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cassianlamb's reviews
740 reviews
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
4.0
And They Were Roommates by Page Powars
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.0
I received this free e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. I can't say it was realistic (ex. it's illegal in New York to discriminate against trans people, and as Valentine Academy is no longer a religious school they can't discriminate against Charlie, plus some of the characters were highly pretentious) but it was good. I liked the friendships in it and how Charlie slowly grew less afraid to exist.
Being trans isn't the main focal point, though it is relevant. Instead everyone gets to be actual people, and no one is really defined by any one trait. There is an odd obsession with love letters, but that was the only thing that really irked me, though it was also most of the plot.
Overall it's a very good book I want to read again.
I really enjoyed this book. I can't say it was realistic (ex. it's illegal in New York to discriminate against trans people, and as Valentine Academy is no longer a religious school they can't discriminate against Charlie, plus some of the characters were highly pretentious) but it was good. I liked the friendships in it and how Charlie slowly grew less afraid to exist.
Being trans isn't the main focal point, though it is relevant. Instead everyone gets to be actual people, and no one is really defined by any one trait. There is an odd obsession with love letters, but that was the only thing that really irked me, though it was also most of the plot.
Overall it's a very good book I want to read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit
Suicide mentioned a lot but never showed on page
Crash Test by Amy James
emotional
medium-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? Yes
2.5
I received a free e-arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It was hard to get into this book from the start because we're dropped right in the middle of the story with absolutely no build up. While some people have mentioned the alternating timeline chapters made it even more difficult to follow, I think following was less an issue and more it would have helped to have these first to see how we got to where the book started. It did not help that in a flashback chapter it's revealed to be insta-love, so the issue of no buildup is compounded.
Furthermore, the love-interest/second main character (Jacob) is kind of horrible. He barely has any redeeming qualities, even when the person who claims to love him talks about him. When we reach Jacob's POV chapters, it doesn't get any better. Even the epiphany common to romance books comes out of nowhere, feeling more like a last ditch effort to make him like able than anything else. Jacob doesn't even really seem to care for the person he's with, making me wonder why they're so determined to be together.
This book might work for me if I'm bored with nothing else to read, but right now it was not really worth it. Others might enjoy it though.
It was hard to get into this book from the start because we're dropped right in the middle of the story with absolutely no build up. While some people have mentioned the alternating timeline chapters made it even more difficult to follow, I think following was less an issue and more it would have helped to have these first to see how we got to where the book started. It did not help that in a flashback chapter it's revealed to be insta-love, so the issue of no buildup is compounded.
Furthermore, the love-interest/second main character (Jacob) is kind of horrible. He barely has any redeeming qualities, even when the person who claims to love him talks about him. When we reach Jacob's POV chapters, it doesn't get any better. Even the epiphany common to romance books comes out of nowhere, feeling more like a last ditch effort to make him like able than anything else. Jacob doesn't even really seem to care for the person he's with, making me wonder why they're so determined to be together.
This book might work for me if I'm bored with nothing else to read, but right now it was not really worth it. Others might enjoy it though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Religious bigotry
Minor: Death and Infidelity
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Violence and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement and Death of parent
Vesuvius by Cass Biehn
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
I received a free e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a lot darker than your typical YA book. There is quite a bit of trauma in it, which can be expected from a story that takes place at the fall of Pompeii. If you're looking for a lighthearted gay book, this is not it.
That being said, it is still enjoyable. The author is surprisingly accurate about Pompeii (from what I remember taking Latin, at least) though does change a few things to make it YA. I personally really loved that, as there are quite a few books out there that are only loosely related to Ancient Rome despite claiming they take place in that empire. One of the characters also has touch aversion, which is not something I read about a lot but I think was handled well.
Despite what a couple other reviews said, I'd say the bad decisions made by the characters might not necessarily seem bad at first glance. Some pan out pretty well and where mistakes are made, they're reasonable considering the trauma they've gone through. And while it is a YA book, it has a lot more cursing than I've typically seen, so it's more on the older end. I do think some other adults could enjoy this book without it being spoiled by the fact the characters are 17 (which would have been adulthood at the time anyways, which is another [understandable] inaccuracy for the book).
Overall, if you don't mind a sad book knowing the history of Pompeii, I think it is a good book to read.
This book is a lot darker than your typical YA book. There is quite a bit of trauma in it, which can be expected from a story that takes place at the fall of Pompeii. If you're looking for a lighthearted gay book, this is not it.
That being said, it is still enjoyable. The author is surprisingly accurate about Pompeii (from what I remember taking Latin, at least) though does change a few things to make it YA. I personally really loved that, as there are quite a few books out there that are only loosely related to Ancient Rome despite claiming they take place in that empire. One of the characters also has touch aversion, which is not something I read about a lot but I think was handled well.
Despite what a couple other reviews said, I'd say the bad decisions made by the characters might not necessarily seem bad at first glance. Some pan out pretty well and where mistakes are made, they're reasonable considering the trauma they've gone through. And while it is a YA book, it has a lot more cursing than I've typically seen, so it's more on the older end. I do think some other adults could enjoy this book without it being spoiled by the fact the characters are 17 (which would have been adulthood at the time anyways, which is another [understandable] inaccuracy for the book).
Overall, if you don't mind a sad book knowing the history of Pompeii, I think it is a good book to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation
This book takes place in Pompeii of Ancient Rome. Colonization and slavery is mentioned. A character also has PTSD from childhood sexual assault from a priest. The worst of that isn't until the end of the book but the PTSD is throughout.
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Medical content, and Outing