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honeyreads1066's reviews
337 reviews
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
I really did not expect to EAT THIS UP the way that I did.
The hype was absolutely worth it. I think my favourite part of the book was the characters, immediately I found our whole crew extremely loveable and only wanted them to succeed from the get-go. They were all so human and had flaws and just felt so real I had extremely strong emotions for all of them.
Let me just say, usually I'm not keen on romance, especially in a YA book but the relationships and growth, especially between Matthias and Nina, were insane (maybe I'm biased because I love the two of them so much).
The plot as well I love reading about heists, I mean I'm a suckered for the genre in general but I've never seen it done like this. When they said impossible heist with many, MANY twists this was not what I was expecting and I was DELIGHTER.
So yeah maybe my opinion will change when I have processed but right now I'm in love. I will be starting the second one right now and I hope I EAT IT UP like I did the first.
The hype was absolutely worth it. I think my favourite part of the book was the characters, immediately I found our whole crew extremely loveable and only wanted them to succeed from the get-go. They were all so human and had flaws and just felt so real I had extremely strong emotions for all of them.
Let me just say, usually I'm not keen on romance, especially in a YA book but the relationships and growth, especially between Matthias and Nina, were insane (maybe I'm biased because I love the two of them so much).
The plot as well I love reading about heists, I mean I'm a suckered for the genre in general but I've never seen it done like this. When they said impossible heist with many, MANY twists this was not what I was expecting and I was DELIGHTER.
So yeah maybe my opinion will change when I have processed but right now I'm in love. I will be starting the second one right now and I hope I EAT IT UP like I did the first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
This book was absolutely worth the hype.
I was a bit of a sceptic when I started reading it because of course it's split into 4 parts and with the first, I thought hmm I feel like it's going to try too hard to be emotional and just not be but I was so wrong. It had me so so close to tears and that truly is a feat.
The characters themselves were loveable and I really felt like I knew them despite the tiny amount of time we were actually able to see them. I felt like they were all extremely well developed and through snippets of their pasts etc, we really were able to get a complete, 3-dimensional view of what they are like. Also omg I loved all of them.
The plot itself was just amazing, it's so original and I'm not even sure how to describe it. I'm not sure how to explain it but it tried and succeeded in being its own thing and I thank Kawaguchi so much for that.
I'm still processing so I have little to say except I'm a FAN so yeah would recommend 100%.
I was a bit of a sceptic when I started reading it because of course it's split into 4 parts and with the first, I thought hmm I feel like it's going to try too hard to be emotional and just not be but I was so wrong. It had me so so close to tears and that truly is a feat.
The characters themselves were loveable and I really felt like I knew them despite the tiny amount of time we were actually able to see them. I felt like they were all extremely well developed and through snippets of their pasts etc, we really were able to get a complete, 3-dimensional view of what they are like. Also omg I loved all of them.
The plot itself was just amazing, it's so original and I'm not even sure how to describe it. I'm not sure how to explain it but it tried and succeeded in being its own thing and I thank Kawaguchi so much for that.
I'm still processing so I have little to say except I'm a FAN so yeah would recommend 100%.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Grief, and Pregnancy
Milkman by Anna Burns
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Honestly it's just not my vibe. I'm not keen on stuff that's historical and just the writing style was not a me thing.
When Wishes Bleed by Casey L. Bond
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Honestly, this book was exactly what I expected it to be. Whoever said it was like an action based on the selection it's true. There were also some elements of avatar the last Airbender and I guess like the hunger games without the violence.
This book scratched the itch I needed it to, did that mean it was good, not particularly but I did enjoy it until like the last third. There was a madness going on with the big villain, the new character and a reveal that felt not really needed. Also, the last couple of chapters after the battle felt a lot like filler and probably could have happened at the beginning rather than the end.
Overall would I recommend this book, no not really but again it scratched the itch it needed to and I enjoyed it and that's what mattered.
This book scratched the itch I needed it to, did that mean it was good, not particularly but I did enjoy it until like the last third. There was a madness going on with the big villain, the new character and a reveal that felt not really needed. Also, the last couple of chapters after the battle felt a lot like filler and probably could have happened at the beginning rather than the end.
