chivalryxsword's reviews
20 reviews

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

4.25

Rating: 4.25/5

Characters: 5/5 Some of the best character work I've read in a long, long time. Which is good, considering that's the focus of the book. The main character, Rose, is very complex which I really enjoyed. This book could honestly be read as an exploration between the complex relationships between mothers and daughters. All of the side characters are also super interesting and complex! Especially since they're kind of rotating in and out, due to the nature of St. Elizabeth's.

Writing Style: 5/5 Ann Patchett's writing is so enchanting. The way she describes characters and places makes me feel like I'm there, and like I'm looking at the characters. Her writing feels very Real in a way that other author's can't really capture. The book was slow-moving, but I didn't entirely mind.

Plot: 3/5 This book was honestly pretty plotless. To be fair, plot wasn't really the focus of it, the relationships were, but I would have liked more. Especially with some of the side characters, and the nuns. Maybe some more like. Consequences for specific actions.

The Ending: 4/5 I don't usually do a whole separate category for the ending, but I didn't want to knock of points in other categories just because I wasn't super satisfied with the ending. Spoilers ahead!

I wish Rose had stayed? And faced the consequences of her actions? But it made total sense that she didn't. I feel really bad for Son though :(. I did like the kind of implied gay ending between Sissy and Lorraine. Kind of obsessed.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

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funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.75

Overall, fantastic novel! All of the side characters were so interesting, and real, and there was so much diversity in the cast as a whole, even if from the beginning of the book you wouldn’t guess there would be. Would 100% recommend!

Characters: 5/5

I love the way Julie Murphy writes characters. They feel so alive, and If The Shoe Fits is no exception. The main character, Cindy, feels like a person you could just meet somewhere. Her motivations and her inner monologue feel so natural and real. Despite being the heroine in a fairy tale retelling, she feels like her own character, not just another Cinderella. In fact, all of the characters feel like their own characters instead of just stories being retold. The “villains” of the story are realistic, and they don’t feel cartoonish. They’re actually more complexly motivated than a classic fairy tale villain, and and they feel more like people than plot devices. Even the prince (who I was fully prepared not to like) was actually likeable! He had his own things going on too, in the story, and he and Cindy actually had things in common, which is almost rare in stories about reality tv shows. All of the other contestants also felt like people. They were messy and complicated and the dynamics were weird but it all felt real. Especially when the plot of the book is about a romance reality tv show.

Writing Style: 5/5

Julie Murphy’s descriptions make me feel like I’m there, in the room with the character. All of the places feel real, and the clothes and outfits feel especially real. Murphy does such a good job of describing clothes, but not just the clothes. She understands the importance of describing the little things so you can understand the big things about a character. I also like how straightforward she is in some descriptions. She doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to character descriptions, like many authors do. I think “bar-wench cleavage” might become a go-to descriptor for me. Murphy writes with enough subtly than you can glean information for yourself, but it’s not so subtle that it leaves you with unanswered questions.

Plot: 4/5

Overall, I would rate the book extremely high, but there is a bit of a letdown when it comes to plot. The beginning half of the book was well-paced, followed a clear pattern, but as time went on, the pacing began to change. It might be due to the fact that reality tv shows run on weird times, but at times I felt like things were being rushed to move the story along, not to keep pace with a reality tv show. I will admit that I’m not a big fan of timeskips, and there is one in this novel, and while it makes sense, and needed to happen to move the plot along, I didn’t really understand the placement. I also thought that the reality tv show messing with the contestants heads was strongly written. I also thought the main antagonist not necessarily being a person, but instead being a combination of people and circumstances. It felt natural for the story. It also felt natural that some of the antagonistic people weren’t even purposely antagonistic, it was just the circumstances that made them that way.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

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funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Every time I read an Austen novel I'm reminded why I love her writing style. All of the characters feel so real and timeless in their own way. There are moments where I was a little confused, but it can mostly be chalked up to reading this novel in 2021, there are just cultural differences. Anne Elliot is one of my favorite Austen heroines. Captain Wentworth is probably my favorite Austen love interest. The family dynamics in this novel are off the charts. So good. A lot of the characters feel like people I could just. Meet? Mary Elliot Musgroves especially felt like someone I've met before. There was a lot of plot buildup to get to the main plot but it was still very good. All of the villains of the novel felt very real, and I like how Anne handled all of them. You can tell that Anne is the oldest of all the Austen heroines by how maturely she handles the situations that are thrown at her. Overall, an absolute recommend, especially for fans of classic or just well written romance.

Thirteen Chairs by Dave Shelton

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

Spoilers below the cut but pre spoiler thoughts: Overall, I really liked the book. I think for a horror/ghost novel there could have been more tension. I just personally didn't find a lot of short stories scary, or the overall storyline scary. It was well written, but there wasn't a lot of fear involved for me. Overall rating: 3.5/5

This isn't going to be a usual book review, since this is a collection of short stories! so i'm going to just talk about the overarching story that goes along with the short stories, writing style, and then talk about how I felt about the short stories.

Overarching Story: 3.5/5

I thought it was interesting, but definitely could've been stronger. It felt as if the overarching story wasn't really the point of the novel which, yeah it wasn't. However, if you're going to try to connect all your short stories together I'd like it to be a bigger deal. I was waiting for a more concrete "this is the point of these small in between scenes" to come, and I felt like that never really happened. Sure, you learn by the end what the purpose of everything is, but I thought it would have been more interesting if the more obvious ending had happened, like this is a waiting place/a holding area before going over to the other side. It just wasn't the most well thought out ending in my opinion.

Writing Style: 3.5/5

While I liked the novel, there are just a few choices that I thought could've made the overall novel stronger. Some of the short stories felt a little straight forward and there wasn't a lot of built up tension. If I'm reading a scary story, I'd like to be scared. However, I was having a hard time determining if I wasn't scared because the writing wasn't doing that (building tension/having those scary moments) or because I've read a lot of horror novels before. Since the ghosts are supposed to be telling this story, I would've liked to have seen more of Jack (that main character)'s thoughts while they were telling the story, instead of afterwards. Seeing his thoughts afterwards didn't really add to the scariness at all, it kind of felt like a delayed reaction. However, I think all of the short stories were well thought and made sense, but most of them didn't scare me.

Short Stories, ranked from my favorite, to least favorite (based more on personal preference than actual writing skills):

The Patchwork Sailor

Among the Dead

The Wrong Side of the Road

Unputdownable

Oswald

The Girl in the Red Coat

Snowstorms

The Red Tree

Beneath the Surface

Let Me Sleep/Razor

Tick, Tick. Tick...

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Characters: 5/5

Rory Power did an excellent job of creating characters that are well written and complex and kind of messy and not the purely good characters you see a lot of in YA novels. They're allowed to be messy and do some kind of messed up things, because they're in a pretty messed up situation. The relationship between Hetty and her two best friends, Reese and Byatt was written so well. The dynamics were different yet similar and they felt like messy teenage girls, which is what they are. Power didn't shy away from complex teenage feelings, and how sometimes they're messed up but no one's to blame, it's part of being sixteen even when you aren't worried for your life. All of the side characters felt alive, and just as complex as the main characters. They all had their motivations, and a lot of the were sympathetic.

Writing Style: 3.75/5

While I really did enjoy the book, there were times where the writing style brought me out of it. The beginning of the book felt like a dump of information, a lot of telling instead of showing. She was trying to build the world so we understood what was happening, but at times it felt like there wasn't a lot of exposition, it was just information being shared. Not only that, at times it felt like she was changing the characters to match the scene, instead of the other way around to get a point across and it just came across as odd. However, as the plot picked up so did the writing style, and it shifted from telling and not showing to showing instead of telling. She did a good job of weaving the characters and plot together, and I had a fun time trying to piece together what I thought was going on. Power is very good at foreshadowing. Byatt's chapters were especially interesting when it came to writing style, and I think Power did a really good job of showing her internal thoughts and how broken up they were.

Plot: 4.5/5

Wilder Girls took a really interesting look at a "Lord of the Flies" situation, and how different it was when it was girls, but there were times when the larger plot felt rushed. While Power did a good job of foreshadowing, and building up to bigger scenes, there were times where I felt like I was missing pieces and answers, and I couldn't tell if it was purposeful or not. Also, there were times where she seemed to contradict herself in the worldbuilding, and while they weren't major plot points, they were noticeable. However, the plot of the book was still extremely interesting and the groundwork she laid in foreshadowing and character dynamics really paid off when the big, plot heavy scenes happened. It's hard to talk about the plot of the book without any spoilers, so I'll just say that when it all started coming together closer to the end, I was really impressed with the story.
Movie Rating: R, really for the things that I mentioned in the TWs, there were times where it was too much, even for me who doesn't mind gore, and I had to skip over the more graphic descriptions

Content Warnings

Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History by Sam Maggs, Sophia Foster-Dimino

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informative lighthearted

5.0

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

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emotional lighthearted relaxing 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

5.0

Spoiler-free Thoughts: I loved this book so much. Usually, I have a hard time getting into classics which I expected to happen with this book. Instead I immediately fell in love with all of the characters!! I wanted to know what happened to all of them and it really pulled me into the book and the storyline.

Plot: 5/5

I sound myself invested in this book SO FAST. Much quicker than I thought I would be. The drama is well paced and is very well written (obviously, it’s Austen). The plot of the sisters and the way they connected to each other drew me in, and I wanted to know where life would take them and what would happen to the entire Dashwood family. Jane Austen knows how to write villains and I hated every single one. I absolutely love how she writes parallels into her books, and everytime I picked up on one I couldn’t help but note it or write it down. The tension in some scenes was so palpable I had to put the book down and take a walk, it felt so intense, and it’s all said in slightly passive aggressive tones and UGH it’s so good.

