lindsaylhunter's reviews
165 reviews

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

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

3.0

Weird. So bizarre. But in a can't-and-won't-stop-reading-it kind of way. Palahniuk lays out all the pieces before you between page 1 and 250. It's only in the last 10 that he grants you the relief of pulling them all together to see the whole picture. Complete fever dream of a novel but different, which is what so many authors strive for and never achieve.
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Luster by Raven Leilani

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dark funny reflective sad slow-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

3.0

The truth is that when the officer had his arm pressed into my neck, there was a part of me that felt like, all right. Like, fine. Because there will always be a part of me that is ready to die.

I can't figure out how I feel about this one! The author has a subtly humourous style to her writing and I absolutely loved the pacing of the first half. But the second half noted a very harsh change in pace, a bit like wading through treacle.
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Service by Sarah Gilmartin

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

3.5

Never has a book made me say "get his ass" with such frequency.
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Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

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dark emotional medium-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

2.0

Immensely unenjoyable dialogue delivered by immensely unlikeable characters. And yet it kept me reading to the end, so I don't know. What does that say about me?
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Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks

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dark emotional inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I want to like this more. The first third was looking good but it started to dwindle pretty quickly after that, even given the subject matter being tackled.
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Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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? No

5.0

History is a silent record of people who could not leave, it is a record of those who did not have a choice, you cannot leave when you have nowhere to go and have not the means to go there, you cannot leave when your children cannot get a passport, cannot go when your feet are rooted in the earth and to leave means tearing off your feet. 

Jesus. This book will cut off your air supply. The paragraph structure forces your eyes to keep moving from left to right and sooner or later you'll feel the panic start to set in.
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Rouge by Mona Awad

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

2.5

Second half was better, though the ending fell flat. If you told me I had to reread this one I think I'd cry.
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This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

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

3.5

Every evening I see a red sky bleed over blue water and think of us. Have you ever watched this kind of sunset? The colours don't blend: the redder the sky the bluer the water, as we tilt away from the sun.

I'll not lie - the first half of this book had me wondering what the hell all the fuss was about. It felt almost impossible to sink my teeth into the novel because of the prose and the apparent lack of world-building. Then the second half hit. The prose started making more sense and the characters' plight felt real. Beautiful, convoluted and twisting, I'd take this kind of romance over anything by Ali Hazelwood any day of the week.
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Wandering Souls by Cécile Pin

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emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

4.5

A deep dive into the long lives of three siblings left adrift in England when they lose their family. Their exploration of grief is harrowing.

This one could easily be a five star read for me - next time I read it, it will be the print version and not the audiobook (though it was beautifully read).
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