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rachieanniereads's reviews
46 reviews
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
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? It's complicated
3.0
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
fast-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
5.0
this was a reread - i first read this book when i was 10 as required reading in school. but boy did i love it way more this time around! i think if it wasn't required reading when i was a kid, i would've really loved it then too.
this had the same whimsical, lighthearted feeling of the first few books in harry potter. if you know a bit about greek mythology, it's fun to see all the monsters and characters percy runs into and seeing how riordan presents them.
i also loved that there were some real world consequences for his actions. urban fantasy can sometimes tend to erase the real world/people outside of the fantasy aspects. but percy faced some real world consequences with the police and news reporting as the city is imploding as he travels across state lines.
the characters are such cinnamon rolls, i just love reading about them and rooting for them. and the neurodivergence rep!
this had the same whimsical, lighthearted feeling of the first few books in harry potter. if you know a bit about greek mythology, it's fun to see all the monsters and characters percy runs into and seeing how riordan presents them.
i also loved that there were some real world consequences for his actions. urban fantasy can sometimes tend to erase the real world/people outside of the fantasy aspects. but percy faced some real world consequences with the police and news reporting as the city is imploding as he travels across state lines.
the characters are such cinnamon rolls, i just love reading about them and rooting for them. and the neurodivergence rep!
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
originally gave this 4 stars, but came back and bumped it up to 5 because i keep thinking about it - this one really stuck with me.
i chose to read this after heir of fire, and i stick by that decision. i think it makes sense to read it after crown of midnight or heir of fire, because you get more context coming in to this one. you're more invested in learning about her backstory, because you can see the lasting effects on her throughout the first couple books. now i can understand why the events from the first 3 books effected her the way that they did, and why she has the reactions she has. and there was something rewarding and more emotional about learning it after and reflecting on the last few books.
this book made me emotional. my favorite novella was actually the shortest one - 'the assassin and the healer.' short, but packed a punch.
i chose to read this after heir of fire, and i stick by that decision. i think it makes sense to read it after crown of midnight or heir of fire, because you get more context coming in to this one. you're more invested in learning about her backstory, because you can see the lasting effects on her throughout the first couple books. now i can understand why the events from the first 3 books effected her the way that they did, and why she has the reactions she has. and there was something rewarding and more emotional about learning it after and reflecting on the last few books.
this book made me emotional. my favorite novella was actually the shortest one - 'the assassin and the healer.' short, but packed a punch.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
this is a beautiful exploration of various stages of the human experience - community, parenthood, adolescence, grief and trauma.
backman's writing is so clever and his ability to make such a wide range of characters that feel like real people is astounding.
a must read - but check trigger warnings. i was not prepared for the pretty graphic scene that drives the second half of the book.
backman's writing is so clever and his ability to make such a wide range of characters that feel like real people is astounding.
a must read - but check trigger warnings. i was not prepared for the pretty graphic scene that drives the second half of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
simply put, this book was not good.
the first book got me out of a reading slump, and the second one dragged me into one. go figure. it took me 2 full weeks to complete this book. i dreaded picking it up and getting through the first half felt like homework. it was so incredibly slow and repetitive, and the writing itself left much to be desired. at times it felt juvenile and unfinished. it read like a draft.
violet's character was completely unrecognizable. her headstrong nature that i loved from the first book became immaturity and stubbornness. the way she handled conflict with all the other characters was immature. i also struggled through her internal monologue.
it felt like violet, and the other characters, consistently did not take life or death situations very seriously, and instead focused more on trivial matters. events that you would think characters would have a intense reaction too seemed to just blow over. brennan was presumed dead, and yet we kind of just gloss over that as if it isn't a major deal that he was actually alive this whole time. this massive cliffhanger at the end of fourth wing propelled many of us to immediately want the sequel, but then that cliffhanger wasn't even really addressed properly in this book. this made it seem like shock value rather than actually adding value to the story.
violet and xaden's relationship went backwards. it seemed like he was genuinely trying to improve their relationship and had grown from the first book. but it seemed like violet just wanted to argue. about the same issues. repeatedly. with no willingness to communicate and work through issues.
the way that new characters were introduced was difficult to follow and keep track of. especially once the gryphon riders were introduced, i started to get confused on who was a rider and who was an animal. and was it really necessary toadd the jealous ex storyline? it was just petty and distracting for it to end up being revealed that cat didn't even want xaden for romantic reasons.