Overall would I recommend this book, no not really but again it scratched the itch it needed to and I enjoyed it and that's what mattered.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Murder
HellSans by Ever Dundas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
I was really interested in the overall idea of the book especially the way it was structured and the concept. However I felt that the execution just got a bit confusing. The way that HSA actually works had me extremely confused and really took me out of the story. I would have carried on had it been explained better.
All of Our Demise by C.L. Herman, Amanda Foody
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- 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 loved this book significantly more than I expected. With sequels or prequels, it's often that the hype and how good the first book is doesn't translate into the second, but here it did extremely well.
I think I was most surprised by the development of the characters. While as with the first book, there were multiple perspectives, even the characters that were not privy to their own POVs I felt were still talked about in great detail, enough for me to connect with them on a level I don't think I did in the first book. Also, the change in relationships and the way things developed felt SO natural. Relationships that, had they been written differently, I would have hated, I absolutely adored and found myself rooting for.
Another thing that surprised me was what Herman decided to do with the plot. I truly thought as I was reading that it was going to be completely predictable, but with every turn of the page, I was pleasantly surprised, sitting at the edge of my seat. There was no way to predict where certain things would go or how certain characteristics would change, and I loved that. I also commend Herman for the fact that she was not scared of making the book sad and did not have a happy ending for everyone. It made me connect to the story a lot more because it once again really did not feel predictable.
Overall, this was a pleasant surprise that I don't want to say too much about, but honestly, I will be recommending this to everything because I think it is up there with my top 5 books I've read this year.
I think I was most surprised by the development of the characters. While as with the first book, there were multiple perspectives, even the characters that were not privy to their own POVs I felt were still talked about in great detail, enough for me to connect with them on a level I don't think I did in the first book. Also, the change in relationships and the way things developed felt SO natural. Relationships that, had they been written differently, I would have hated, I absolutely adored and found myself rooting for.
Another thing that surprised me was what Herman decided to do with the plot. I truly thought as I was reading that it was going to be completely predictable, but with every turn of the page, I was pleasantly surprised, sitting at the edge of my seat. There was no way to predict where certain things would go or how certain characteristics would change, and I loved that. I also commend Herman for the fact that she was not scared of making the book sad and did not have a happy ending for everyone. It made me connect to the story a lot more because it once again really did not feel predictable.
Overall, this was a pleasant surprise that I don't want to say too much about, but honestly, I will be recommending this to everything because I think it is up there with my top 5 books I've read this year.
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
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
4.0
I loved this book honestly.
Firstly the magic system was incredible. I think it was such an interesting idea and I enjoyed every moment reading about it. The plot was simple but effective. It had a large amount of things I didn't expect as well a plot twists.
The characters were really likeable and usually I have issues with main characters but I really was rooting for Ning from beginning to end. The side characters were also very likeable. I was invested in the wellbeing of everyone and even characters that were in a only a few scenes I liked.
I think the only thing is, I wish there was a little more political intrigue. It becames clear that connections and politics were a huge thing when Ning went to the capital but I feel like for its importance it wasn't explored enough.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I look foward to reading the second book when it comes out.
Firstly the magic system was incredible. I think it was such an interesting idea and I enjoyed every moment reading about it. The plot was simple but effective. It had a large amount of things I didn't expect as well a plot twists.
The characters were really likeable and usually I have issues with main characters but I really was rooting for Ning from beginning to end. The side characters were also very likeable. I was invested in the wellbeing of everyone and even characters that were in a only a few scenes I liked.
I think the only thing is, I wish there was a little more political intrigue. It becames clear that connections and politics were a huge thing when Ning went to the capital but I feel like for its importance it wasn't explored enough.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I look foward to reading the second book when it comes out.
Babysitter by Joyce Carol Oates
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
I think this book is a very ambitious choice to start with when you've never read Oates' work before. I like that it's written like poetry but with what I expected the content to be about I found that it disconnected me from the story and the characters. While I'm usually one for abstract pieces of work, the writing style just was not for me but I am intrigued to read other books by this author (maybe a short story ) to get a better feel of the style without the pressure of reading a full-length novel.
