gwynnfox's reviews
33 reviews

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

It's just absolutely adorable.

A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.

The author destroyed both this series and the Blood & Ash one. Spoiling information from 1 series to the next, instead of letting us learn that information from the series it belongs in. I just wasn't excited to read this, so why read it?

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

Too slow.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Star Bringer by Nina Croft, Tracy Wolff

adventurous dark funny tense slow-paced

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

3.25

Over hyped, but I'm still glad I read it. Character chemistry is weak.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

The main character is such a whiny brat I couldn't put up with her. Just over an hour of "poor me" crap.

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

Too slow with too much talk about Magic without really teaching us the magic system and not enough spooky.

Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco

adventurous challenging medium-paced

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

3.75

There are definite time-line plot holes, but the spice makes up for it. The "Big Bad" wasn't defeated and the "Happily Ever After" part was dragged on further than necessary. 

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.

Half way through the book and it's not thrilling. This is supposed to be The Devil Wears Prada meets thriller/horror. It's not that. It's still a good read, but I'm in the mood for a thriller right now, so I have to put it aside for another time.