bookishgoob's reviews
162 reviews

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was really excited for this book, and it felt disappointing. i went into it with an idea of dark academia and left with gothic horror, which i guess you could say are similar. I wasn’t expecting a gothic horror, i was expecting a dark academia mystery. this book was slightly confusing at times, with an unreliable narrator. that can be great, because you never know what’s true but if done poorly, it can be confusing, hard to read, and not enjoyable. this teetered the line of poorly written and well written. having lgbt characters at the forefront was nice and the atmosphere was awesome. i was not expecting the animal death scene and that was kind of triggering for me. all around it felt like it lacked something. i’m glad i read it and it feels like a nice introduction to gothic horror but it also feels like you’re not missing much if you skip it. i gave it a 3.5 because the atmosphere was just really great and i did enjoy it. 
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The Oracle Queen by Kendare Blake

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

4.0

i hate the arron’s. i hate the fact that innocent people were murdered. i hate a coup. </it’s so hard to just sit and read about a coup happening to a good person. a coup that changed the course of history for this series.>
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The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

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adventurous emotional informative mysterious tense 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? N/A

5.0

There are several things I loved about this book. For one, i just love summer camp horror. I love that even if you didn’t read the previous trilogy, there’s still enough background information that you could read it as a stand alone. the bringing back of characters made my heart happy. the development of friendship as a side plot made me so giddy. stevie is smart and has gotten less annoying with each book. this book was so interesting from start to finish. it started strong and it never stopped. there was nary a dull moment. the reveal was a wild twist but it made so much sense. i would absolutely recommend this book even if you haven’t read truly devious. also maureen johnson, if you’re reading this, please please write more about stevie and her friends. and if anyone else is reading this, like hbo or hulu or netflix, please consider a limited series of this book. it would work so well as a tv series. gosh i loved this book. please read it and please read truly devious. it’s light enough that it could satisfy people who love thrillers but don’t like the horror feeling but not too light that well seasoned suspense/thriller/mystery lovers would hate it. it’s a great middle ground for everyone. there’s so much more i could say about this book but i’m going to leave it at this. 
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Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

this book was a beautiful fantasy that wasn’t incredibly confusing in the world building. the perspectives of each place and how they train up their queens was so interesting to see. i’m so glad i started this series
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Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

i’m starting to love these slow paced gothic horror books omg. the descriptions made everything feel so real. 
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Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

the twists and turns and atmosphere of this book had me biting my nails and holding my breath. one of the best thrillers i’ve ever read. 
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Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

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

3.0

Riley Sager does it again. and by does it again i mean writing a “not like other girls” main character and using “ample bosom” as a descriptor for no apparent reason. Maggie was so annoying to me. she oozed pick me energy to a point where it made me want to DNF. another thing i don’t like about sagers writing is that he literally waits until the end of the book to do the final twist which is predictable but often annoying. plot twists are fine at the end once in a while but damn, every book? i don’t know man. i have a lot of problems with riley sager and his writing. i would almost recommend you watch haunting of hill house (5/5 show) than read this but i do have to admit that the atmosphere was creepy and would be a great “spooky szn@ read. it’s quick. it’s creepy. it involved and old house. so i’m torn.  either way the characters were so bland but the story was good. do with that information what you want. 
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My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

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

3.0

this was a really quick read! funny at some parts, dark at others. i felt for korede and ayoola and the bond they shared. the bond with a sister is so different than any other bond. it feels like it is written in diary entries. 
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The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

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

4.25

Sager’s work is so confusing to me. he can write incredible stories and he can write terrible stories with good ideas. this happened to be an incredible story. i could be biased because i LOVE summer camp horror stuff but i was intrigued the entire time. The plot twist was so interesting. I still have a slight problem with the way he write women sometimes but i did enjoy this book. 
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Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

this was very entertaining. i have some problems with the way sager writes and the pacing of his stories but he has good stories. 
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