part 2 picked up a lot, but then became underdeveloped in the worldbuilding and exposition. it was interesting and the pages started to turn, but nothing was well explained.
i didn't get a good grasp on where we were located on the map and what the areas looked like, despite spending most of the book in the same couple locations.
the magic system was also very underexplained. things that i thought were already established in the previous book about dragon magic and the bond between a dragon and its rider started to change. there were times where it seemed like violet could hear sgael, but i thought she could only hear tairn and andarna.
once the wards and runes were introduced, i was lost. nothing was well explained about this new magic system that was dropped in.
there are a lot of things about the worldbuilding that still don't quite add up. i'm hoping they will be better explained in subsequent books. if they aren't explained, there will be some massive holes.
the ending (ie; the last 10%) really saved the series for me. if it weren't for the great ending, i would've dnfed the series. but i do plan on reading the 3rd book. if the writing doesn't improve though, i will not be reading the last 2 books, which i am sad to say.
2.5 stars...3/5 if i'm feeling generous.
the first book got me out of a reading slump, and the second one dragged me into one. go figure. it took me 2 full weeks to complete this book. i dreaded picking it up and getting through the first half felt like homework. it was so incredibly slow and repetitive, and the writing itself left much to be desired. at times it felt juvenile and unfinished. it read like a draft.
violet's character was completely unrecognizable. her headstrong nature that i loved from the first book became immaturity and stubbornness. the way she handled conflict with all the other characters was immature. i also struggled through her internal monologue.
it felt like violet, and the other characters, consistently did not take life or death situations very seriously, and instead focused more on trivial matters. events that you would think characters would have a intense reaction too seemed to just blow over. brennan was presumed dead, and yet we kind of just gloss over that as if it isn't a major deal that he was actually alive this whole time. this massive cliffhanger at the end of fourth wing propelled many of us to immediately want the sequel, but then that cliffhanger wasn't even really addressed properly in this book. this made it seem like shock value rather than actually adding value to the story.
violet and xaden's relationship went backwards. it seemed like he was genuinely trying to improve their relationship and had grown from the first book. but it seemed like violet just wanted to argue. about the same issues. repeatedly. with no willingness to communicate and work through issues.
the way that new characters were introduced was difficult to follow and keep track of. especially once the gryphon riders were introduced, i started to get confused on who was a rider and who was an animal. and was it really necessary to
part 2 picked up a lot, but then became underdeveloped in the worldbuilding and exposition. it was interesting and the pages started to turn, but nothing was well explained.
i didn't get a good grasp on where we were located on the map and what the areas looked like, despite spending most of the book in the same couple locations.
the magic system was also very underexplained. things that i thought were already established in the previous book about dragon magic and the bond between a dragon and its rider started to change. there were times where it seemed like violet could hear sgael, but i thought she could only hear tairn and andarna.
once the wards and runes were introduced, i was lost. nothing was well explained about this new magic system that was dropped in.
there are a lot of things about the worldbuilding that still don't quite add up. i'm hoping they will be better explained in subsequent books. if they aren't explained, there will be some massive holes.
the ending (ie; the last 10%) really saved the series for me. if it weren't for the great ending, i would've dnfed the series. but i do plan on reading the 3rd book. if the writing doesn't improve though, i will not be reading the last 2 books, which i am sad to say.
2.5 stars...3/5 if i'm feeling generous.
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
if there's anything miss sarah janet knows how to do it's 1. write an ending and 2. write a love interest
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
that ending…mic drop.
i would've given this a 5 stars if i wasn't spoiled for the ending. it did still pack an emotional punch for me, but i knew it was coming.
i would've given this a 5 stars if i wasn't spoiled for the ending. it did still pack an emotional punch for me, but i knew it was coming.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
this was a re-read for me - the first time around i gave it 5 stars and it was one of my favorite books of all time. since then i have read a lot more fantasy and a lot more sjm books and i do think this is her weakest book (which makes sense considering it is her debut).
the main thing that i disliked about the writing that caused me to bump this down to a 4 star read was the telling vs showing. we were told how perfect, amazing, and talented celaena was, but not really shown how she has those characteristics.
it excelled in the foreshadowing though. because this was a reread, i was able to pick up on it a lot more.
the main thing that i disliked about the writing that caused me to bump this down to a 4 star read was the telling vs showing. we were told how perfect, amazing, and talented celaena was, but not really shown how she has those characteristics.
it excelled in the foreshadowing though. because this was a reread, i was able to pick up on it a lot more.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
this is now a xaden riorson stan account.