readingwryly's reviews
236 reviews

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Yes. Just…yes. This book can be summed up in 2 words: FERAL. FEMINISM. Yesss! This made me feel like a Queen!

Part 1 is detached. We follow “The Mother” and “The Boy” as The Mother navigates motherhood and loses her identity in the process. Part 2 explores her transformation into NIGHTBITCH. And we go from there…

I would consider this literary horror? It definitely has paranormal aspects. And it’s SHORT! What a quick read!

All in all, it explores the brutality and beauty of motherhood, and rejoices in the rejection of the societal norms the patriarchy holds over women.

Do you miss your 20s?
Are you a mother?
Do you connect with art?

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.Okay

A Dark and Secret Place, by Jen Williams

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medium-paced

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

1.0

I wanted to like this but, ALAS! It was not for me. The second point of view did not add anything to the story for me until the very end. The twist felt like a cop out, and the entire middle section was meandering with no meaningful connections or trajectory. It was not as “dark” as claimed in some of the reviews I’ve seen. There are some references to dark and disturbing behavior, but nothing on the page. Nowhere near as dark as Pretty Girls, or say, a Gillian Flynn book. Very disappointing.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, by Eric LaRocca

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dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

For Your Own Good, by Samantha Downing

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3.5

Not a Happy Family, by Shari Lapena

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2.75

False Witness, by Karin Slaughter

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4.0

The Black Witch, by Laurie Forest

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

Okay, it’s been awhile since I was in the mood for a fantasy. But this one hit the spot! I saw a TikTok that compared this to ACOTAR and I thought, “why not?”

Was it like ACOTAR in reality? I can certainly see the comparison, however it reads legitimately YA whereas ACOTAR is clearly much more adult. No smut here, folks! Not in book one at least. But it does have a diverse cast of lovable characters who I couldn’t help but to fall for. And there is definitely romantic suspense. Think, giddy high school love.

This book was clearly a set-up book for the rest of the series. The main focus is on our naive protagonist, Elloren, who lives a sheltered rural life until she goes off to university and discovers how big her world actually is! She is exposed to new people, new ideas, and new politics, and forced to rethink her world view. And along the way she finds herself, and a new found family.

This story gave me ACOTAR, with a hint of Harry Potter. Was it (potentially) excessively tropey? Yes. Do each of these found family members have conveniently perfect and powerful secrets? Yes. Do they pair off like a Sarah J Maas book? Absolutely. Am I trash for all of it? Undoubtedly.

My Best Friend's Exorcism, by Grady Hendrix

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced