buttondragon's reviews
76 reviews

dark slow-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

1.0

this book made me question if i was dumb and just “not getting it” or if it was just not a great book. and after having a friend read it and report back that they also found it Not Great, i feel confident in saying “yeah just not a fun or interesting read.” it took me 4 days to read this admittedly short book, because i could not for the life of me stay awake through what felt like a cycle of card shows up, characters get uncomfortable, do the smallest amount of looking into the issue but discovering very little if anything, aaaand repeat. also, lots of self referential humor, which if you dont find it funny the first time, that’s unfortunate because you will be hearing it again at minimum three to four more times. i’m ranking this only .25 higher than my friend because it was a surprisingly effective sleep aid.

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

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dark mysterious medium-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

2.5

I think this book bit off a more than it could chew. There are six POVs (who’s voices sound similar), multiple timelines running simultaneously (at least three?) and a lot of hot button issues that are brought up and dropped pretty frequently. If you do plan to read this, PLEASE review the trigger warnings before going in. There’s a lot in here that could be upsetting.

Wouldn’t really recommend, but there are certainly worse things to spend your time reading.

also in my opinion having a character’s repentance for helping to cover up a rape that later lead to the girl killing herself be “posting on Facebook about the actual story and losing friends over it” and that being the extent of it is uh. not really great. in my opinion.

Content Warnings

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The book is by no means “bad”, I think, just really misrepresented by it’s blurb/how it is recommended online. I went in thinking this was going to be a horror/science story, but this was really more about a boy (yes, boy, he’s like 17!!) and his recently deceased father who he did not get along with. Most of the book is meditations on their failed father-son relationship. I think if you go in knowing that’s the focus and the “being eaten by a sperm whale” is somehow more of a side plot, then maybe you’ll enjoy this more. Oh also it was VERY repetitive and slow, at least to me.

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas

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dark hopeful reflective slow-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

This book is absolutely not for everyone, but it absolutely WAS for me! A man starts working in the museum his sister went missing from as a child and it spirals out into both his work and his life as he tried to uncover what happened, which was interesting enough, but then add GHOST DINOSAURS. I’ve worked in a museum, and this book made me smile a lot thinking about both the ups and downs of that experience. The book does take a lot of time developing side characters and relationships, which I personally enjoyed a lot. It gave extra realism to the book for me, since it reminded me of how it feels as a working adult to meet people while doing my own “investigations” (aka me going down various rabbit holes while my partner looks on in confusion). Also, gay main character! Wahoo!!

Content Warnings

She Started It by Sian Gilbert

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This, to me at least, reads like baby’s first thriller novel. I listened to this on audio book while at work and had predicted the back half of the book down to the twists about 40% of the way through. Our main characters felt mean for the sake of being mean, which I get was kinda the point but at the same time, it made them feel so incredibly flat. It felt like they had very little to them aside from ‘being mean’, ‘being woman’, and ‘*insert one additional trait per character here*’. Wouldn’t recommend this unless you need something kinda mindless to pass the time.

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum by Bex Ollerton, Schnumn

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emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

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emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Everybody's Favorite: Tales from the World's Worst Perfectionist by Lillian Stone

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lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Pretty solid collection of essays. I had fun listening and relating my experiences to the author, the most relatable definitely being I Am Backpack Pug.

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

5.0

Seaside Stranger Vol. 1: Umibe No Étranger by Kanna Kii

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

3.0

i am begging these men to just talk to each other about what they want lmao

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buttondragon's reviews 76 reviews

buttondragon's reviews
76 reviews