Scan barcode
bookishandlegal's reviews
536 reviews
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
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
4.75
SO FUCKING GOOD! If you’re looking for a good YA thriller, pick this one up. Closed door (ish) mystery that takes place in one night. Super fast paced and so many twists and turns. I didn’t really see many of the twists coming until I was right on top of them but they were all so good. Highly highly recommend this one!
Court by Tracy Wolff
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.25
I am just so into this series! Is it well written? Absolutely not. Is it completely ridiculous with so many plot holes? Yes. Am I enjoying the hell out of it? You bet.
The plot really goes off the rails in this one and I tried to explain the plot to someone and it was just honestly so ridiculous and made zero sense. So many things happened: going to frozen gargoyle court, trials to win the fountain of youth, finding another Vega sibling, learning a lot more about Grace and her life, fighting Cyrus, and so much more...whew. A lot happened and there was good closure I thought (a little too neatly wrapped up, but I love a happy ending). I can see where the 6th book is going to go, but I don't think it's really needed (but yes i'll still be reading it, obviously).
The ending with Grace getting to know what Hudson's promise ring promise was and then remembering what happened in the 4 months they were trapped was perfect and set up Charm so well!
The plot really goes off the rails in this one and I tried to explain the plot to someone and it was just honestly so ridiculous and made zero sense. So many things happened: going to frozen gargoyle court, trials to win the fountain of youth, finding another Vega sibling, learning a lot more about Grace and her life, fighting Cyrus, and so much more...whew. A lot happened and there was good closure I thought (a little too neatly wrapped up, but I love a happy ending). I can see where the 6th book is going to go, but I don't think it's really needed (but yes i'll still be reading it, obviously).
The ending with Grace getting to know what Hudson's promise ring promise was and then remembering what happened in the 4 months they were trapped was perfect and set up Charm so well!
Covet by Tracy Wolff
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Still terrible. So many story lines, this book barely even makes sense. So many things that need to be explained and never are. Literally just going in ~vibes~. As a friend has said, “if you’re confused about how things in this book are working you’re thinking too hard.”
Love Grace and Hudson. Feel so much for Jaxon….I need him to be happy. Flint is great and I love him. Grace is an abolitionist and it’s truly amazing! This book didn’t start or end where I expected and was way too long (800 pages for what?!?) but let’s go see what happens next!
Love Grace and Hudson. Feel so much for Jaxon….I need him to be happy. Flint is great and I love him. Grace is an abolitionist and it’s truly amazing! This book didn’t start or end where I expected and was way too long (800 pages for what?!?) but let’s go see what happens next!
Crush by Tracy Wolff
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This series is absolutely unhinged and terrible and I am totally obsessed. This book is not “good” but was way better than the first one. The plot is insane, the character development is shoddy at best, the book is WAY too long. Absolutely zero reason this book needed to be 700 pages, but it reads really fast and I finished it in 2 days.
Not enough Jaxon in this book and a whole lot of Hudson, but also maybe I like Hudson? Who knows, time will tell I guess.
Not enough Jaxon in this book and a whole lot of Hudson, but also maybe I like Hudson? Who knows, time will tell I guess.
Crave by Tracy Wolff
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Wow, this book was terrible. Truly like the worst book I’ve probably ever read. But I’m also completely obsessed and I read it in 24 hours. The writing is truly so so so bad and the amount of text acronyms and just bad pop culture references was so cringey. If “af” was used as a description one more time I might have screamed and thrown my kindle out the window. The timeline is also ridiculous: Grace is at this school for all of a week and she falls in love, gets mated, almost dies several times, learn that vampires, witches, werewolves, and dragons(??) are all real and is just chill with it. It’s utterly ridiculous and again I loved every second of it.
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a beautifully written and very atmospheric book. It’s got magic mixed in throughout the story…but it wasn’t explained very well and I wanted more of it. I was left with a lot of questions and am still not sure that I fully understood everything. But the story was interesting and it’s a short read!
Read if you like old Hollywood, hints of magic/magical realism, queer storylines, and diverse characters!
Read if you like old Hollywood, hints of magic/magical realism, queer storylines, and diverse characters!
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
dark
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
Eufkcuejend it’s good, it’s great, I loved it! A solid follow up to ninth house! This book was wild, it kept me on my toes, and guessing all the time. Darlington is perfect and that is all (Also, IYKYK). We got more Dawes, more Turner, more Tripp (??), and obvi more Alex and they were all a delight. I love this book, I love this series, and I am distraught that I have to wait years for the next book!
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
3.0
I liked this one! It’s way too long and I don’t love being in Jacob’s pov for a third of the book, but a lot happens there so it’s okay. Renesme is still creepy and Jacob imprinting is even creepier. But seeing Bella as a vampire was cool. The fight at the end was anticlimactic and everything wrapped up a bit too neatly…but I’m a sucker for a happy ending. My favorite part of this one was seeing vampires from around the world and getting to know some of them (but gross the way the Amazon vampires were described as “exotic” and “wild” and “ uncivilized”).
A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
Ugh, my heart. I am unwell. This was a beautiful and perfect ending to this series.
This is definitely the weakest book in the series I think, but I still loved it. The beginning was slow and it felt like it dragged a bit for the first half or so. I wasn’t as engaged as the others and didn’t feel a tug to keep reading.
But the ending was SO good and had me totally hooked and on the edge of my seat. Everything broke and looked unfixable and somehow everything came together in a way that didn’t feel rushed for forced. The ending was lovely and I loved every second of it.
If you haven’t read this series…what are you waiting for?
This is definitely the weakest book in the series I think, but I still loved it. The beginning was slow and it felt like it dragged a bit for the first half or so. I wasn’t as engaged as the others and didn’t feel a tug to keep reading.
But the ending was SO good and had me totally hooked and on the edge of my seat. Everything broke and looked unfixable and somehow everything came together in a way that didn’t feel rushed for forced. The ending was lovely and I loved every second of it.
If you haven’t read this series…what are you waiting for?
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
3.0
Justice for Bree!
This is…the best book of the series?! Being in Bree’s head was cool and she’s so smart and uses her brain and pieces stuff together (even though she’s still a little slow on the uptake). Her bone with Diego was really quick and I wish she had just left before the battle, but I already knew how this story was going to end.
Learned some interesting stuff from Bree’s pov that I enjoyed. More background on Victoria and the Volturi (👀👀). Very glad this cute little novella is in the world.
This is…the best book of the series?! Being in Bree’s head was cool and she’s so smart and uses her brain and pieces stuff together (even though she’s still a little slow on the uptake). Her bone with Diego was really quick and I wish she had just left before the battle, but I already knew how this story was going to end.
Learned some interesting stuff from Bree’s pov that I enjoyed. More background on Victoria and the Volturi (👀👀). Very glad this cute little novella is in the world.