Characters: 5/5

Every single character in the story caught my attention whether good or bad. I got invested in all their storylines, even if I just wanted to see them fail. She writes characters so well, especially ones who are kind of mean but with the best intentions at heart. If I had to pick a favorite it would be Elinor because I found myself heavily relating to her. She focused so heavily on the sisterly love and bond, and it honestly made me quite emotional. Also, Jane Austen knows how to write thirteen year olds, oh my GOD. Margaret is such a little snoop and a know-it-all but what thirteen year-old little sisters aren’t. The character foils are so well written, and I love how they have extremes to show how tame Elinor and Marianne are in comparison despite how they view themselves and each other.

Timelessness: 5/5

I think when reading classics you kind of have to view them from the lens of, “Is this still relevant? Do I connect to this in a deeper way?” And in this case, the answer to both is yes. I already said it but I connected to Elinor on a much deeper level then I expected myself to. There were scenes that felt like I could read it straight out of a book set in today’s time. These characters are so chaotic, and so desperate to just be people that it hit deeper than expected. Obviously there are some things that you need historical context for, or can’t be understood from a modern lens, but overall I would consider it timeless. Especially the way that the family acts with each other and how the children behave.

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Spoiler-free Thoughts: Overall, I thought it was a good book but there were some aspects of it that fell short or I felt didn't make much sense. The writing voice was really good, I love how Nina LaCour gets into the heads of characters.

Characters: 5/5

Overall, I believe the characters in this novel were well written! The story is narrated in third person limited, so you only really get to see how Mila feels about what is happening. This works for the story, since her own questioning of what’s happening around her leads to the feel of unease. The side characters are also well written, if a little underdeveloped. The relationship between characters are very written

Writing Style: 5/5

The novel was very well written. Nina LaCour knows how to create a sense of unease in a scene. Reading it felt like I was watching a psychological thriller. The book alternates between current day scenes and flashbacks, as time goes on you get drawn more and more into the story and that’s definitely due to the writing style. The unease is palpable, almost like you’re waiting for a jump scare but you don’t know why. Nina LaCour definitely knows how to Show Don’t Tell, Mila’s narrative voice works very well with the genre.

Plot: 4/5

I really enjoyed the novel as a whole. However, there were some things involving the plot that didn’t make full sense. I understand where Nina LaCour was going, but some plot points fell flat. There was so much “Show Don’t Tell” happening, that I felt like I needed to be told some things. A few plot points were not necessarily needed for the whole of the novel, they seemed a little out of place. In a non-spoiler-y way, I found the ending slightly dissatisfying, and I’ll leave it at that.

Recommended for: people who like psychological thrillers, fans of realistic magic, fans of Midsommar

Movie Rating: PG-13

Content Warnings

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

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challenging emotional sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Spoiler-free thoughts: Truly one of the best books I’ve ever read. It was so sad, but felt so important. Honestly, I think everyone should read it. Also, the copy I had of the book has lots of educational resources which made me super happy! It could easily be used for history classes and honestly should be. This is the second book that I’ve read by Ruta Sepetys and my already high opinion of her was once again proven true.

Characters: 5/5

I truly believe this may have been some of the best well written characters I’ve read in a book in a long time. Every single character is complex and reacts to their trauma in realistic ways. Some of them are downright mean to others, but they remain sympathetic because Ruta Sepetys makes sure they are. Lina, the main character, remains strong through the horrible things she goes through but her reactions to what happens to her is also realistic. My personal favorite character in the whole novel was Lina’s mother, she stayed strong for her kids and became the leader of their group of people. The villains felt like villains too, and even when they’re “sympathetic” they aren’t immediately forgiven.

Writing Style: 5/5

Ruta Sepetys knows how to throw an emotional punch. The writing style of the novel made me feel like I was going through an emotional roller coaster…I cried several times. One of the most interesting parts of her writing style is it’s written in third person omniscient, but the writing feels like your seeing what Lina is seeing. I think this is a really good idea for the topic of the novel. The ending felt “incomplete”, but I personally thought that matched the tone of the book perfectly. Speaking of tone, the book’s tone felt like it matched how traumatic it was. It remained serious and sad throughout the whole thing, but there were moments of happiness and hope that felt so real, it hurt.

Plot: 5/5

This book was so sad overall, so it feels a bit weird to be giving the plot any rating at all. But I think this book is one of those that are important everyone read. Despite the hurt of the book, I was glad I read it. Ruta Sepetys is a self-proclaimed “Seeker of Lost Stories” and I think she did a wonderful job doing that. The plot remains heavy and does not shy away from the horrors that these characters endured. The build-up to what was happening was short, but I think that was a good decision, when a book is as serious as this you don’t need too much exposition to set the tone. This story was character-driven and not necessarily plot-driven, but that doesn’t mean the plot wasn’t good. It felt like everything happened for a reason, there were no throwaway scenes. All of it was important.

Overall, a really, really excellent book that I suggest everyone read. Usually I would do a recommended for here, but I think this is such an important book that even if you don’t like this kind of thing, you should read it.

Content Warnings

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chivalryxsword's reviews 20 reviews

chivalryxsword's reviews
20 reviews