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lilradridinghood's reviews
429 reviews
Rules for Rule Breaking by Talia Tucker
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When Bobby and Winter's parents insist that the two academic rivals go on a road trip together if they want to visit their top choice colleges in Cambridge, MA, they decide to use the trip as an opportunity to have fun breaking the rules for once.
I appreciate how the main relationship is developed because it's missing the main pet peeves I have with a lot of "enemies to lovers" stories. This book is truly rivals to lovers. They really do annoy each other in the beginning, as they have for years, and there's no "I hate him but he's hot" nonsense that I see in a lot of other books. It also seems natural when they start to grow closer.
Unfortunately, the story failed to actually make me feel anything (aside from the uncomfortable tension with Bobby's relatives in one part of the book). I think I just don't care enough about the characters. While not insufferable, they are kind of annoying. I can't think of any traits that endear them to me.
Midnights with You by Clare Osongco
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
I unfortunately do not like the Filipino representation in this. I wouldn't call it problematic, because I understand that characters can have views that are not necessarily conveyed as true, but it's still upsetting. First there's the fact that Deedee's Filipino mom, her only non-white parent, is incredibly strict and abusive. That abuse is shown in many scenes. On top of that, Deedee and her mom do not like the Filipino features of her face. And yeah, it's not exactly enjoyable to dwell on the supposed ugliness of faces like mine.
There are also casual mentions of racism from others, since Deedee's apparently in a mostly white town. I don't like reading books where it feels like the main character is the author's punching bag, but I really felt that especially in the first fifty pages. Even Deedee's best friend is dismissive of her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Body shaming
The Encanto's Daughter by Melissa de la Cruz
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Read the first six chapters and found them uninteresting. So far it's all plot and no characterization.
Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I read this to see Sydney and Winter's relationship develop further, but I did not like the direction this book went in with those two. I honestly got kinda annoyed with them, and the fun of their dynamic is gone. They act as if the first book ended in a huge fight between them. I also don't care for the new characters, their exes. I liked the first book a lot more.
The one thing I do appreciate is how Winter just cuts his father out and doesn't try to mend things just because he's family.
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is not a romantasy book like I expected. The most fantastical part of the story is how beautiful Xishi is, besides the fact that it becomes a ghost story for the last twenty pages. And I definitely wouldn't call this a romance novel.
Xishi is chosen to use her beauty to charm the king of a neighboring kingdom in order to spy and bring the kingdom down. Because of the premise, I tried not to be too annoyed at everyone talking about Xishi's beauty. However, that doesn't excuse how obsessed she is with the looks of Fanli, the advisor training her. The feelings between them feel so shallow. He has no personality, and I have no idea what they like about each other besides their appearance. Then he's entirely out of the picture once she starts spying.
While she's in the palace, none of Xishi's successes feel earned. It all feels too easy. The only reason she can succeed at all is because the king, Fuchai, is incredibly stupid. I still liked him more than Fanli though. In fact, despite Fuchai being a terrible person who is quick to punish his subjects with the death penalty, I still kinda wanted Xishi to be with him because he's at least somewhat interesting.
I kept reading out of curiosity because I wanted to see if it would really be devastating in the end. And yes, there are four pages that are really good and beautifully devastating. The rest, however, is just devastatingly awful.
Xishi is chosen to use her beauty to charm the king of a neighboring kingdom in order to spy and bring the kingdom down. Because of the premise, I tried not to be too annoyed at everyone talking about Xishi's beauty. However, that doesn't excuse how obsessed she is with the looks of Fanli, the advisor training her. The feelings between them feel so shallow. He has no personality, and I have no idea what they like about each other besides their appearance. Then he's entirely out of the picture once she starts spying.
While she's in the palace, none of Xishi's successes feel earned. It all feels too easy. The only reason she can succeed at all is because the king, Fuchai, is incredibly stupid. I still liked him more than Fanli though. In fact, despite Fuchai being a terrible person who is quick to punish his subjects with the death penalty, I still kinda wanted Xishi to be with him because he's at least somewhat interesting.
I kept reading out of curiosity because I wanted to see if it would really be devastating in the end. And yes, there are four pages that are really good and beautifully devastating. The rest, however, is just devastatingly awful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
This Time It's Real by Ann Liang
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 romance in this book is so heart-seizingly cute. I love the development of the main characters' feelings and friendship. Ann Liang is really great at writing complex YA female leads. I love how Eliza has goals outside of the romance. She is serious about pursuing writing as a career, and she has an old friendship she wants to maintain.
XOXO by Axie Oh
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
It was cute, but not enough to make my heart flutter. I think the problems that were brought up with the main characters' relationship were kinda just ignored in the end with no real solution. I wish Jaewoo did more to be considerate of Jenny. I also had mixed feelings about Jenny's roommate because she was really rude for a while.
Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Cannot handle the secondhand embarrassment
The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope by Sam Maggs
informative
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
3.5
I really loved this at first and was planning to give it five stars, but I don't like the pacing. The last 20% is entirely plot-focused, and I preferred the character-focused parts of the novel. The actual plot related to the AI assistant is predictable and not very interesting. However, I was interested in everything else going on in Nadia's life--and there is a lot.
I loved getting a deeper look into Nadia's thoughts because she has so much going on in her mind. The prose has a very lively tone, but it's not annoying the way some YA novels with more immature protagonists can be. I really love Nadia, and even though she doesn't always make the best decisions, she is trying her best to take care of herself. This books talks a lot about her bipolar disorder and how she needs to be mindful of it.
The book explains everything you need to know, so you don't have to read the comics first. It does spoil some things from the comics though, and it might feel like a lot of infodumping if this is your first introduction to the characters. As someone who did read the comics, I found the character explanations to simply be a nice recap, and I loved seeing Nadia spend more time with her chosen family.
I loved getting a deeper look into Nadia's thoughts because she has so much going on in her mind. The prose has a very lively tone, but it's not annoying the way some YA novels with more immature protagonists can be. I really love Nadia, and even though she doesn't always make the best decisions, she is trying her best to take care of herself. This books talks a lot about her bipolar disorder and how she needs to be mindful of it.
The book explains everything you need to know, so you don't have to read the comics first. It does spoil some things from the comics though, and it might feel like a lot of infodumping if this is your first introduction to the characters. As someone who did read the comics, I found the character explanations to simply be a nice recap, and I loved seeing Nadia spend more time with her chosen family.