gorgi's reviews
119 reviews

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense 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

i am blown away. simply blown away. i don't think words can address all the feelings that i felt while
reading Illuminae. i don't want this review to be a normal it was a good book and now let's move on
with life, i want to convey all my ups and downs of this book, all my feelings and everything that went
through my mind. first of all i don't think I've ever read a book that has not fit the normal stock standard
story telling of a book. all books i have read have been chapter after chapter, either from 1st or 3rd point
of view and that's that. Illuminae is different. the book is not stock standard. Illuminae is told through an
epistolary style while using a mix of interviews, emails, reports and updates. i really loved how the story
was told through this perspective as it made the book so much more interesting and unique reading
experience. at first i did not think i would enjoy this reading style but it surprised me how much i was
drawn into the story and how it was being told. the book also using many visual images. The images
and pictures make it feel like you're reading a real file of documents while adding some flavor and
interesting pictures that draw the reader into the book.

i especially loved all the cute little
anagrams and images from Ezra Mason. the rose and heart were so cute and made me smile so much
and my heart was bursting with joy. i loved them so much.

the plot was beyond good. at first
the world building and story line was kinda hard to picture and follow but once you get into the book
everything just falls into place and makes so much sense. all of a sudden i felt like i was able to picture
everything that was happening and i could follow along with the story as clear as day. Illuminae did not even start of to be a slow book. you open the pages and straight away you are pulled into the action and the chaos happening in the story. i loved how even though it's not told through a normal story telling perspective you still get to connect with all the characters and the world that they are in. i also adored the characters. i don't know why or how but after reading just a few pages about a character i loved them.

cough, cough James McNulty

i felt so alive when reading about certain characters and even if i didn't know them that well my heart still reached for them. my top three fav characters would have to be Ezra Mason, Kady Grant and James McNulty. they were just simply beautiful characters. i felt like i was able to connect with them only after a few sentences. though i liked many other characters these three would have to be my tops. Illuminae also made me cry sooo much. i felt like every character that was dying i was crying for. i honestly did not expect to cry so much but i was baling my eyes out.

i cried when they had to say goodbye to James because he was hurt and then i was sobbing, literally sobbing when we find out James is dead because he shot himself and i was in tears when reading the video he made that Kady watched. i was sobbing so much for him. and then..... i was aching with tears when ADIAN said that Ezra was dead. i felt like my heart had just been taken from me. i was like noooooo... he can't die in the first book. 😭😭😭 but it's okay because he is still alive. and of course, yes i cried when i found out he was alive. some little happy tears finding out my baby was actually still alive. i also felt tears coming along when Dorian and Byran died and i thought Kady was gonna die.

all the tears i cried made me feel like i was personally dying. so yes, this book is more on the dark side than light. :(  also felt like i was clinging onto dear life while reading this book as i felt like i was always on the edge of me seat every time i turned the page. the amount of surprised Illuminae throws at you while reading it is crazy.

When Kady decided to help ADIAN i was honestly totally shocked. i hated ADAIN for killing her mother and then as the book progressed i kinda started to feel sorry for ADAIN but i still don't forgive it for its actions.

if i had one critique, the only thing i would change would be to have a bit more world building and setting up as that way i would be able to picture the starting landscape a bit more. but that's it, apart from the i found the book perfect. now to rap this up because I'm sure no one wants to read all of this. please read this book. yes, it may have 600 pages but honestly, when you really think about it, it's nothing. i loved this book and i hope that someday if you pick it up, i hope that you will love it too. okay, I'll shut up now. 

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

challenging 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

4.0

what another well written book by Freida McFadden. the boyfriend gets straight into it and does not hesitate to get into the action. i loved how fast paced this book was and how it wasn't like any of her other books and was very different. the plot was really good and i liked how the book was clearly set out so that you can see where the changes happen and when the clues start getting dropped. i really enjoyed reading the POV from a character when they were younger and how there was either the before chapters or the present-day chapters. i loved having the two different perspectives in the different chapters and i think that just enhanced the book to be so much better. i liked how the death

slash deaths for those of you who have read it.

was done and written and how the plot was based on it but the whole story line and book had another purpose, and it wasn't all just about the killer. the plot twist was also very well done. this was book really stumped me when it came to guessing who the killer was or behind the attacks. i thought it was a simple this is the killer and that's that but i was so wrong. i never saw that twist coming but now looking back on it i really should have guessed it and i am disappointed in myself to say the least.

i never would have guessed Gretchen to be Daisy, not in years not ever. i was SOOO shocked it was her all along and that she is the crazy one. i really thought it was just tom, plain and simple. oh well

i liked the characters and their character arcs as everyone was important and shown and i liked how even the bad characters who you think aren't going to be in the book for long actal.ly play an important role. i would have liked the revealing of everything and the murderer to have been done a bit better and more thought out but apart from that the book was very well done and well written. i do recommend reading the boyfriend if you like Freida McFadden and her murder mystery books.  

