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funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a really fun, creative story that took the apocalypse/antichrist plot in a new and interesting way. The format made it a touch hard to read at times - there’s really no chapters, just days and then jumping section in between - so it was a little hard to find a good stopping point some times. Haven’t seen the TV show yet, but imagine I’ll probably enjoy it even more because I can see the story working even better as something watchable. Plus, David Tennant. I’d probably recommend this book to fans of Neil Gaiman or folks looking for a fun, light mythology type of read, but even thought I enjoyed it - hence the high rating - I’m not sure it quite lives up to the hype.
The only thing I'm getting is that there are two equally attractive guys interested in this cliche "good girl that's secretly kind of bad" character that is desperately set up to be Not Like Other Girls. The point of view changes arbitrarily and there's no explanation as to what this tagging system is for different human souls. Read like someone's first attempt at a love triangle where the author tried to do something big and epic, but just didn't have the skills for it.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you want a math-theme sort of love story, read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.
If you want a story about teen pregnancy, watch Juno.
If you want a story about teen pregnancy, watch Juno.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was hooked on the Grishaverse from the very first scene. I ADORE when science and magic are partners instead of foes. then, we layer in tension between nations and more between the rich and poor within just one nation. It felt like the sort of high fantasy you expect out of a Game of Thrones-type book, but without feeling too bogged down with the complexities - I had a blast with it!
With the rich world, it was a little hard for me to get behind Alina as our hero because she, in contrast, felt sort of flat. I did eventually warm up to her. I also found most of the supporting cast to be balanced and I especially love Genya. She reminded me a lot of Iko from The Lunar Chronicles. There’s just something so healing about a girly, fierce friend. Meanwhile, the Darkling I felt started off great, but kind tarnished over time. I think I only liked him because I know Ben Barnes portrays the character in the Netflix show.
Between the war, the secret experiments, the shady religious advisor, the mythos of the saints, and Alina’s journey being a literal embodiment of hope, there are SO many ways Bardugo could take this story and it keyed me up ready for the next one!
The main characters’ inner monologues were so insufferably Quirky™️ that it felt like a tweenager’s first attempt at writing something but from people who have written multiple books prior to this. Usually, I find that the plot lets down the premise, but in this case it was the prose that turned me off of what could have been an exceptionally fun, cute holiday novel. What a shame, honestly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Grief
dark
mysterious
sad
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
This was a book that I’ve had for quite a while and was interested in reading as a lover of sci-fi stories. Having read it, I’m not sure I gained any more respect for it.
Caveat: I don’t have a great track record of liking classics, so definitely take my opinion with a grain of salt!
I only knew the bare bones of the story through pop culture references. I was expecting a gothic, atmospheric story of man’s hubris. The actual story didn’t quite hit that mark. Mostly, I was bored. The monster featured so little, most of the characters were flat, and framing it as a story being told to a man on a mission to the North Pole felt unnecessary. The most interesting part was what the monster did after running away from Victor, but that was told as a dry conversation rather than actually spending time in that space. It frankly made Felix out to be a more enticing character than anyone else in the book.
Luckily, I read through the info in the front of my copy that explained some of the historical context that Mary Shelley wrote it under. If I hadn’t, I’d feel even more disconnected from the point of it all than I already am. If you’re only looking at it as an example of historic literature, it’s a fascinating study. However, that’s not what I was doing.
Knowing the kind of reader I am, I should have done the audiobook to better comprehend and connect with the story, or just picked my favorite movie adaption and called it good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death, Medical content, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Racism
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book did not deliver on the promises of the back cover blurb. I wanted to see what growing up was like for Elizabeth, wanted the tension that came with Victor being sent away for school and coming back amid tragedy that he helped cause. The flashbacks were as close as we got, but they came in only when Elizabeth was reminiscing on a specific memory.
While Elizabeth was positioned as being a master manipulator, it had a desperate edge to it that didn’t strike the right cord for me. In the beginning, I couldn’t tell if Elizabeth truly wanted to be with Victor or if she just was compelled due to her station - and I don’t think I was supposed to question that. Victor retained his dramatic pick-me tendencies from the original story, but with a more sinister, psychotic edge which was the best combination of original text and innovation by White in the whole novel.
In fact, the one plus this reimagining has over the original text is that it had much more of the gothic, creepy vibes I expected from a story about reanimating the dead. Although, if I hadn’t read Frankenstein right before, then I’m not sure I would have enjoyed this book since everyone’s travel across Europe would have seemed overly random.
The final nail in the coffin for me was the ending. There was promise when the author changed Elizabeth’s end from the original text, even if I didn’t love the implication that Victor wrote a fictitious version of events that became The Modern Prometheus (put some respect on Mary Shelley’s name). Still, it was a chance for the author to get creative. Elizabeth’s final confrontation, however, felt a bit rushed and out of the blue, and then the literal last page went back on her characterization for the back half of the book. My opinion of the book plummeted from ‘fine’ to ‘annoying’.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is just one of those stories where the premise is better than the actual plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Murder, Pregnancy
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I know it’s a romance novel but Bee and Levi were perfectly matched. At times, it felt like Ali was really pushing Bee to be the Quirky Science Girl (TM), but I still deeply wanted to see her succeed. Levi gave me total Mr. Darcy vibes, as he was grumpy without being a total jerk. His inner monologue was also so stinking cute! * squealing in hopeless romantic *
The progression of the story felt really natural and there was never a bit where I felt like the action was lagging or too overwhelming. I started out wishing Bee and Levi got together sooner, but how it happened was much better. I sort of predicted the twist, but it was still widely entertaining. Because of this, I think this story would be a great book to adapt to a movie.
I wanted a cute romance novel and Love on the Brain delivered. While the characters were maybe a little more basic than I’m used to in my usual reads, the chemistry and plot were excellent! I’ll definitely be recommending this to my friends and looking forward to reading her other novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Medical content, Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Suicide
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Self harm
Moderate: Kidnapping