Trust by Hernán Díaz
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
2.75
I think I was expecting more from this book than I originally got.
I was intrigued to see that this book is technically 4 novellas as it consists of a novel, autobiography, memoir, and journal, and yet I think I only really connected to the memoir and the novel. I was not aware of it going in, but that is just my lack of research on the book. Though I was pleasantly surprised with the dramatics that the first section of the book entailed and confused with what I thought was only the beginning but was instead the ending to the novel's first part.
Despite this, I carried on reading, intrigued by how the rest of the book would play out, but until about 1/4 of the way through the memoir, I was really dragging my feet trying to get through it. The idea is that the complete truth of the story of this couple must be discovered by the reader as they read each section. Despite this, I felt that the only truth needed was the journal at the end, and I ended up taking that as the complete truth. I do think it was interesting how each part did reveal different aspects to paint a complete picture.
With each different perspective, the characters changed and thus it was hard to get a good read on what they truly were like, but I think that was the point. By seeing these characters from a range of different perspectives, they become more human.
Overall, this just wasn't what I was expecting and my interest was waning a lot during this read, but I appreciated what it was trying to achieve. While I would not recommend it, I recognise that I did find it interesting enough to finish.
I was intrigued to see that this book is technically 4 novellas as it consists of a novel, autobiography, memoir, and journal, and yet I think I only really connected to the memoir and the novel. I was not aware of it going in, but that is just my lack of research on the book. Though I was pleasantly surprised with the dramatics that the first section of the book entailed and confused with what I thought was only the beginning but was instead the ending to the novel's first part.
Despite this, I carried on reading, intrigued by how the rest of the book would play out, but until about 1/4 of the way through the memoir, I was really dragging my feet trying to get through it. The idea is that the complete truth of the story of this couple must be discovered by the reader as they read each section. Despite this, I felt that the only truth needed was the journal at the end, and I ended up taking that as the complete truth. I do think it was interesting how each part did reveal different aspects to paint a complete picture.
With each different perspective, the characters changed and thus it was hard to get a good read on what they truly were like, but I think that was the point. By seeing these characters from a range of different perspectives, they become more human.
Overall, this just wasn't what I was expecting and my interest was waning a lot during this read, but I appreciated what it was trying to achieve. While I would not recommend it, I recognise that I did find it interesting enough to finish.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I wouldn't say I liked this book as much as I was expecting to.
I think I expected too much from this book from the description and I read it for the LGBTQ rep. I think with the way it was marketed I expected the LGBTQ rep to be bigger than what it was but it was still okay. The characters in the book were not particularly likeable and I didn't care for them too much.
Despite that, I was pretty interested in the mystery and had no idea where it would go. Though the ending just confused me and at that point, I was sort of just in it for the vibes. I wish Claudia's relationship with her family was explored more because it seemed like Pek wanted to explore that more than they did but I think it was a realistic and refreshing take on family in general.
Overall, I just felt that this was okay, I didn't hate reading it, but I wish there was a little more emphasis on certain things and that the ending wasn't so confusing. While I wouldn't recommend it because I don't think it was my jam, I didn't not enjoy reading it.
I think I expected too much from this book from the description and I read it for the LGBTQ rep. I think with the way it was marketed I expected the LGBTQ rep to be bigger than what it was but it was still okay. The characters in the book were not particularly likeable and I didn't care for them too much.
Despite that, I was pretty interested in the mystery and had no idea where it would go. Though the ending just confused me and at that point, I was sort of just in it for the vibes. I wish Claudia's relationship with her family was explored more because it seemed like Pek wanted to explore that more than they did but I think it was a realistic and refreshing take on family in general.
Overall, I just felt that this was okay, I didn't hate reading it, but I wish there was a little more emphasis on certain things and that the ending wasn't so confusing. While I wouldn't recommend it because I don't think it was my jam, I didn't not enjoy reading it.