kaitlynisliterate's Reviews (466)

Pros
+ A fast enjoyable read

Cons
- Ethan's behavior really pushes the suspension of disbelief.

He does not care about any of the indications that someone (other than himself and Tricia) is presently living in the house. He constantly attributes these indications (eg: fresh food in the fridge) to their real estate agent, Judy, even when it makes no sense or suggests that his wife, Tricia, is lying/misremembering (borderline gaslighting.) This is not related to the plot twist either.

- Tricia's behavior is even more unbelievable because she accepts Ethan's half-baked explanations and continually brushes things off despite seeing them with her own eyes

Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss

Pros
+ The villain was so so creepy, perfectly written to get a visceral reaction of disgust
+ I love that the plot twist isn't in the last chapter but in the latter half of the book. We get to see how the reveal plays out.
+ Some funny moments of dark humor

Cons
- The main character, Millie's, internal monologue goes from entertaining to annoying a few times
- Writing is fine, not exactly great

The dystopian elements felt poorly thought out and did not make sense to me. I did not connect to the main character who seemed rude and judgemental towards other people (her neighbour and the tea salesman) for no reason. Finally, the writing style where the main character is ostensibly writing a journal/diary just did not work for me.

My first Neil Gaiman book and it did not disappoint. 
 
Pros
+ Gaiman's ability to blend the mundane with the fantastical. 
++ Gaiman's prose is simply exquisite. His writing style transports readers into a world that is both familiar and extraordinary. The story is narrated through the eyes of a young boy, whose innocent perspective captures the essence of childhood wonder and curiosity. 

Cons
- I wanted more closure with the main character's parents, especially regarding

the father's anger issues

Pros
+ The premise of Lore, ancient Greek gods forced to become mortal and be hunted every 7 years with their powers passing to their killer, is undeniably fascinating.
+The world-building, particularly the blending of myth and reality, is one of the book's strengths and offers a subtle but incisive critique of warrior culture.

Cons
- The book struggles with pacing and character development. The side characters, and even the protagonist to some extent, lack the necessary depth and complexity to truly resonate with the reader. They often feel one-dimensional and fail to evoke a strong emotional connection.

The relationship between Miles and Van is given very little build-up and its unclear why they would even like each other

- The plot twists are either extremely predictable (and thus lack the impact they should have) or completely out-of-the-blue.

Athena does a complete change of heart and sacrifices herself to give Lore her powers to stop the destruction of NYC. She was completely fine with that earlier but suddenly takes her role as defender of cities seriously.

TLDR: Promising Concept, Hindered Execution

Pros
+ Quick short story, very easy to read in letter format

Cons
- Kind of basic story, what you see is what you get

Pros
+ Intriguing premise

Cons
- The story often feels drawn out, with prolonged periods of slow plot progression. 
- Certain plot points and revelations felt a bit contrived, stretching the limits of plausibility.

Pros
+ Great worldbuilding, love the steampunk vibe
+ Intriguing mystery

Cons
- The plot twist was predictable once they focused on one suspect, it was clearly

not the fuck up brother but the sister who acts dumb on purpose.