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cassroberts89's reviews
468 reviews
Older Than Dirt: A Wild But True History of Earth by Michael Perfit, Don Brown
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Really great graphic novel overview of the history of the planet! We also really enjoyed his book on the Dust Bowl last year when we studied American history.
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Rowell has perfectly captured that exciting, innocent, confusing, tumultuous mess that is first high school love. But set against the backdrop of Eleanor’s abusive home life, this is not your typical YA romance. I loved it. I would hesitate to recommend this to just anyone, though. It’s not an easy read at all and would probably need to be accompanied by some good long discussions. The MCs are 15-16, and I don’t think I’d go any younger than a mature 16yo IMO. Be forewarned, there’s also quite a lot of swearing and some sexual slurs, bullying at school, and very light sexual content (no “home runs” as Eleanor puts it). I actually felt the sexual content was perfect for the age and handled very well. It’s everything else that stops me from handing this to my almost-14-yo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Cursing
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Racial slurs and Sexual content
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
LOVED this book so much. Some said the writing was overdone, but I disagree. I think it was lovely. I actually would have liked for the climax to be a little more drawn out. I’m a serial series starter, but this is one that I actually DO want to finish 😂 Too bad book 3 isn’t out until January or February I think.
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.0
I hate to give such a low rating to a book before it’s published, but I just can’t bring myself to rate any higher. Too bad, because I remember really loving Rock Paper Scissors!
First of all (and I know this is an ARC), I feel like this still needs some editing. There are a few discrepancies, and some things that just don’t make much sense when the twists are revealed.
Secondly, I had a hard time relating to the MCs. I didn’t really get a sense of their marriage/relationship/chemistry. This was something I noted before the twists and actually made more sense once some of them are revealed, but it made for an unemployable read wherein I found I didn’t care much what happened to them.
I was confused about the size of the island too, enough that it took me out of the story at times. It was mentioned a few times that it’s only 6 miles long and 5 miles wide. But Grady got lost hiking up some mountains he had to drive over the island to get to? This and pretty much the whole premise of the big twist made it really hard to suspend disbelief with this whole book.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.
First of all (and I know this is an ARC), I feel like this still needs some editing. There are a few discrepancies, and some things that just don’t make much sense when the twists are revealed.
Secondly, I had a hard time relating to the MCs. I didn’t really get a sense of their marriage/relationship/chemistry. This was something I noted before the twists and actually made more sense once some of them are revealed, but it made for an unemployable read wherein I found I didn’t care much what happened to them.
I was confused about the size of the island too, enough that it took me out of the story at times. It was mentioned a few times that it’s only 6 miles long and 5 miles wide. But Grady got lost hiking up some mountains he had to drive over the island to get to? This and pretty much the whole premise of the big twist made it really hard to suspend disbelief with this whole book.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
funny
informative
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
Sorry, this one just didn’t do it for me. I almost stopped about halfway through, thinking to myself, “What is the point?” Jackson lightly touches on a nice little selection of social issues but without any real focus or depth to any of them. The plot is practically nonexistent. It’s a great example of a “character-driven” story… but with shallow, undeveloped characters exhibiting little to no growth (save for one who “turned around” only after seeing someone else doing it). Reading her author’s note at the end, it sounds as if she meant the book to be a commentary on the damage immense wealth can have and how some young adults are opting out? This topic didn’t even really play a big part until well into the latter part of the story though. I also just had a really hard time empathizing with their plight.
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was an okay quick read. I kind of wish I had just grabbed it from the library rather than purchasing a copy. The spice level is quite high, which normally wouldn’t bother me, but the kinkiness was pretty distracting. Pay close attention to the author’s trigger warnings. Aside from that, the characters were not uniformly well developed. Blackbird was at turns badass independent serial killer woman, and then helplessly inept waiting for Butcher to save her. I actually very much enjoyed Butcher’s character. It wasn’t enough to carry the plot that was kind of all over the place.
I’m a serial series starter, but I probably won’t be continuing this one. Bummer, it sounded so good too!
I’m a serial series starter, but I probably won’t be continuing this one. Bummer, it sounded so good too!
The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I can’t believe I plowed through this nearly 500 page book in a little over 24 hours. That’s how absolutely enthralled with it I was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Minor: Confinement
A Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this almost as much as A Wolf Called Wander! Especially because it’s set around Whidbey Island, a place I loved and called home for four years. I was so engrossed in Vega and Deneb’s story and learned a lot about orcas. It made for a nice book to discuss in our tween book club too! The kids seemed intrigued by the concept of anthropomorphism, and we had some interesting ideas about how Vega’s opinions about humans changed throughout the book. One passage in particular really stood out to me, where she imagines breaking apart a boat and pulling a human child into the water. This is not really a violent book, but that one passage was disturbing enough to stand out and really reflected the pain she was going through during a difficult experience (no spoilers). I can’t wait to see what comes next from Rosanne Parry!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.25
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Kudos to Jewell Parker Rhodes for tackling such a heavy, difficult subject!! I tried to avoid rating this highly just because of that, but as far as I know this is one of the only middle grade fiction books on the Twin Towers. There’s definitely some merit in that. It did open up conversations with my kids, and for that I appreciate this book.
There is room for improvement, however. It feels as if Rhodes was attempting to write a book specifically for teachers to teach in school. There’s nothing exactly wrong with that, but it is just obvious that’s what this is which can be a little distracting. She also seems to have attempted a few too many themes. For example, the issue of prejudice against Muslims was briefly touched on with Deja’s friend Sabeen, but then it just kind of dropped out of the story. I’m also not entirely sure where Deja’s unhoused status was supposed to come in, except perhaps as a reflection of just how much her father was struggling with PTSD? I don’t know, it just seemed like too many threads that didn’t weave together well.
Still, great POV on the towers and a great jumping off point for discussion.
There is room for improvement, however. It feels as if Rhodes was attempting to write a book specifically for teachers to teach in school. There’s nothing exactly wrong with that, but it is just obvious that’s what this is which can be a little distracting. She also seems to have attempted a few too many themes. For example, the issue of prejudice against Muslims was briefly touched on with Deja’s friend Sabeen, but then it just kind of dropped out of the story. I’m also not entirely sure where Deja’s unhoused status was supposed to come in, except perhaps as a reflection of just how much her father was struggling with PTSD? I don’t know, it just seemed like too many threads that didn’t weave together well.
Still, great POV on the towers and a great jumping off point for discussion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide