laurenleigh's reviews
621 reviews

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

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

3.0

Eh this was fine, just not much to write home about. I’ll probably still continue with the series because I’ve heard great things about further Shadowhunter books, but I wasn’t especially captivated by this book. I do NOT understand why we’re continuing with a certain romance storyline (iykyk). But there were still interesting parts, like the fairy court. I still think it’s worth getting through some 3 star reads to set the stage for further books.
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

This series is all just an automatic 5 stars for me. I will never tire of Nick and Charlie’s love! It’s so wonderful to watch their character growth over time and see what kind of men they’re growing up to be. Being a part of their journey is healing to my inner teenage self! I watched season 3 of the show right after reading this, and it’s amazing how closely they have stayed to the text. Both the books and the show are absolutely brilliant, and any hype you’re hearing is 100% deserved.
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

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

3.5

The first book in this series really benefitted from a structured plot, and this installment had the same. Our characters here are on an Inferno-like journey into the underworld, and separating the story into the different levels kept the pace moving. There was a good amount of descriptive imagery of the underworld, but I always struggled to actually picture it, unfortunately. The character arc is rather predictable, but I don’t mind so much since I find Miche relatable. I’ll probably continue when the next book comes out; I’m hoping for more politics in this world!
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

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lighthearted 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

3.5

I’m honestly surprised how much I liked this romcom! It was a case where I’m thinking about the characters outside of reading, which is always a good sign. Grace’s characters are really where the book shines. I feel very connected to them. So much so that I’ll likely pick up the other books in the series. Where this book fell flatter was in the pacing and story structure. The plot meandered at times and would have truly benefited from some editing down. And plenty of plot points just didn’t really make sense at all or weren’t believable.
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Overall, this was a good wrap up to the Shepherd King duology. Again, I love this magic system, and Gillig has created some great multi-dimensional characters. Super atmospheric read. I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as the first book though. There was a new romance plot that felt a bit forced. These characters were in the first book, but I didn’t see any hint of a romance at all? I would have been fine with it if there had been at least a breadcrumb of attraction in the first book.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

After failing with Piranesi, I thought this would be an easier book to digest. Only to find myself in the middle of time travel story that I could NOT make sense of. There were all these rules the characters kept mentioning, but yikes I was so lost. I gave up on trying to make sense of that, but I still just didn’t really care about any of these characters other than the young daughter (surprise surprise). Again, I don’t think this was a bad book, but it wasn’t for me at this time.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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challenging mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I’m afraid this was good book/bad timing syndrome. I’ve heard wonderful things for years and finally got around to it, but probably not at the right moment. I heard the plot was confusing at first but then all came together at the end in a brilliant way, but...I was confused the whole way through. It feels like this went way over my head. Chalking it up to baby brain. It didn’t feel like bad writing and the audiobook narration was great, I just couldn’t get into it at all during this postpartum phase.
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Yeah, no thank you. Not my cup of tea! This livestream TV show concept didn’t feel believable at all. The characters have somehow been pining after each other for 15 years but also had zero contact that whole time? So even with all those years, it still felt like insta-love, which is a turn off. Also way too much smut for me; it just starts to get boring and repetitive. I did however really like our FMC! Can we transplant her into another book?
The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

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

4.0

It’s fun to revisit this world and these characters that I love so much. I thought it might be a whole new cast with mere cameos from the original folks, but it’s still very centered on the Darker Shades cast. However, I wish there was more action and excitement. It felt overall rather slow with a lot of set up for the subsequent books. The White London storyline in particular wasn’t holding my attention well. The last 75 pages or so were great, and I would have liked more of that pacing throughout.
Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir by Dolly Alderton

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emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.0

Alderton chronicles her millennial coming of age, from a preteen obsession with online instant messengers to thirtieth birthday parties. Lots of it was highly relatable, though I personally phased out of late night partying earlier. Even just reading about her 4am escapades exhausted me lol.  (No shade, just where I’m at!) The message I appreciate the most here is that our western culture can value romantic love above all else, when platonic, familial, and self love are just as important.