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barrettbooks's reviews
60 reviews
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Note: this is a review for the series posted to each book.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Note: this is a review for the series posted to each book.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Note: this is a review for the series posted to each book.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Note: this is a review for the series posted to each book.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Note: this is a review for the series posted to each book.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
I read this series for the first time in 2021, when I was fully an adult, and unlike a lot of other work aimed at younger audiences, I found it held up well without requiring any nostalgia from my childhood. All five books are solid romps, with lots of fun quests and so many different mythological characters sprinkled in. The shifting of Olympus with the centre of culture is an interesting (if slightly imperialistic) idea, and the modernization of ancient stories and themes is neat. I like Percy and his friends and they are easy to root for. Some of the love triangle stuff is a bit overdone and drawn out (and painfully hetero) but I don't object to the romances generally. Overall, an enjoyable magical middlegrade series and I plan to read more of extended universe of books.
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
This book was a pretty mixed experience for me. The writing is well-done, the characters are interesting and complex (although I don't always care about them as much as I would like), the magic is cool and limited in a way that is unusual. The world building is impressive, with exposition happening very slowly over the course of the novel. Having the whole story take place in a prison with limited informational access to the outside world keeps the mood tense and mysterious, as does our narrator's extreme guardedness. I was confused and slightly off-balance for a lot of novel about her feelings regarding the overall political situation of the kingdom. However, the ending did not do it for me at all. In fairness, I went into this book without knowing there is a sequel, which may have changed my initial reaction to the ending, but I can't help but feel a certain amount of betrayal. I will probably continue to read the series since the world is so interesting and I am curious to see how it and the characters develop.
The Greyfriar by Clay Griffith, Susan Griffith
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.25
The premise of this book is extremely interesting. I love an alternate history fantasy, love a vampire novel, and especially enjoy a twist on vampires. The execution did not work as well for me as the core ideas, but it was still a really fun read and I will be picking up the rest of the series. The writing itself was probably my biggest complaint as I found it a bit one-note and predictable in some ways. The characters are a bit flat for me, and I do not particularly buy into a lot of the relationships. However, the world continues to be interesting throughout, and none of the flaws kept me from enjoying my time reading it. I am hopeful that the characters become more dynamic as the series progresses.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
First and foremost, love a trans main character written by a trans author. Second, I would die for these characters. I love them so much and I simply want them to be surviving and thriving. I really enjoyed this book. It's angsty and moody but also hopeful and joyous. It touches on the challenges faced by trans people without limiting the trans experience to only pain. The ghosts and magic are delightful, and the deep ties to Latinx culture and traditions are really beautiful. I literally laughed and cried (okay, sobbed) while reading this. It's gorgeous, the hype is entirely justified.
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed the first book in this duology and the second did not disappoint. It's a satisfying conclusion! I love the colloquial tone of these, as if people who are not authors are just trying to capture events that actually happened to them. The exploration of social media, the internet and other technology, humanity's strengths and immense weaknesses is so timely and nuanced. I love these deeply flawed characters doing their best to deal with the extraordinary circumstances they find themselves in. The plot is so creative, managing to build on a frankly bizarre inciting act from the first book to continue to be weird and wild but never beyond my suspension of disbelief. The unique voices of the POV characters really shine, there's queer rep, it really just keeps on giving.
<Spoiler>Plus, the only thing I truly needed from this sequel was for Maya to get what she wants, so I am happy. </Spoiler>
<Spoiler>Plus, the only thing I truly needed from this sequel was for Maya to get what she wants, so I am happy. </Spoiler>
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is so cozy! It deals with some heavier subjects like alcohol abuse and mental illness, but it generally is lighthearted. It's a love letter to fandom, and an exploration of finding yourself as a new adult, discovering how to be connected while still independent, coping with mental illness, and handling all kinds of attraction. Just a very cute college book all round.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol