kristin_boren's reviews
261 reviews

Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

Honestly I'm not a huge fan of Greek mythology. I just don't find it that interesting in general. However, this was a genuinely good book. Well written enough to keep me going. Demeter's chapters were hard to get into until it got closer to part 2. Wouldn't have picked this up if it wasn't the once upon a book club pick for August. But didn't hate it. 

Starve Acre: A Novel by Andrew Michael Hurley

3.0

I think there were a couple points in the book where I thought...oh here we go. And then we just didn't go. I almost liked it a lot but ultimately liked it just OK. 

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Oh hey this was fun! Verrrrrry fast read when I actually sat down with the intentions to read. Minimal world building but sometimes that's OK in the first of a trilogy. 

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

5.0

I just always enjoy jon krakauer's writing. It's hard for me to get through non fiction books but his are always so compelling. It's hard to feel much sympathy for a well off kid who voluntarily chose to do something knowingly dangerous but here I am tearing up at the end. Krakauer is excellent at giving you so much research you see the whole person and also every person around them. 

The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I don't know what I was necessarily expecting but this ended up being sweeter and sadder than what I imagined. I am a person who loves a book when I just get plonked into a period of time for characters and that is all. There's something simple and sweet about being there with that character just for a time and then gone so they can live their life. I liked the general role of memory in this story and what the ghost stories brought to the overall theme. This book is more of a feeling than anything else and that's cool with me. 

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

4.5

As a self proclaimed hater of the dead romantics I genuinely might never have picked this up if it weren't the once upon a book club pick this month and that would have been a shame because I really enjoyed this. Very fun premise for anyone who has ever found comfort in a book series that becomes a part of you. Sweet, hopeful, a little magical. I loved it!

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

5.0

I think this felt a bit like a really sad ghost story even though it technically wasn't. But it has the melancholy feel of a sad ghost story. I just loved it. 

Severance by Ling Ma

dark reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

Weird, excellent pacing and use of time and explanations as we learn both more about the character and more about the pandemic situation. 

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

3.0

Take this with a grain of salt honestly but I think I was like halfway through this book before I realized I wasn't really in the mood for this and therefore not having a great time. Pretty fun I think maybe a higher rating for me if I had been in the mood for a murder mystery.

Match Me If You Can by Swati Hegde

3.0

Very cute. Tame but sweet romance. Sometimes frustrating characters. Fun to read a romance that took place in India. Pretty standard fluffy romance. Nothing revolutionary. Occasionally cringey writing especially toward the end IMO.