noramestrich's reviews
155 reviews

Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

mysterious fast-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

2.5

So many plot holes in this book which is disappointing given the premise. The show doesn’t feel fleshed out and the reveal at the end just felt weak and rushed. I wish the game had felt more considered and that there had been real stakes here. I also think the multiple POVs is a hindrance to this book, it would have been stronger with one character. 

The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger

fast-paced

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

2.5

Very meh, kind of hated all the characters. Reveal at the end was expected and uninteresting

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous slow-paced

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

2.0

This was such a slow, lame end to this series. I was already feeling the drag coming out of tower of dawn and this did NOTHING to pick up the pace. So much time spent with all the characters plotting about what’s going to happen and any action is really confusing and hard to follow. Also everything just works out for Aelin with hardly any consequences?? This book was just slow and disappointing at the end of a series that I enjoyed for the most part. 

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I saw a lot of people say this was boring and I have to agree. The beginning is promising but the end get so bogged down by unnecessary legal procedures. The mix of real world and fiction is also confusing and annoying — I wish the author had made up her own character rather than basing on Ted Bundy, it was just too convenient. I normally like stories told in different times, but the back and forth nature across multiple characters here was so confusing and made the book drag on. 

Also, I wish we had spent more time with the characters who ultimately died — it was hard to sit with Pamela in the grief she had when we barely even got to know Denise or Robbie in the beginning. 

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

So fucking weird. Read this for book club and I don’t think I’d pick up another book from this author … the writing was so graphic and gross at times, not really my cup of tea. 

That being said, there were moments of this that I found quite funny? I both hated the main character and loved her and I was rooting for her despite her numerous flaws. Her relationship with herself and with Rebecca was really interesting to examine. 

An odd one for sure!

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I’m really enjoying this series, more than I thought I would! I continue to think the writing is poor and my biggest gripe is that there’s SO many characters and at times the authors asking you to remember a character from a couple books ago who wasn’t a big part of the story and that’s frustrating. I could honestly do without the romance and Rowan kind of gives me the ick. 

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

Weakest of the series so far. I liked getting some of Celeana’s background but it felt like a lot of this could be woven into the main series. I wonder how I would feel if I had read this first vs reading it in the middle?

Something I struggled with in this wa knowing when the author wa dropping an Easter egg or not. There’s so many chapters in these books, it’s hard to remember if we’ve met someone before and if we should recognize when they’re mentioned again. 

Interested to see how some of what we learned here plays into the rest of the series. 

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

The writing continues to be meh, but the story and world building is great. My main gripe is that it feels like new characters or plot points are dropped in a random, high tension moments and we are expected to understand the implications of that with little explanation. 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Writing is still meh imo and I could do without the romance but I think I’m starting to understand the hype! The story is immersive and I really am falling in love with the characters!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

The story here is super fun, the writing is so mediocre it’s laughable. I guess that’s why this series is so popular, it’s very accessible?

I really enjoyed the premise aside from the love triangle aspect, I think the story would have been just as good if not better if the love triangle didn’t exist. I’m going to continue the series bc I liked the main protagonist and I want to see where she goes, but imo this book is overhyped!