jamie_reads_stuff's reviews
211 reviews

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

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funny inspiring 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

3.75

Honestly i didnt expect much but it was fairly good? I did enjoy it! While it was predictable and the humor was sometimes really corny and on the nose, I did like Mallory and something about her character felt very endearing. There definitely can be more character depth especially in some of the side characters, but it was fairly good!

Its in between 3.75 and 4 stars
Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

A very sweet and heart wrenching romance!! I do wish there was a bit more distinction between the way that Logan and Mattie’s POV’s were written and some of the time jumps could’ve been less exposition-y but it was a good and important story overall!!
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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adventurous dark tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

Suzanne Collins never disappoints and its so interesting seeing Snow’s inner dialogue and thoughts. Definitely thought provoking and tense!
One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
LISTEN YALL

I wanted to give Olivie Blake another shot. After Atlas Six I was a little bit traumatized because it was my least favorite book of the year and I heard good things about this book, so why not give it a go right?

Now I did like the first half of this book. It wasnt groundbreaking, but it was intriguing enough and the rivalry and the characters were well set up. The writing was good, and I overall was intrigued.

THE SECOND MARZHA (the oldest sister I read it in audiobook, idk how to spell) CAME BACK TO LIFE I LOST IT. WHY would a central part of the conflict suddenly COME BACK TO LIFE??? It was actually really interesting to see the after effects of her death and how it would impact the rivalry, but she’s NOT dead because yadda yadda witchcraft????? Like pLEASE if you wanted to find better ways to make the book longer, don’t unnecessarily kill off a major character and now the story had no point and is just dragging for no reason
 

If you didnt read the spoiler, I will just say that the story feels like it is dragging for no reason. I am just going to stop here, I feel like this audiobook is way to long and right now I dont feel like finishing it. I have to accept that Olivie Blake is not for me.
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

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adventurous mysterious 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 like the Egyptology elements and I overall did enjoy the romance (even if it was a bit predictable). I do think that some of the plot elements felt out if place and the pace was very rushed towards the end. But I did have a decent time, might pick up the second book
The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak

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

2.75

I got through half of the book before I realized I had no idea what was going on or what the stakes were LOL. There’s a lot of timeline jumping but its all very loose and flowy but in a way that ends up making everything a bit confusing. I also still dont understand how the plots tied together.

But the spy shit was lowkey kinda fun.
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

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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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I think that conceptually, this book is really interesting and I do appreciate the world building. However, I think the characters and the writing lacked pretty significantly, it felt a little bit like the world was too big for the book. The main barrier is the amount of characters that were focused on, i think 1-2 characters to focus on would’ve been better. The problem is we couldn’t see some of the character development and it ends up happening off page. If the characters were either given a bit more time to breathe (the book is weirdly kinda short) or if there were less characters to focus on, I think it would be wayyy better
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A fun return to a childhood classic! This book made me nostalgic
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

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dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

A well written shift in perspective that is ultimately about freedom and power rather than the man himself. A fast read but I enjoyed the journey
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

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adventurous hopeful mysterious 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

3.0

The magic system is very unique and I really enjoyed the world building and magic sequences. But it definitely reads like a lot of other YA novels. I think this would be good for those who are looking to get back into reading, but the story beats are ones that have already been told before.