rainb0wreads's reviews
182 reviews

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

Something I enjoy about this book is the concept of trauma and how it’s delved into. The magic and the grotesque horror of it all is entertaining yes, but it’s purposeful and necessary to further an understanding of a story about generational trauma and cruelty. What do we become in a fight to free our children from the shackles of dark truths? How far are we willing to go for that to happen. 
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

Go to review page

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

3.75

Entertaining? Yes.
While I think this book does a great job encapsulating much of a realistic global experience in how I think we’d treat the zombie apocalypse, and I enjoyed just how many points of view the story spans, I found that it didn’t change my life or anything like that. However, it was a good story that I enjoyed following along with. Very good as an audiobook 
The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.25

Do I wish that maybe there could be a third installment so I can continue to explore this lesbian pirate masterpiece in all capacities? Well…yes. If this is the end though I think I’ll live unfortunately 

Right out the gate this addition is extremely fast pace and engaging. I love the way the author plays with morality and how it continues to affect the romance that I must say, im glad took a back seat given the circumstances. Nothing is tied up with a perfect bow but I think that’s what this story needed 

That being said I do wish the author had to courage to maybe kill some more characters. That would be my main critique 
The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

Go to review page

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

4.0

This is how one is meant to enter the new year 

Lesbian pirate sci-fi fantasy for the win 

I’m gonna read the second book now 
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Go to review page

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

3.5

1. Nick is an instigator 
2. Rich people are crazy 
3. Yikes 
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? No

4.75

This book absolutely gutted me. I’m a shell of a human being. I am unwell. 

This book hits close to home having family ties on the island of Molokai. I was excited to see what this book had in store but was not prepared for how emotional and raw its storytelling was. Rachel’s connections were so artfully crafted that they felt very much like my own, and so when she grieved I definitely grieved. 

The author also did a very good job painting this story against the backdrop of many historical atrocities committed by America and the rest of the world on Hawaii and showed how they affected the settlement of Kalaupapa.

I love this book a lot actually, the only reason I couldn’t give it a full 5 stars is the fact that the Hawaiian translations of phrases were introduced in very clunky ways that were never consistent and it really bothered me. I think I’m just one to believe that not everything needs to be translated. If they were, it would have perhaps benefited from a glossary at the end instead. 
The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith

Go to review page

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

3.0

I’m not nearly as captivated by this instillation of this series as I was the first book. It was fun but I feel the motivation was a little hard to grasp for each character and the resolutions lacked tension and fight that I was hoping for. The antagonist didn’t feel like a fully developed one. 
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad 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

5.0

I don’t care about being anything remotely close to analytical I don’t CAREEEEEE. This week put me through the wringer and this book got me through it. My girlfriend was the person who told me this was her favorite book because it was the first time she’d really SEEN herself in a book to an T and so I wanted to read it. Forgot we have the same zodiac chart and relatively similar personalities so yeah…this book packed a punch. I am Grace. Grace is me. Her highs were my highs her lows were my lows and we both came out the other side ok. No notes. Thank you 
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

I know a lot of people feel very differently about this book for an array of reasons. I personally was able to gain my own interpretation from it that made the connections between each character and their world feel stronger to me. The ending also felt satisfying because of this reason. I think the hardest thing to get behind was the world building. The language is lyrical and it is vague. I wasn’t sure what kind of world the author was trying to creat and it was extremely confusing to understand where we were at in genre because of it. I had to cling to that house for dear life cause it was the only thing I was able to grasp tangibly. 
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

This was actually insane, and I feel very satisfied with how it ended up going especially because the reveal happened early enough on to make me nervous