jaylyn_'s reviews
50 reviews
Whiteout by Angie Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton, Ashley Woodfolk, Nic Stone, Nicola Yoon, Tiffany D. Jackson
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
3.5
i purchased this book in early 2023 hoping that it would give me some great holiday feels in the coming months. however, this book feels hollow compared to its sister novel, blackout, which i read and was immediately obsessed with. the amount of sticky notes in that book is insane. i moved through this book hilariously fast but it just didnt have the same umph that blackout did and that bummed me out a bit. my personal favorite stories were kaz and porsha + jimi and teo, and whoever wrote those sections COOKED. sola and stevies overarching plot lacked at points but i found it enjoyable as well. overall: whiteout was a quick, but ultimately forgettable read.
The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-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
4.0
The Tea Dragon Society by K. O'Neill
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
MOX by Jon Moxley
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
from early beginnings to a chapter dedicated entirely to sandwiches, claudios dad jokes and heartbreaking stories. this book had me hooked from the first page. as much as mox says this book is not good enough to buy throughout the first few chapters (it is trust me) i literally could not put this damn thing down. mox is an excellent book and one of my faves of the year.* i laughed, i cried, and i grinned like a fucking idiot. jon moxley you are everything and more.
ps, claudio should release a joke book.
* i am extremely biased bc childhood nostalgia is a disease but this book is good i swear.
ps, claudio should release a joke book.
* i am extremely biased bc childhood nostalgia is a disease but this book is good i swear.
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? No
4.25
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
5.0
this book was such a beautiful welcome home for the percy jackson series. this book leaning into the family dynamics of the people closest to percy warmed my heart and i love all of them so much. it feels so good to read about percy annabeth and grover going on a quest again. growing up is hard and watching everyone realize that and accept it knowing there are ways to manage that feeling is so beautiful. all i can do is cry right now so i'll edit this review later but ive missed these characters dearly. we are so back.
He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book was amazing. i struggled so much reading swbts but hwdtw really got me. the writing style is beautiful and i found myself tearing up at the most basic of lines. an amazing ending to a duology and parker-chan gets all of my praise for this series. hopefully i get around to rereading both of these books in the future.
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
baby where do i even start. i opened this book expecting a good lesbian romance with some horror as the forefront focus. what i got however, was a mess of a plot with no gory details to aid it. from the plethora of pop culture references (that were god awful might i add) to the shitty ending and reveal that did absolutely nothing for me, this book is a fucking mess. shit from a butt actually.
heres a list of the pop culture references in the first SIXTY PAGES OF THE BOOK:
- friday the thirteenth
- scream
- alphabet mafia
- hoochie daddy shorts
- tyler perry (specifically tyler perry movie wigs)
- madea
the concept of this book is confusing. by the time your halfway through, the killer is either the old lady who chased the campers around with a shotgun. or a mystical human sized owl who will grant you your greatest desires if you feed it. when you get towards the end you essentially have 4 different killers: the owl society who have been killing people in the area for years, mr. lamont who killed the 6 campers in 1971 trying to bring back his dead mother, ms. keane who is THE WIFE of mr. lamont, and kyle who kills both his grandparents (lamont/keane) and then kills charity right after and sacrifices her. which feels pointless considering he was free from his grandparents just by killing them in the first place???
the concept of the owl society is stupid and the dialogue they do have is very cringey. "i will make the land run red with the blood of a thousand camp counselors, children, adults—anyone. i dont care what it takes." like you're grown as fuck praying on the downfall of teenagers have some SHAME.
theres definitely stuff im missing but my goodness this book was just not good. i wanted to like it, i TRIED to like it. and i read anything so thats how you know its bad. i just wanted lesbian rep and was served a poopoo platter im TIRED.
- friday the thirteenth
- scream
- alphabet mafia
- hoochie daddy shorts
- tyler perry (specifically tyler perry movie wigs)
- madea
the concept of this book is confusing. by the time your halfway through, the killer is either the old lady who chased the campers around with a shotgun. or a mystical human sized owl who will grant you your greatest desires if you feed it. when you get towards the end you essentially have 4 different killers: the owl society who have been killing people in the area for years, mr. lamont who killed the 6 campers in 1971 trying to bring back his dead mother, ms. keane who is THE WIFE of mr. lamont, and kyle who kills both his grandparents (lamont/keane) and then kills charity right after and sacrifices her. which feels pointless considering he was free from his grandparents just by killing them in the first place???
the concept of the owl society is stupid and the dialogue they do have is very cringey. "i will make the land run red with the blood of a thousand camp counselors, children, adults—anyone. i dont care what it takes." like you're grown as fuck praying on the downfall of teenagers have some SHAME.
theres definitely stuff im missing but my goodness this book was just not good. i wanted to like it, i TRIED to like it. and i read anything so thats how you know its bad. i just wanted lesbian rep and was served a poopoo platter im TIRED.