candoreads's reviews
34 reviews

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

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adventurous funny 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

4.5

I thought this was a really good book! This is my first time reading all the Percy Jackson books, and the third was was by far many of my friends favorites. Now, I don't exactly see why. I thought it was good, but as far as the rest of the series (book 4 and 5 have not been read yet) the first one is still my favorite. There were genuine moments of frustration with a few characters, because I'm very defensive of Percy as he's the main character we've grown to love over three books! All in all a very good read and I'm excited to continue the series.
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

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emotional slow-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

0.5

I'm giving this half a star and that is literally so generous. That half-star only comes from the fact that there are some quotes in this book that I like. Other than that, this book was a nightmare to read. The main character is extremely mentally ill and it follows an almost Dear Evan Hansen-like plot where she gets a job and starts impersonating a dead woman because she doesn't want that dead woman's friend to feel sad. I literally don't have anything else to say other than I only read this book because my best friend was like "Please, read this, I hated it," and I have to finish books out of spite. One of the only positives is that this book is short. But there are no consequences for any of the main characters actions and nothing is resolved at the end.
I am glad that the cat didn't die though.
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Jujutsu Kaisen: Thorny Road at Dawn by Gege Akutami, Ballad Kitaguni

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

4.0

Short stories where everyone is happy and there is no real plot, you mean so much to me. The only reason this isn't five stars is because sometimes the writing was just...odd? I'm not sure how to describe it but it would suck me right out of the story and I would become overly aware that this is just a book. Perhaps that's just a me thing, these stories are really fun and I loved the first and last one.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Chamber of Secrets is not my favorites of the Harry Potter books, and I'm not here to give you a professional literary analysis in my review. What I am here to do is tell you that I enjoy rereading my favorite series from my childhood and I like these books and I'm annotating them and I love them a lot. Harry and Ron's relationship means so much to me and I will adore those two lil British boys until the day I die. Anyway, Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book so.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

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

3.0

Honestly, I wish I liked this book more. I had heard really great things and went in very hopeful but the main character Lynette is ANNOYING. She switches up too much and her paranoia makes it hard to connect with her as a reader. The plot kept switching who the "big bad" was, to the point that by the time we got to the real reveal, I was expecting another twist and was annoyed. Another gripe I have, and I will admit that I don't know much about Grady Hendrix as an author, but I didn't like the fact that a man was speaking about the brutality women face as entertainment. It felt preachy about how women go through so much and in horror movies are used as entertainment while being necessarily brutalized. But...I'm not the target audience for that? Like obviously I, as a woman, know that women are treated as a prop in horror movies. But maybe I just wasn't the target audience for that message? It just felt weird when I was reading that and knowing it was written by a man who will never understand what it's like to be a woman and face those ideas.
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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 thoroughly enjoyed this book. The murder-mystery plot keeps you hooked all throughout, but the characters are loveable enough that you like to keep up with them. I like when romance books have the romance as a subplot and something different as the main focus of the book. This book ticks all the boxes on that. I originally was going to only rate this book 4.5 stars, because I feel like 5 stars should be for something special, but once I started reading I couldn't stop and I was happy with the results at the end, so that's 5 stars in my book. When you get to the line "My friends are with me and I'm not afraid," just know the tears won't be stopping until you've finished the book.
Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

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

4.5

I love Agatha Christie. I read this with my book club to get us prepared for Halloween and we did not even know it was being turned into a movie. With Christie, you never know who the killer is until the very end. The big reveal is always worth the wait and you feel smart for even getting one detail correct. There were many guesses as to who the final killer was. I think Agatha Christie is one of the best mystery writers and I have loved every book of hers that I've read. I cannot recommend this one enough. The only downside is the outdated language from the time period that you have to google o figure out what characters are saying sometimes. "Ding dong dell, pussy's in the well."
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

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

1.0

Y'all...I did not like this book. I felt like the writing was subpar and the (rightly) perceived prejudices of the other characters were heavily in focus. In every other paragraph, we're reminded that the main character, Louise, is a black woman from Harlem. Her history is important to the plot, but the lack of trust the author has in the readers is kinda appalling. I don't need to be reminded every three sentences that your main character is a black lesbian because I can remember those details. The pacing was weird, there were too many times where I felt myself saying "Holy shit they still haven't solved this murder yet?"
Then we get into the third act where the red herring is caught and everyone thinks it's over until there is another victim found. The last fifty pages is when we actually start getting into who the actual murderer is and the book is resolved with very little view of what happens after.
Anyway, all this to say I was betrayed by a "Blind Date with a Book" from my local bookstore.
You've Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca

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

4.0

Holy shit. No, like literally holy shit. This book is disturbing but in a good way? I read it in one sitting and I can't imagine reading it in multiple sittings. This book is unsettling. It's not even the murder or the thoughts of the main character that are unsettling, what really got me was the book within the book. That premise and idea unsettled me so much. I was unexpectedly unsettled but the book within the book. Bravo and congrats I may never read this again.
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The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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

2.0

My god. Not to be harsh but I mean come on. I read this book with my book club and if I was not a person who thrives from spite I would have dnf'd this book. Like I had high hopes at the beginning but then it becomes exhausting to read. I loved the characters at the beginning but then we slowly move through the plot and the interesting things are skipped over and completely ignored. The writing was not great either, like I can't even put into words how this book made me feel. It felt like a chore.