rynbrnlsglzr's reviews
20 reviews

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

A modern fantasy thriller where magic is real and secret societies at an Ivy League school delve it out to the rich and powerful. You follow the flawed main character during her freshman year working for the society who serve as a kind of magic police department to keep the other societies in check. A person disappears, someone is murdered, there’s twist and turns. There is some dark stuff in here. If SA is triggering for you, don’t read this. Looking forward to the sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Drug abuse

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

adventurous dark sad 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? No

3.75

You looking for a post-apocalyptic zombie scenario, where all men have turned into ravenous r@pey creatures, you witness the dynamics of the matriarchy, and TERFs are the new Third Reich? You’ll be happy here! There is a lot going on with this book. It’s very dark! There’s some spicy scenes with trans and nonbinary people.

I will say, I probably have some missed understanding from being a cis-man, but overall a good story.

Would have gotten a 4.25 if it hadn’t been so jarring from switching POV between so many characters on one page, multiple times. Sometimes I would have to reread a page to figure out who’s POV I was in. 

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

adventurous informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I really liked this fast paced hard sci-fi take on being upgraded to a superhuman. I finished it in like 12 hours. It can get very science-y with talking about gene manipulation, but it made me want to go read up on the field to see how much was science and how much was fiction. I liked the message it ended with!

Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.

The writing style seems like it’s trying to be hip, but it is just vapid. You learn about Herc from different people in his life. Everyone is just complaining all the time. I feel like this is written to go with a middle or high school lesson about Greek Mythology.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-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

5.0

If you’re looking for historical fiction with magical realism and a touch of romance, you will find this beautiful book scratches that itch.

A story about a woman who makes a deal with “the devil.” You travel with her for over 300 years, seeing how she copes with the terms of her deal, and grows.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Doomed by Chuck Palahniuk

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-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

5.0

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Lilith by Nikki Marmery

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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

5.0

If you like mythology, religion, and a message to smack you in the face…this is definitely for you!

I can say some Christians may not like this story very much, but it has a beautiful message!

You take a journey with Lilith through moments told in the Bible and get to see them with a different point of view.

There are strong themes of the Devine Feminine, love, family, equality, and harmony.