darkbluereader's reviews
356 reviews

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab, V.E. Schwab

adventurous mysterious tense 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

4.5

The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Holly Black never misses!!! Wren and Oak forever!!

Fable by Adrienne Young
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.

I literally do not care about the main character, or any of the characters. 

The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland

dark emotional sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

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

one of my favorite Stephanie Plum books!

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

2.75

Thank you to Red Tower Books for this ARC, which was sent to the Barnes & Noble location of which I am an employee. This is my honest review. 

I can see why a lot of people are going to love this, but it just wasn't for me. I felt most of the chapters were too short to allow for character development (the vast majority of chapters are 3-5 pages), and for the most part I didn't even like the majority of the main characters. Sometimes I hated them and I can deal with unlikeable characters, but this felt too far. The romance between two of the characters (you will know who when you read it) felt super rushed and I didn't feel their chemistry. But the romances between the other characters were handled well, if rushed. At least they had chemistry. 
I skimmed almost 100 pages because I got bored and just wanted to get to the climax. Some scenes could definitely stand to be edited or streamlined. 

That said, the story was very entertaining and fast paced. However, I can't help feeling like all the events of this book were only a bridge to set up the second book, and I don't like that. I wish it could stand on its own more. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Xenophobia, and War

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.75

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich

funny tense fast-paced

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

5.0

this is my favorite book in the series. I love all the side characters that get to come in and the mystery portion of the plot is so entertaining

Vengeance of the Pirate Queen by Tricia Levenseller

dark medium-paced

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

3.75

For a YA book, a surprising amount of characters died!