realistic purely because it emphasises that some battles were pointless from the start. 

i also appreciate the shock of seeinf so many characters injured or dead. and that torture was not a topic shied away from, and described as effectively as possible while keeping to the YA genre.

upon further reflection the rating has been bumped because i cant stop thinking about this series and want to read it again.

Front Lines by Michael Grant

challenging dark reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

a really unique take on war what-ifs. my only complaint is that rio is most definitely the main character, and having her have a lot more attention than her black and jewish counterparts feels off. 

but for being a YA its very open with the realities of war, and not everyone is the perfect hero like the movies make them out to be. war is horrific, and this highlights it in a very understandable and consumable way. 

upon further reflection the rating has been bumped because i cant stop thinking about this series and want to read it again.

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

a weaker book than the first, but an enjoyable experience. it just felt like so much happened?? and there's so many character names i got so confused. and the rules to the same magic system told through different people slightly different was also very overwhelming. recommend this series though, its unique and entertaining.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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

4.0

this book took me a while to truly appreciate, but once i got my teeth in i learnt to appreciate what ot was telling me. such deep connectionsto real hostory in a way that myself and im sure many others would never consider. bree is a great protagonist, real in all the ways i want her to be, ans a legend in all the ways i love from fantasy.

Sorry. Not Sorry by Emily James

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

2.75

for being a pure romance book it wasnt bad. the 'spice' was simultaneously overused and under detailed. 

my biggest issue is the pacing. the passing of time felt incredibly wrong, events passing way too fast and characters leaping into things like a proposal the day after a brothers failed wedding? before even having her move in? crazy

the characters were good and well thought out, except callie the 12 year old who somehow spoke like she was 16 and 30 at the same time, but never an actual child

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

this 2nd book expands the world further than the 1st, making you realise that the problems and people expand beyond the castle. the shift in all the relationships is super fluid and interesting. 

i personally also love hints from the first book coming back with more sinister meanings, like the headaches and the clocktower 

Believe Me by Tahereh Mafi

lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

for being a novella it was one of the stronger books in this series. being in warners head again was a delightful experience. 

I wish his trauma and inability to act like a human was played with more through the series, but it was amusing to read here. 

the wedding conflict was a bit stupid but I understand that conflict is needed to have a satisfying story.

Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi

dark funny fast-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

a good finale (kinda) to the series. 

a consistent gripe through the series that can be highlighted here is how low stakes all the deaths are. People die in such a nonchalant way that I forget I need to care about them. and Anderson wasn't mentioned again?? so did he truly die?? 

did very much enjoy the juliette super soldier moments, I wish there were more of it through the series. and how complex of a character Anderson can truly be too. 

A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

i really cannot say that i enjoyed reading this book at all. the setting was interesting, but the characters and the formatting (absolutely NO full stops) sucked any enjoyment out of the experience.

The characters were annoying, the descriptions and information was vague and not engaging. 

translated fiction is challenging for me anyway, but this is not fuelling any love.