fruitea's reviews
78 reviews

Circe by Madeline Miller

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

why is everyone so angry and slutty 
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

v engaging and interesting, i was invested in the story throughout, but it does get very graphic (see trigger warnings) and i ended up skipping past a few paragraphs for my own sake. other than that it was a good book and i’ll be continuing the series
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Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

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inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

i enjoyed the story a lot, i think the whole premise was very creative and different to other cinderella retellings i’ve come across. the writing itself was quite straightforward, there was a lot of exposition which felt a little tedious at times. but i think that this isn’t quite young adult, nor is it middle grade. it’s kind of in between. the type of book i should have been reading when i was 13, instead of jacqueline wilson books that made me think all the weird shit that happens in them is like. okay and normal. 
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We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

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nothing to do with the writing or the story, the narration was just infuriating because it felt like they dubbed over the original/initial pronunciations in the recording. like it's hard to explain but if you listen to it you can tell that the actual text & the names were recorded on different occasions and there's always a second of silence after a character's name etc. is said. made it infuriating to listen to so i'll just pick up the actual book.
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

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emotional mysterious 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

5.0

made me cry a lot
The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
nah what the fuck is this 
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The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

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nothing to do with the story or writing, i just didn’t like one of the audiobook narrators because he spoke like an action movie narrator. you know like ‘coming soon to cinemas near you: MEN and GUNS and WAR pew pew pew’ i’ll probably get the ebook instead, at some point. i really am curious about the story and all the lore 
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

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funny 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

 fun to read in class, even victorian characters banter with each other. mrs cheveley is fun and you can't deny she makes some good points.
"people pose as paragons of purity, incorruptibility"
some of the characters are likeable - lord goring, mabel, perhaps gertrude. but unfortunately they (along with mrs cheveley and rob) are capitalists and i don't vibe with that. 4 stars for detached rich people drama.
would've been five if mrs cheveley succeeded. rob bob chiltern deserved to lose his power and money. gotta humble him somehow.
 
The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso

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adventurous 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

4.0

i really enjoyed the first two books and had high hopes for this one. it was alright, but kind of predictable. like the same thing kept happening. also i’m not sure that i even like amalia, she’s very ‘oh no i’m a rich girl who has to choose between a man my age and a man 18 years older than me.’ honey, i don’t think you deserve either of them. she did eventually make herself actually useful. i suppose it showed how sheltered and privileged she was but idk, i hate rich people and would have preferred zaira to be the narrator instead. she’s fun. the ending also felt a little rushed and abrupt, like you’re really going to leave me hanging like that huh? 

4 stars because i think i’m in love with kathe. 

also like. ruven wasn’t immortal. he may have been annoying to kill but for real if you just got a lot of guns and a lot of bullets eventually he’s gonna die. if only they had my wisdom.
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The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso

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adventurous 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

i was so invested in the story throughout the whole book. i was so nervous for the characters, i could hardly put the book down. the worldbuilding is developed more in this one, and it's really intricate and unique. also i love how we see the characters continuing to develop in a natural way. it's not rushed or forced - they're still facing their inner conflicts, the pressures they have to deal with, relationship problems, all of that.
also mr kathe crow lord, feel free to hmu
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