Scan barcode
lowkeymarie's reviews
561 reviews
Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves by Nicola Twilley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
I made it 200 pages into this book. I really tried. And maybe I could've made it all the way through on audio, idk. There is some really interesting information in this book, but it all just fell flat for me. Possibly I was just not as fascinated by the subject as I thought it would be, but I think with a different writing style I might have been able to ingest the information more readily.
Wolf Gone Wild by Juliette Cross
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really should've DNF'd this one, but there was just enough to keep me slowly coasting all the way through it.
I didn't feel like the chemistry between the main characters was anything special. The attempt was there to make it a meaningful, deep connection between them, but it mostly just came across as lust + like.
The constant "nerdy" references, mostly Star Wars-related, got on my nerves, I'll be honest. And the inclusion of them watching The Force Awakens feels pretty specific to that time in pop culture, which is a pet peeve of mine in books. There were also just a lot of things in the writing that I found cringey, including a grown-ass woman referring to her vulva as "my little lady." NO.
The worldbuilding was just enough to keep me reluctantly picking the book back up, but I still needed more from it. Perhaps over the course of the series, that element becomes stronger.
I will say that the sex scenes were decently hot, so I'll give it that one. 😅😏👍
I didn't feel like the chemistry between the main characters was anything special. The attempt was there to make it a meaningful, deep connection between them, but it mostly just came across as lust + like.
The constant "nerdy" references, mostly Star Wars-related, got on my nerves, I'll be honest. And the inclusion of them watching The Force Awakens feels pretty specific to that time in pop culture, which is a pet peeve of mine in books. There were also just a lot of things in the writing that I found cringey, including a grown-ass woman referring to her vulva as "my little lady." NO.
The worldbuilding was just enough to keep me reluctantly picking the book back up, but I still needed more from it. Perhaps over the course of the series, that element becomes stronger.
I will say that the sex scenes were decently hot, so I'll give it that one. 😅😏👍
Unraveled by Shannon Messenger
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I really need the author to wrap this series tf up. 😒 (But also Keefe is my son and I love him.)
Frostbite by Jason Shawn Alexander, Joshua Williamson
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This wasn't really my cup of tea, but I absolutely see why it's valuable for teaching!
Now that I've read it, it's even clearer to me how beyond ridiculous it is that this book was recently being considered for restriction/removal in my state in my state because of one upright parent who said it was making her kid and all his classmates uncomfortable. Fuck book bans. 👎
Now that I've read it, it's even clearer to me how beyond ridiculous it is that this book was recently being considered for restriction/removal in my state in my state because of one upright parent who said it was making her kid and all his classmates uncomfortable. Fuck book bans. 👎
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Rape and Suicidal thoughts
Adulthood Rites by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
The Lion's Den by Iris Mwanza
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Did not finish book. Stopped at 57%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 57%.
DNF 12/24/24 @ 57%
The mystery/thriller side of this is not particularly compelling, and the romance side is a total drag. The main characters have no chemistry, barely any personalities, and the intensity of their feelings towards each other feels completely unearned. I think in order for this premise to have worked it would need to much faster paced, with main characters that have more of a rivalry to keep it fun and spicy.
The mystery/thriller side of this is not particularly compelling, and the romance side is a total drag. The main characters have no chemistry, barely any personalities, and the intensity of their feelings towards each other feels completely unearned. I think in order for this premise to have worked it would need to much faster paced, with main characters that have more of a rivalry to keep it fun and spicy.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I'm not sure if it's because I went in expecting something a little different or maybe because my mind is preoccupied this time of year, but I did struggle with the pacing of the first half of this book. I think I would have preferred a bit more of a tighter focus in the beginning as it felt a bit slow and bloated. And that's really the only thing I have approaching criticism of this book as everything else was magnificent and heart-wrenching and infuriating.
This story and these characters are going to stay with me for a long time. The author's notes in the back revealed some extra details as well as the inspiration for telling this story, which makes it feel even more important.
I'm eager to read more of Tananarive Due's works (although I'm going to need some time to emotionally recover, ngl).
This story and these characters are going to stay with me for a long time. The author's notes in the back revealed some extra details as well as the inspiration for telling this story, which makes it feel even more important.
I'm eager to read more of Tananarive Due's works (although I'm going to need some time to emotionally recover, ngl).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal death and War