savannahjo13's reviews
35 reviews

Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 by Daniel James Brown

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

While I didn’t enjoy this book as much as DJBs other books, it was still heartbreaking and interesting and shocking. I love the personal ties and scientific explanations he gives throughout. It helps to truly understand what is happening and what these people experienced. 
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

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dark emotional mysterious tense 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? No

3.5

It was fine I guess. I didn’t find it super shocking but it was a little hard to follow what was going on just because of the number of characters and flipping back and forth through time. 
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

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

3.75

I did enjoy Neon Gods more but this was sexy and a fun rewd
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
I was so confused by everything going on in this book. I don’t enjoy feeling like I’ve been dropped in the middle of a series even though it’s the beginning of a brand new story. I tried to wait for it to get interesting but I couldn’t keep track of the setting or what the point was and just could not finish. 
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
I was so confused and so bored I couldn’t make myself finish
The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

So much could have been taken out of this book. I was left feeling a little confused and disappointed, hoping for a more exciting reveal but instead it dredged on. 
Although this is the book the weird guy on the ferry asked me about and went on an incel rant when I wouldn’t engage in conversation. 
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It was alright, I had the twist figured out fairly quickly, it’s pretty obviously pretty early on so the end wasn’t a huge shock. It was a quick read but I was left wanting more. It does have a mostly happy ending though. 
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

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

4.0

I had to force myself to finish the book, mostly due to the length. It took a VERY long time to get to Judes history which is the main focus of the story but you hear very little about it until hundreds of pages in. It was very sad, although it did not actually make me cry. I felt that it probably could have been cut in half. There was a lot of parts I felt were unnecessary but it does span something like 30 years. The content warnings are endless on this one. 
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The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Finally got around to reading this and definitely found it to be disturbing and can understand why it has been so controversial. The writing/dialogue does feel a little dated so that was interesting to navigate but I did enjoy it and it creeped me out. 
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The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Everyone has heard about the Donner party but this goes so in depth and helps you to understand what these people went through and why they had to do what they did in order to survive. 
This is another book I recommend constantly. I love the style of writing and the care that went into the research. I devoured the book over just a few days, may need to reread. I also got really excited when Last Podcast on the Left cited this as a source for the pod about the Donner party. 
I was gripped by the story and was rooting for the main character and when you think things can’t get worse, they absolutely do. Loved every second of it.