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katieb94's reviews
727 reviews
Catwoman, Vol. 6: Keeper of the Castle by Genevieve Valentine
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Catwoman, Vol. 5: Race of Thieves by Ann Nocenti
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Catwoman, Vol. 4: Gotham Underground by Ann Nocenti
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory
emotional
informative
reflective
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
4.5
I’ve always had an affinity for Gregory’s books on the Tudors. I’ve read most of the books in this series, focusing predominantly on the Queens so it was great to read on based on a lesser known member of the Tudor dynasty- Henry VIII’s older sister, Margaret.
She married King James of Scotland, and then when he was killed, struggled to keep her regency whilst protecting her baby son, ended up remarrying for love, and discovering that even then people, like her brother, were against her.
In some chapters she has a very childish mindset, and she is 13 when the book begins but her selfishness to be above her other sister showed how much self importance the nobles had back then.
Her character doesn’t really develop, she has a fiery temper, which can make some of her decisions come back and bite her in the back.
Henry doesn’t really treat her great, slandering her about her choices when he basically is making the same ones.
There isn’t a lot in History about her, so it was good to get to know her story through her eyes. Phillippa Gregory is great at giving the women of history a strong voice.
I’m glad I read this story, as I now know more about her than I did before. She is everything as important as her brother and deserves just as much for her life to be shared.
She married King James of Scotland, and then when he was killed, struggled to keep her regency whilst protecting her baby son, ended up remarrying for love, and discovering that even then people, like her brother, were against her.
In some chapters she has a very childish mindset, and she is 13 when the book begins but her selfishness to be above her other sister showed how much self importance the nobles had back then.
Her character doesn’t really develop, she has a fiery temper, which can make some of her decisions come back and bite her in the back.
Henry doesn’t really treat her great, slandering her about her choices when he basically is making the same ones.
There isn’t a lot in History about her, so it was good to get to know her story through her eyes. Phillippa Gregory is great at giving the women of history a strong voice.
I’m glad I read this story, as I now know more about her than I did before. She is everything as important as her brother and deserves just as much for her life to be shared.
Catwoman, Vol. 3: Death of the Family by Ann Nocenti
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The magic element just seemed really out of place
Catwoman, Vol. 2: Dollhouse by Judd Winick
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Catwoman, Vol. 1: The Game by Judd Winick
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
3.0
This book started off really slow for me and I very nearly DNFed it because I just found all the characters to be boring and un relatable . However, once the drama started I found myself unable to put it down.
The story follows The Richardson’s, a wealthy family living in a wealthy community, and Mia and Pearl- a mother and daughter not as well off who are renting from them. They are complete opposites but the kids love Pearl and Mrs Richardson uses Mia as a housekeeper to help her pay rent.
It works, for a while, and then things seem to go wrong.
Friends of the Richardson’s try to adopt a Chinese-America baby. The mother finds out, and the whole dynamic changes.
It was really interesting to read how it all changed, how the attitudes of everyone were conflicted.
It’s set in the 80s and you can tell reading that, a lot of the views are very old fashioned and wouldn’t be accepted in today’s society. It’s not surprising what happens at the end- and to be honest I was expecting rebellion before.
Some people would say that it has a positive end, some may say it is negative and to be honest it’s quite indifferent.
There isn’t really an ending.
It just ends.
I’m glad I read this book as Celeste NG is an author I’ve heard people talk about often.
I just didn’t feel anything for the characters despite the great story telling.
3/5 stars
The story follows The Richardson’s, a wealthy family living in a wealthy community, and Mia and Pearl- a mother and daughter not as well off who are renting from them. They are complete opposites but the kids love Pearl and Mrs Richardson uses Mia as a housekeeper to help her pay rent.
It works, for a while, and then things seem to go wrong.
Friends of the Richardson’s try to adopt a Chinese-America baby. The mother finds out, and the whole dynamic changes.
It was really interesting to read how it all changed, how the attitudes of everyone were conflicted.
It’s set in the 80s and you can tell reading that, a lot of the views are very old fashioned and wouldn’t be accepted in today’s society. It’s not surprising what happens at the end- and to be honest I was expecting rebellion before.
Some people would say that it has a positive end, some may say it is negative and to be honest it’s quite indifferent.
There isn’t really an ending.
It just ends.
I’m glad I read this book as Celeste NG is an author I’ve heard people talk about often.
I just didn’t feel anything for the characters despite the great story telling.
3/5 stars
Daring New Adventures of Supergirl, Volume 1 by Paul Kupperberg, Carmine Infantino
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up by Evanna Lynch
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Reading this book, there were some similarities between my ED (diagnosed at 11, discharged at 18) and Evanna’s but I’m also thankful that reading this book gave me an open mind that it could have got worse for me, thankfully I was never admitted into hospital or a clinic, due it scaring me and I didn’t want to be away from my parents.
It can be really triggering to read a book about anorexia as someone who suffered from the disease. There were definitely moments when I had to just stop because it became all too real.
She’s right that recovery takes a while- those with ED’s never fully recover.
I almost relapsed a couple of years ago due to being in a toxic work environment.
However, I have read a few books covering this topic and have never read one that is so real and so stark in contrast. This book was so real. Too real, but it needed to be written to show just how difficult it is to have an eating disorder.
3/5 stars
I’m going to be thinking about this book for a while.
It can be really triggering to read a book about anorexia as someone who suffered from the disease. There were definitely moments when I had to just stop because it became all too real.
She’s right that recovery takes a while- those with ED’s never fully recover.
I almost relapsed a couple of years ago due to being in a toxic work environment.
However, I have read a few books covering this topic and have never read one that is so real and so stark in contrast. This book was so real. Too real, but it needed to be written to show just how difficult it is to have an eating disorder.
3/5 stars
I’m going to be thinking about this book for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Medical content
Moderate: Body shaming and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Fatphobia