sarahm_strss's reviews
30 reviews

The Forgotten Colony by J.B. Ryder

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

this was my first introduction to the genre, and i am very impressed. the writing and plotline was fantastic, and all the characters were so flawed and human it was incredible. there was so many twists, and i legit could not put the book down! absolutely obsessed with this book, and am so excited for the author to publish more books!

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.

really wanted to love this book, but i just couldn't. the first book was truly amazing, and in comparison this book was just so...boring. the characters fell a bit flat, and the writing got a severe downgrade. maybe my expectations were too high, but i feel like this book was very overhyped considering how slow and boring this book was.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

it started off as the weirdest book i have ever read, and ended with it being the most tragic and horrific book i have ever read. i have never felt such strong and compelling emotions towards a book before, and had such vivid images of the story. the storytelling was beautiful, and perfectly captured the world and every minor detailing within it. all the scenes where i had previously disliked or thought odd were perfectly intertwined and explored with the ending - everything was intentional and gruesome. the characters within were all so morally grey, and it really was hard to truly love or hate a character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Twelfth Night (No Fear Shakespeare) by SparkNotes, William Shakespeare

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

Twisted Hate by Ana Huang

challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

3.25

my favorite book of the whole series! whilst the characters were very annoying at times, they kept me so hooked! i felt at times things got a bit repetitive, but having a main male character who genuinely pines for the woman was so cute! i also really enjoyed both characters realizing they were in love. however, i genuinely believe this book could've been so much shorter - the last 50 pages were so irrelevant and kept on dragging on!

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

adventurous dark funny lighthearted sad fast-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

3.0

Twisted Games by Ana Huang

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted sad 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? Yes

2.5

SOOO much better than the previous book in the series! i was a little scared to start this book, as i really disliked the other, but i was pleasantly surprised! while the dialogue at times was still slightly cringe, the overall plot and writing style was lovely. the forbidden romance was really well written, and while the plot twists seemed predictable at times, they were still overall enjoyable. however, things got really repetitive - especially the sexual scenes.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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

3.25

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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? No

3.75

my fav book from my childhood! i love how fun and lighthearted this book is, while still conveying the accurate emotions of adolescence. i remember feeling so seen as a kid when i could connect with the characters. the writing style is so enjoyable as well! recommend this series!!

Reckless by Lauren Roberts

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

i was so excited for this book, and was so disappointed. the majority of this book felt like filler, and i only enjoyed 100 pages or so. i genuinely don't think this book was necessary, and could've been summarized in less than 200 pages to make this a 2-part series. the ending though was INSANE and almost makes up for everything.