monarchbooks's Reviews (547)

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

4.5

adventurous dark fast-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: Yes

I finally read this after all these years but I feel like there's so many questions. Why does Gale not volunteer to take Peeta's place? Why does the capital not kill Peeta in surgery and say he died from wounds? How is Katniss so naive to believe that Peeta's love is a ruse?

The Diary of a Social Butterfly

Moni Mohsin

4.0

informative lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I sometimes found myself annoyed by Butterfly's naive, better than everyone demeanor (to quote my friend, she's a bit of a "Desi Karen") but on the other, I also grew to love it. Very lighthearted book that shows a timeline of the war in the Middle East.

She Gets the Girl

Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick

4.5

funny lighthearted 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: Yes

One issue: This should have been New Adult.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 6: Sink or Swim

Kat Leyh, ND Stevenson, Shannon Watters

4.5

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Reading through this series makes me so happy

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea

Ashley Herring Blake

4.5

emotional hopeful 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

I think this book would work better as teen/young adult instead of middle grade, while books about grief are important for younger people, the fact that the book refused to admit that Hazel attempted su*cide, probably because it was intended for a younger audience, bothered me

Edit: Also, what bothers me most is that Evelyn never apologized for not being there for her daughter. Losing her wife, feeling like she's losing her daughter... is not an excuse for not being there when Hazel clearly needed her. Hazel went to her after the first Ocean Club meeting and Evelyn basically told her that she was tough and to deal with it and that's f*cking bullsh*t.

Content Warnings