eshurricane's reviews
420 reviews

Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann

4.0

The Music of Unexpected Things by Jamie Deacon

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this book! It's a love letter to music, young love, and the turmoil of being a teenager discovering themselves. The main characters all have diverse backgrounds in their families and struggle in different ways, having to overcome so much in just one summer.

This is the kind of YA that doesn't shy away from the tough stuff but does it in a safe environment, with the characters coming through the other side understanding what's right and what they should focus on. I was also impressed with how big of a role the parents of some of the characters played despite them not being physically present at the music school. Their development over the course of the book was also important and I love that it was shown.

The writing was gorgeous with great descriptions, especially with one of the protagonists being blind, it was interesting to read her perception of the world. There's a lot of focus on taste and smell and auditory senses, whereas the other protagonist focuses more on what she can see. This type of diversity in the character POVs felt really authentic and made for very clear character voices in the different chapters.

All in all, very enjoyable and sweet read! I am a sucker for a good sapphic romance no matter the ages of the characters, but I was really impressed with how poignant this was. This is the kind of YA that I would give to my kids to read when they're teenagers. 10/10!

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

This was SUCH a cute book! Recommended to me by my bestie, and I'm so glad she did because I enjoyed every second of this romance. It's a semi-slow burn, but the characters are so realistic and enjoyable in their journeys. The subplots don't take away from the main story and the secondary characters are fully fleshed out and real. Despite all of the difficulties these characters face they come out the other end changed and the ending is so so satisfying, extraordinarily so. Great book if you want something cozy to curl up with, it feels like a warm hug when you're done!

I listened to the audiobook and both narrators were wonderful as well!

Rise of the Alpha God by Abigail Barnette

5.0

I was so happy this came out right after binging the first book, what a sequel! I was so excited with the turn this series has taken, and the secondary characters get to shine here. I don't want to spoil a single thing...but I was just as addicted to this one as the first, and am DYING for the third!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I remember an old video by The Book Leo where she said that it's impossible to describe the experience of reading this book. I get it now. XD It's beautiful, it's vibey, it's an experience. I've read criticisms that say it's too long and nothing happens, but to me it felt like SO much was happening all around me, just instead of being told the plot I could smell and taste it. It didn't even feel like I was reading a book. Try it. It's worth the risk of not vibing with it because if you like it, you'll love it.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

5.0

Taken by the Alpha King by Abigail Barnette

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

Binged this sucker in two days and loved it! This universe is like if Game of Thrones and True Blood had a baby except with all the trappings of why I love Jenny Trout’s writing.

Great dialogue, the characters are flawed and interesting, banter that feels natural and makes me laugh out loud, top notch steamy scenes that leave me breathless, and the story took turns I wasn’t expecting which is a breath of fresh air in this genre.

Am dying for the next one, I’m so glad it comes out tomorrow. 😂 10/10 recommend!

The Man Who Hated Clouds by Gayleen Froese

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is 100% my favourite so far in the Ben Ames series! Froese once again crafts a kickass whodunnit headlined with fully-fleshed out realistic characters in the middle of awesome Canadiana.

I was so excited to come hang out with Ben and Jesse again, and this instalment didn't disappoint. The cast of suspects surrounding the mystery had me guessing throughout the whole book, but I was also invested in the interpersonal relationships between the characters, especially Ben and Jesse themselves. 

The relationship between them and Jesse's mental health and stresses with his job are woven in between chasing the case so organically. And I adore how even though they might come at things in the wrong way in the heat of the moment, they face their problems like adults and get through it together. Ben and Jesse are 100% relationship goals! It's realistic and charming.

I won't say anything about the case itself because I don't want to spoil a single thing. Quite a few moments had me going WHAT?! OH! which is the best part of a mystery. I also loved how much more involved Izzy was this time, because she makes me laugh, especially her interactions with her not-dads. Froese has such a way with character voices and Izzy is a standout fave.

All around, highly rec this book, and of course the two before it! Looking forward to rejoining Ben and Jesse (and Izzy) on future adventures!

I received an advanced review copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Mudfisher's Catch by Jude Mire

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I struggle to summarize because despite this being a novella, there is so much intricacy in the worldbuilding and plot that I feel like I’d end up spoiling things. Plus, the way that this world unfolds so organically as the story progresses…it’s better not to know things until they’re hitting you in the face.

I will say that this is such a unique brand of fantasy, with some genre-bending elements and a magic system that absolutely fascinated me. The characters are able to create mindblowing things that are so meticulously described it feels like the creatures are going to leap off of the page at me.

It’s also dystopian, which is something I don’t often see in fantasy. How a world with so much magic and wonder is faring now that the magic is in the hands of a few power-hungry kings, trickling down to the mudfishers that risk their lives just for a tiny bit of it.

There are some moments that had my gut churning, things I could taste and really feel. Despite the fact that my life is nothing like anything at all in the book, I still can be immersed, relate to the characters and their struggles, even when they lean to the darker side of grey.

There is a lot of nuance in how the different characters handle their situations, and I love that there is no fully black and white answer, that they do their best in the moment, and sometimes for selfish reasons. Sometimes it works out okay, sometimes it’s tragic, but all of it is enthralling and the pacing is perfect.

Perhaps this is all so vague, I’m just vomiting praise all over the page, but I can’t help it. I don’t like to do spoilery reviews. Plus I’m not alone, check out the other reviews of this book where readers are also saying ‘I don’t want to spoil anything just go read it!’ So I don’t want to spoil anything, just go read it.

Lightning Strike Blues by Gayleen Froese

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

I knew going into this that I was in for a ride, because Gayleen never disappoints me. But I wasn't prepared to be blasted in the face with the sheer awesomeness of this story.

We've got dudes with superpowers. We've got a murder mystery. We've got a gorgeous love story between two men who should be on opposite sides of a war. We've got a badass not-superpowered girl who might as well be with the sheer force of her personality. We've got high-octane action scenes. We've got multiple angsty, tragic backstories. We've got twists and turns and OMG moments as the mystery unfolds.

And if all that isn't enough, it's written in Gayleen's signature style, which is realistic clear dialogue, organic narrative, and top tier pacing that had me glued to the page. I loved absolutely every breathtaking second of this book. 10/10 recommend!