rebekahmm's reviews
214 reviews

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This book had me bawling by the end. Heartbreaking story with a satisfying end. The POV switch between chapters kept the narrative flow dynamic as I gobbled up the well-narrated audio. Highly recommend this book if you like emotionally engaging, if at times devastating, books steeped in grief and loss.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Violence

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

Too predictable. Letter exchange was not interesting. Not even the war at large could hold my attention. 

The Wicked King by Holly Black

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

This, like the first in the series, was ...ok. Barely interesting. Luckily  with audiobook speeds, it's a quick listen. I plan to finish this trilogy, even if the FMC doesn't learn to trust anybody after all. 🤷🏼

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.25

Engaging enough read. Different narrators for the four main characters' chapters was nice. "Who did it" ended up not being quite as twisty as I thought it would be, but satisfying enough.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

3.5

Ended up liking this book more than I thought I would when I started listening to it. I found star-struck Monique to be kind of annoying, but LOVED Evelyn. Evelyn's story was what made the book, for me!

The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft

challenging dark informative mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

I find it difficult for me to describe this book beyond saying how *interesting* it was. Had to write down several five dollar words to look up, and my reading experience was rather slow -- and yet I kept with this very INTERESTING book! 
Because it took me longer to finish than most of my reads, I was more than ready to be done with it by the time I got to the strange end. 

A lot of layers to this book: we're reading a novel (with some basis on [fictional] events) written by an Argentinian person in Polish, translated (with notes) by a colleague into English. Said novel is about a group of translators. 
Meta and strange, literally interesting, keeping you guessing about what may have "actually" happened. I'll be thinking about this book for a while!

Weyward by Emilia Hart

3.0

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

adventurous emotional reflective

2.75

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark medium-paced

4.0

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang

adventurous informative medium-paced

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

4.5

This is my second Kuang read and I’m officially a fan!!
I love linguistic history and etymology, and this book is dripping with it. I cannot imagine the amount of research needed for so much of this story! 
Although a fictional premise, gives an interesting perspective of empire and academia that seems especially pertinent these days. 

Great book! Good author!