1_more_chapter's reviews
280 reviews

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

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dark mysterious tense 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

3.75

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford

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dark mysterious sad 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

3.5

With these kinds of books the ending tends to go one of three ways; absolute unhinged chaos, everything works out for the main characters and they suffer no consequences, or ambiguous. This book was the 2nd option and I just feel like it wrapped up too nicely and everything was a little bit convenient. For the world that it is set in and how the forest is described,

I was expecting more death or grievous injury, Jaren managed to live in the forest for the entire book and was completely fine. For a forest that is apparently bloodthirsty and sentient, it really only kills a couple animals and absorbs blood. I wish it was explored more why the forest needs to eat and what would happen if it was starved. Leelo faced no consequences for breaking the rules of the community and got away with her family completely unscathed. I also think they brushed over the Lillies very quickly and we are just expected to accept a flower can poison an entire lake

Overall I enjoyed it, I was just hoping for a bit more.

I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.0

I had a few issues with the book:
- I found John's character to be unbelievable in the sense that he didn't read like a potential serial killer kid. He seemed more like someone who had learned they shared a similar name to a serial killer and then gaslit themselves into believing that also meant they were a serial killer. I believe that if he wasn't so obsessed with serial killers and knew what the 'signs' were, he would not act like he does.

- To further my point, I didn't believe John was a sociopath. For starters, he clearly still had some empathy if he didn't want to kill people, he can recognise that killing is wrong, and all it took was one sentence from his mother to realise he cares about his family. The only thing that makes him a sociopath is the author telling us he is.

- I also didn't like, and wasn't expecting, the supernatural element to the story. I think it was just lazy writing to explain the killer's motivation as them being a monster instead of creating a fully fleshed-out human character with a believable background and psyche.

- Lastly, I found it unrealistic that John never encountered another car while out on his bike at night other than the killers. Like, be for real.

Small Favors by Erin A. Craig

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced