charlottesurrey's reviews
18 reviews

Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

the cover of my edition is so fucking ugly and all the pages fell out whilst i was reading it
anyways:
this historical circus genre is right up my alley but this wasnt a groundbreaking or beautiful book - compared to other of similar subject matters (even the late hetty feather books lol) its really just blah. the main character has a birthmark thing which is why jasper takes her, but she acts like she doesnt have a body or something lol like the other "freaks" she meets could never have a normal life but shes just self conscious? its the thing of making the main character relatable or whatever (ew) and it really takes away any depth the book has? it kinda feels aimed at 10 y/os with a little sex involved so... yeh idk

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Medical content

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

ok so i loved it but: the writer makes a big thing of all her diverse side characters - theyre all gay or poc etc. but the main 2 are white straight cis ppl? feels a bit uncomfortable if u ask me
however would totally recc as its very deep and gets ur cogs working

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans by Garrett Ryan

informative lighthearted slow-paced

3.5

great book to learn some wicked facts from, but as it's non-fiction it's not then most gripping - would still recc tho

The Otherwhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie

adventurous inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

its a kids book i read for nostalgia so

Left You Dead by Peter James

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

3.5

its just a good lovable crime book! ive read all the others in the series, and this one fits in nicely. it keeps you guessing, and is ultra fast paced - just not perfect stunning slay writing.

Katharine Parr: The Sixth Wife by Alison Weir

emotional informative 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? No

2.5

im so angry. i read each book in this series as they come out, and this one was very disappointing after such triumphs (although its been a few years since i read them lol?). ive been reading a lot of beautiful and artistic writing, and this boring flat and stupid writing and plot was upsetting. even the title of the 6th wife is a slap in the face to such an icon of catherine parr, who had a super interesting life. how do you ruin something when the story is already written for you?? i will not be revisiting this series again - thankfully its over!!

The Confession by Jessie Burton

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

THE BEST SAPHIC ROMANCE set in the 80s and 2017, uk and america, everything ive ever wanted, beautiful writing

Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant

adventurous dark funny informative tense medium-paced

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

4.5

the most beautiful and mature work of historical fiction - this isn't ur aunts trashy romance, its so informative on a popular era of history with characters that arent talked about enough

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

very good, a diff take on circe compared to others - would defo reccomend for myth lovers, female empowerment vibes

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

THIS BOOK IS A MIND FUCK. it's a bad book by itself, but ok as a sequel. there is a bit more gay stuff, but very pg. nothing happens in this book till the end, there's a lot of build up for no pay-off, like solutions from the left field. you also have to concentrate on the timings for it to even be a linear narrative, and it relies heavily on magic for the plots to connect. im happy i stuck through to the end and read it though, it answered lots of questions left over from the 1st book