minayana's reviews
198 reviews

Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker

medium-paced

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

3.0

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.25

This World Is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

dark fast-paced

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

2.5

Not sure what to make of this. I was looking forward to a space horror with interesting relationship dynamics, but instead got a soap opera that just happens to be set in a sci fi world. The writing was solid and I would definitely read from this author again, but I’m just not sure what the point of this one was. The melodramatic toxic relationship fell flat for me, and the whole “make babies and leave your loved ones!” Plot point didn’t really make any sense and felt like just a way to add in more drama, and it was not well done (it’s not once mentioned how gay women are being forced into straight marriages for the sake of giving birth ??) There’s no horror or action elements until about 50% of the way into the book, and by then I just didnt really care. I think this would’ve been better as a full length novel, so that everything could’ve been explored more in depth. The novel was too short for the amount of themes it wanted to cover regarding relationships, I couldn’t bring myself to care. I do think the ending was well done though, and when we actually do get sci fi and horror elements, it’s very engaging.

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

adventurous funny 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

5.0

So much fun, and I love Murderbot even more now if that’s even possible. It was so sweet watching them reluctantly make friends lol. ART was such a great edition, I really home we see more of them. The introduction of comfort units and transport ai was interesting, and I hope we get to further flesh out other types of bots in future installments.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano

lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Fun read but does not at all compare to the first two books in the series. I like Vero but she shines when she has someone to banter with aka Finlay.

Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman

tense medium-paced

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

3.25

So much fun in the first 50%, lost me from 50%-80%, and then I enjoyed the last 20% again. Im a firm believer that thrillers either need to be 250 pages or below, or have a midway twist AND a final twist in order to keep things interesting during a longer thriller. I liked the reveal at the end but I will say it was predictable. None of the characters are likable and their decisions mostly stupid, but it meant an entertaining read

Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia

adventurous lighthearted fast-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

3.0

This was a big improvement from the Raven comic. I really enjoyed the cast of characters, and the plot seemed like there was a little more thought put into it. Again, it feels like the author is really underestimating younger readers. There’s a lot of cliche high school angst which isn’t a problem considering it’s YA, but none of it is explored particularly well. The author makes some weird choices, like shaming kill shelters and then praising peta ??? which I feel is a bit harmful considering how surface level these topics are brought up. It just felt weird. 
Overall though, I’m happy it seems like the series is going in a better direction.

You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.

Unfortunately, this was very slow moving and boring. I was interested to know what happened so I watched part of Booksandlala’s live discussion to decide if I should dnf or not, and I’m happy I did after watching the whole live. I just don’t think this would’ve gotten anything more than a 2.5 star. I have OCD and the representation was crazy accurate, to the point of being triggering lol. The flashbacks were interesting, especially the focus on Annie’s mom but it just wasn’t enough to keep me reading. 

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

dark emotional 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

This was a really fun and campy read! It felt very personal and nostalgic, you can really tell that the author put his heart into this novel. His take on the slasher genre was original and new, and I loved our two main characters and their friendship. The last 70 pages were brilliant, and it all clicks how everything so far had been leading up to it. The ending was heartfelt and perfect for both the characters and the narrative. I will say, the authors writing style is a bit hard for me to get into but it’s more of a me thing lol. 

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

4.5

Ugh I LOVED this book! The chemistry, the tenderness! I’m a neurodivergent girl myself, and seeing Stella being so beautifully understood by someone made me emotional :’) 
Unfortunately, I wasn’t really a fan of how the ending unfolded but it wasn’t a huge problem cause I just love Stella and Michael together so much. I also found the times that Michael tries to be “tough guy” a little cringe lol. I felt like Michael’s situation when it came to his father and his own self worth could have been done better as well.
Although it’s a bit of a weird (and morally questionable) premise, I felt that it was so well done and I loved Stella so much. Can’t wait to read more from this author!