evaorbit's reviews
94 reviews

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

4.0

Scary and sad. Loved the complexity of the story. Libby was really loveable to me, she could be so empathetic yet hurtful and real. Lyle I liked getting to know. Ben was flawed but very interesting to read. Ending felt a litttttllleee bit coincidental but it worked. Reading the dual timelines together matched up nicely. Loved it but it did make me lock my doors and turn on the lights. 

Normal People by Sally Rooney

4.0

This was the kind of book where I enjoyed it so much but also wanted it to be over really bad. Marianne and Connell both stress me out with all of their over thinking and analyzation. I wanted to go even more in depth with the power dynamics but I also thought that was very well done. I liked how Marianne’s family was written (I hated them so bad) and how Connell couldn’t really fathom/understand it, which was realistic. 

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

3.0

This took me WAY TOO LONG to finish. The first 350 pages are so dense but still really nothing happens. Darlington coming back should’ve come at the middle of the story. His entry was so anticlimactic and for 400 pages of buildup I expected way better. The pacing just felt so off. I liked the world building a lot of course, thought the hell aspect was interesting, but it’s disappointing that character relationships weren’t fleshed out enough. This book is so long that I should understand Alex and Darlington’s dynamic more, and I should be way more familiar with Dawes and Mercy. Turner was a really interesting character in this book.

WHY DID THEY NOT LOOK FOR TRIPP SOONER??? That honestly really took me out of the book because it was so unrealistic.

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black

2.0

This was so short that there’s not a lot I can say about it. I was expecting more of Cardan’s perspective through big Cardan/Jude moments- like their first kiss or when she was taken to the undersea. Maybe I should just got to ao3 for that. I’m usually bored by established couples so I can see why I didn’t gravitate towards this as much as the original trilogy. The snippets from his childhood are interesting. I never felt very connected to Aslog or the stories told, but it was a fine read and I liked the pictures a lot.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

4.0

Yellowface is one of the few books I’ve read with an undoubtedly morally repugnant protagonist. She is just so dislikeable and I think Kuang did an excellent job at tapping into the liberal white woman’s “but I voted for Obama” psyche. I feel like I learned so much about Kuang through this book on a personal level- frankly I didn’t know she was so tapped into pop culture after reading Babel and The Poppy War. It was almost freaky how spot on her hater observations were and the hater in me ate it up. This is a much different book than Babel, one of my favorite books ever. I’m curious what audiences will think of Yellowface in 50-100 years. R. F. Kuang’s versatility is unmatched and I devoured this book in days. 

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

4.0

A very enjoyable book. I really liked Alex as a character, how head strong and complicated she was. I also loved the setting and the Grays. The reveals and false reveals kind of gave me whiplash towards the end. I liked how Darlington had such a big presence throughout the book even though he wasn’t there. I liked just being in this ghost world and I’ll definitely read the next one.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

3.0

I should’ve known that I don’t really like Emily Henry books anymore before I picked this up. I’ve read them all, and after People We Meet On Vacation, I don’t think they’re for me. This one had some really corny moments. I liked that Daphne worked to make the city something she loved and I liked her friendships. I think Miles needed more depth. It is exactly what it promises to be- a cheesy rom com. It’s missing depth and some actual stakes stopping these two people from being together. 

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

3.0

This book really failed to wow me or capture my attention. I love all of the other Leigh Bardugo books I’ve read, so I don’t exactly know what about this book didn’t work for me. The love story wasn’t entirely believable because I couldn’t understand their connection or the quick escalation of their romance. I also felt that the whole “pure” virgin flower with a centuries old man thing was weird. Couldn’t get behind it and the way her “purity” was written. I liked Valentina and wished we got more time with her character. The story just seemed to lack depth and while the inquisition parts were interesting, I felt like I always knew where the story was going.

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

I felt like the world building and conversations both lacked a lot of depth. Just couldn’t get into the world!

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

5.0

What an amazing finale. I could not put it down. At first I was weary about the choices Jude was making and her stubbornness as well as Jude and Carden’s seeming inability to have a full conversation. But that changed and I ended up loving the ending. Would love to have heard a little bit more about Carden’s

serpent escapades

, but I am satisfied nonetheless. I feel like the last chapter needed just a couple more pages- it was a bit rushed. Madoc was an especially intriguing character during this book, and I loved Grima Mog way more than I expected, and I even ended up liking Taryn lol. My favorite parts were Jude and Carden’s one on one moments, as always. Their pasts making it so hard for them to open up was done really well. I will be reading Carden’s POV book very soon.