darquedreamer's reviews
653 reviews

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.25

What the f*ck did I just read?! Obviously I have to read book 2...

A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky

funny fast-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

4.25

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense fast-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 Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder

The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins

emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

2.5

So, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I started off loving it. It was funny. It was reflective of how it feels to grow up as a teen girl, and of the evolution and potential separation of friendship. It felt like a metaphor about navigating teenage, female hormones, and the awkward transitions from high school to college/teen years to young adult years in comparison to getting lost in the woods on a hike only half prepared for the trip. It seemed like a YA contemporary for about the first 60% of the book. And, it was a slow pace.

The Thriller aspect didn't settle in until around the 60% mark, though. And, from there, suddenly the pace changed. Taking in account the genre change, pace change, the unnecessary plot device around the 70% mark, and the abrupt, unsatisfying ending, the last 40% of the book was just jarring, enough so to drastically lower my rating...

The Summer She Went Missing by Chelsea Ichaso

dark funny mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

Ahh, I loved this one so much! It was so addictive! It gave me all the 90's Thriller movie vibes, and I couldn't put it down!

I am dying to read more from this author now, because as YA thrillers go, this one was perfect! It was very well written. I loved the characters, the humor, the summer vibes, and how everything seemed to click in to place perfectly without being over the top or predictable. 

It gave me "The In Crowd" movie vibes and The CW Revenge show vibes. It was utterly satisfying, and I already want to reread it to see what I pick up on second time around. This one was beyond 5 stars for me!!!

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for sending me a gifted ARC.

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This one was a page turner for sure, though it took me a little while to get the sisters separated in my head, and most of the time I felt like there was just too much going on. It was worth the read, but a lot of it seemed drawn out. Some of the twists were unexpected. Some of them were very predictable, and a touch cliché, and one or two of them just seemed unnecessary. I enjoyed the book as a whole, but I had expected it to be a little better...

Thank you to NetGalley for this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.