itsjennie's reviews
292 reviews

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

1.0

I said to my partner, "I'm going to go read some slop," and that's exactly what this was, so I guess I'm not allowed to be mad? But damn.

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.

I wasn't impressed by the writing style or the bland characters. I found myself only picking this up to get it finished rather than because I cared about what happened, so I'll just look up the ending and call it a day. 

The thing I disliked most was the repetitive and condescending explanations of the technology involved. Sure, maybe some of your readers aren't super familiar with ancestry dot com, but you can't expect me to believe that a forensics grad student would be so out of the loop that she needs it explained to her not once but twice? Idk man. I'm here for the mystery, not to hear how learning about the Golden State killer changed your life.

Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

This was a sweet and funny little romp. I enjoyed the characters immensely, especially Georgiana. My one complaint is that it was very low stakes given how much plot has to happen after the romantic payoff, which made it difficult to hold my attention. I recommend this if you're in the mood for a cute story where nothing bad happens.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

emotional reflective sad 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

The Dawn Chorus by Samantha Shannon

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

This works as a bit of bonus content for those craving more interaction between Paige and Warden, but doesn't add anything to the overall story and can safely be skipped. IMO the writing quality is not as high as the rest of the series, and I understand why these scenes didn't make it into the main books.

The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

adventurous dark 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

4.0

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

5.0