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

love!!! this book was so well written and i loved all the details. every chapter was like a new adventure. it was so good. i loved the murder mystery of everyone this Christmas has a secret, it was so thought out and really got your brain thinking. i really liked how every character played an important role and i loved how the murder was told. it was great how the book incorporated a few Christmas things and i loved how it was set up like an advent calendar. i was surprised that i was actually able to guess who the murder was but i will say that it was extremely tricky. for most of the book i was tossing up between two people before i came to a solid conclusion. i loved how the story was told and how all the pieces seem to just fall into place as the book progresses. the only think i would have liked to be added to this book to make it a five-star read would have been a tiny bit more action or thriller/scary aspect. and i would have loved one character in the book to have played a little bit more of a role, but apart from that this book was fire and i strongly recommend it. a fire read with a solid 4.75 stars. 

King of Pride by Ana Huang

adventurous challenging funny informative lighthearted 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

3.75

much better than the first book although it did start of really slowly. i liked the characters much better in this book and enjoyed the story line as well. i only found the book hard to get into was because it was kinda on the repetitive. one thing that was disappointing for me was that i enjoyed kai better in king of wrath than i did in king of pride. i felt like his character just declined over time but i still loved him as a person and would read another book about him. i liked how king of pride included characters a lot from other books and how the other characters played a role in this book. I thought the plot line with Issabella was well done and i liked reading from her POV. it was a nice romance book and even though it took me a while to read i did like it. nice 3.75 read. 

King of Wrath by Ana Huang

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

3.0

another romance book that has been finished and completed. my thoughts and feelings of this book is yeah, it was okay. nothing special and just another romance book. the thing that did set this book apart from others like it would be the plot. i liked how there was a solid plot to go alongside the romance and that the plot was heavy and not lighthearted. the characters were mid and alright though i did really like one of the side character Kai as he was really funny and a bubbly character. an alright read but personally i would never read it again.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

adventurous challenging mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

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

3.75

i don't even know what to write. throughout the whole book I'm thinking that this book is okay, nice story and a bit interesting. the start was kinda boring but then the book picks up and really gets into it. as the book progresses it slowly starts to pick up and get better. i loved the way that clues were dropped, and it was cool because someone of the clues i did not pick up on at all. normally i am able to guess the killer or the main "bad guy" but this book, no, not at all. i was clueless. i had no idea and i could not see where the book was going. the plot twist in this book was crazy. i never saw it coming at all and i loved that, and it makes so much sense because as soon as the plot twist is dropped everything falls into place and it all makes sense. it's kinda like a dominos effect. so overall the book was great. i loved the mystery of it but i have read better mystery books than this one and the start was really boring, and it did take me a while to really get into the book. the silent patient is a great easy read for people how like mystery books. so a solid 3.75 read. 

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.25

what another great read. it was a great second book of the series and a beautiful finish to it. two twisted crowns was such an amazing read. this book makes you fall further in love with the characters as you get to know them more and read from their POV's. i loved how the book is a perfect mix of sadness and adventure in the way that the plot and the characters feelings share the book and not one of them takes center stage. even though you may not be attached to a character you still feel for them and i love how the books makes every character important and that every character has an important role to play. i really enjoyed how the book ended.

i loved that even though Elspeth was taken over by the nightmare she still had her own POV's and knew exactly what was happening and at time to time she was able to interact with Ravyn

the book was well done and even though the first one was better this book was still so great. i loved watching the characters grown and develop and i loved how something bad would happen and then it would be left on a cliff hanger as we go to a different character's point of view. 

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

LOVED IT. why was this book soooooo good. i went into one dark window thinking that this book was going to be good but just mid. wow. who could have guessed that it would turn out to be a 5-star read. i absolutely loved this book. the plot is sooooo good and i felt like i was sitting on the edge of my seat for the entire read. i loved the little plot twists that kept getting thrown at me because they added so much depth to the book. of course, i loved the characters. i mean, how wouldn't, they were so good, and everyone had their own personality, and they were all unique in their own ways. i loved Ravyn as he slayed and was such a great main character. he had sooo much energy and was so cool. but my fav character of one dark window has to be Elm. he was so funny and had the biggest personality of all. every time i read his name on the page i swear my face lit up. but the one character that i hated with my heart mind soul and strength was Hauth. agggrrr, he made me so mad i wanted to strangle him. apart from that all the other characters were nice characters and were just there for shows. but i loved and adored this book and i strongly recommend that you read it. 

Growing Up Asian in Australia by Alice Pung

adventurous challenging informative reflective medium-paced

2.0

had to read the book for school. honestly not to bad and better than other books i've had to read. 

Daydream by Hannah Grace

hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

2.75

it was an alright cute little romance book that someone would usually suspect when going into the book. i would have liked to have been given more action and the book to be a bit more fast paced as i felt that the book was very slow and i got bored from time to time. for someone that loves romance this book would be perfect for them but for me as someone who finds romance just alright and mid i didn't really enjoy it as much as i would enjoy other books that i read. al.so once finished the book i found it basic that it just blends in to be the same as any other romance book i have read and it was kinda hard to remember specific things that happened. but that's just me as i would much prefer to read to more action-packed books. but for those romance lovers out there go for it and read the book. what i did love about it was how it connected with the other books in the series and included the characters from the preveious books. i thought that was really good and well done.