megan_bbender's reviews
88 reviews

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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

3.0

Due to the amount of attention that this book has received I was severely underwhelmed. This book has virtually no depth with characters or plot, or anything. It is extremely hard to connect with the characters and the book felt as if it was private and holding back. There were beautiful metaphors all throughout. However, the only part of the book that I could feel any emotion were the last 30-or-so pages.
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Mosquitoland by David Arnold

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adventurous emotional funny slow-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

This book is a hidden gem and I'm so glad to have read it. It was a refreshing read with Mim's very intriguing adventure and all throughout the book had amazingly funny one liners and hilarious interactions. With that being said, this book does an amazing job at portraying real life; how quickly life can go from joy to sadness. Reader's should allow Mim to serve as a reminder to focus on the goods things, and no matter how bumpy the road seems you'll always make it through with greatness. 
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More Than Words by Jill Santopolo

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challenging emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.5

This was the first romance novel I have ever read... and I'm glad. I absolutely could not put this book down! Certain adult scenes were flat out awkward and a bit unrealistic as well as a few sentences did not really make sense or flow well together, however the book was overall well written and the language was very easy to read. The author explains ideas very well and it was very easy to understand. I was rooting for Nina the entire time and got super excited throughout the book, especially towards the end. This book was very satisfying and I would definitely recommend it to others. I wish we could have gone more in depth with the other character's personalities and back stories but then, I can see why the author chose not to do that. Overall, great read!
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666 by Jay Anson

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

4.75

The foreshadowing is amazing and the parts of realization had my jaw on the floor. The way that the author slowly reveals that everything is connected is done extremely well, and works out very greatly for the book. The author never gives away too much at once so it was a very hard book to put down, especially towards the end! The ending could have been predictable, but while reading it was totally unexpected. However, the epilogue gave great continuation. I would definitely recommend this book to a lot of people. It is a super quick and easy read, but definitely worth it.
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The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I was assigned to read this book in english class and it quickly became one of my favourites. This book is based on a true story and it is beautifully written; it does an amazing job at portraying the story of Jeannette Walls. While reading, it felt like I was in the story beside Jeannette the whole time. The writer does an excellent job at portraying emotions and allows readers to truly feel connected to the characters. It was so amazing to watch the growth of those in the book. I could not put the book down and read it very quickly. I would definitely recommend. 
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Zoo by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

The Suspect by Fiona Barton

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adventurous hopeful tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Honestly this book was disappointing. I found it extremely slow and thought it just kept dragging on. It seemed like it was never going to end. There was an unnecessary amount of transitions to different perspectives throughout the book. The writing was awkward and the story was all over the place, however that did provide a sense of the chaos that characters in the book were feeling. The ending was very predictable and there was only one small plot twist in the story that actually surprised me. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this book to anyone. 
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Hangman by Jack Heath

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dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

This book is so well-written and set up so nicely that even after a lot of time has passed since I read it I can still remember details very vividly. This story is very easy to read and it is extremely captivating, there are many twists throughout the book that will keep readers on their feet at all times. I have recommended this book to everyone I know. As well as this book remains my favourite to this day and after reading countless other stories, nothing can compete. This is the book that got me back into reading! 
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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

If I could give less stars I would. Unfortunately I absolutely hated this book and I can easily say with no hesitation or second thought that it is the worst book I have ever read. I had to force myself to finish the book so that I could know for sure my opinions were correct.  This book should be free in schools, and mandatory in class so that students can learn how not to write a book. This book was dull, extremely slow, boring, and no part of this story had any depth. I will give the author a bit of credit and say that the inserts with the childhood stories were decent and the ending was clever, but nonetheless the ending was the best part, because it was finally over! If I had to choose between rereading this book and pushing a button that stopped the obliteration of the earth, that button would not get pushed because I cannot comprehend the mental suffering I would go through if I had to read this book a second time. 
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense 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

5.0

This is one of the most amazingly and beautifully written books I have ever come across, it has an amazing concept and the events lined up perfectly. I would give more stars if I could, I just could not stop reading! The writing style was a bit different but I loved the different perspectives at certain points to remind readers of the fictitious world outside of Rufus' and Mateo's adventure. I loved watching Mateo's character development and I loved watching both character's grow and become comfortable with one another, as well as how they decided to continue their story during the time they spent together. Throughout the book, they never pressed pause and even the ending leads readers to believe that there is more. I continue to hope for a sequel!