leandrathetbrzero's Reviews (412)

The Tainted Cup

Robert Jackson Bennett

5.0

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Absolutely phenomenal Sherlockian reimagining! A complicated, intricate mystery set in a fantastical world that mixes magic and science, dangerous flora and fauna, and a brilliant Holmes-Watson duo. I loved the relationship dynamic between Ana (our Sherlock) and Din (our Watson), and Din was a great chronicling narrator!

The Lost World

Michael Crichton

4.25

adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book's star was Sarah Harding, and I love it for that!

Hate

Tate James

1.0

fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don't need a why choose in which the protagonist's options are:
- Anger from Inside Out
- Edward Cullen with an electronic keyboard, and
- some dude named after a bear

*Note: There is a homophobic prank in here that gives strong ignorant early 2000s energy.

These Names Make Clues

E.C.R. Lorac

3.0

lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Monstrilio

Gerardo Sámano Córdova

1.0

dark mysterious sad

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book made me so uncomfortable and not in a "literary" way.

The story could have ended with Magos's section, making it a novella I might give 4 stars. But the author decided to keep going, and my rating kept declining. There are some seriously questionable depictions in this book: Lena as a lesbian is fetishized and stereotyped, everyone's infatuation with Magos made absolutely no sense since she was the least likeable character, and finally M (Monstrilio) is childlike throughout the entire book which makes his sexual acts and the erotic violence he performs that much more disturbing.

One particular scene that I hated (among many) includes the following:

Monstrilio is speaking with his father over the phone. He confides in his father about his first sexual experience (totally fine with that), but after he goes into detail about how he bit his sexual partner and how he experienced the smell of sex, the father decides to reenact this with his own partner as soon as his phone call with Monstrilio ended...WHAT.