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postmodernblues's Reviews (465)

Midnight at the Houdini

Delilah S. Dawson

1.0

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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: No

I don't want to be mean, but I tried to like this book and I just couldn't do it. The writing is unbearably bland and fails to deliver on both narrative and action. The characters are flat and the plot is muddled and contrived. The dialogue is awkward at the best of times and laughably bad (particularly in the exchanges between the three sleazy adult men, which appear to have been drafted by a nine-year-old) at the worst. The book never surprised me and failed to lean into its setting in any meaningful way. For a book that intentionally name-drops The Night Circus and Alice in Wonderland, this book has little regard for magic and doesn't seem to care for whimsy.

Less Is Lost

Andrew Sean Greer

4.25

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

I could read so many Less book, seriously. These characters are always a joy.

Night Shift

Stephen King

3.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Inherent Vice

Thomas Pynchon

3.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Ghosted

Amanda Quain

2.75

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense 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

If you've ever wondered what it would be like if Dan Aykroyd and Jane Austen had managed to collaborate via the elusive medium of cheesy YA rom-com, then boy howdy, is this the book for you!

American Royals II: Majesty

Katharine McGee

1.5

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Filler. Just... filler.

Summer Fun

Jeanne Thornton

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing sad slow-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

" The Get Happies, he said. - What is it you like about them?
They have this spiritual quality, I said, blinking as I looked at the table. -I guess they sound like America to me?" - Jeanne Thornton, Summer Fun, pg. 325

This book absolutely fucking floored me. It is so quietly devastating, speaking poetically about America, about class, about trans identity. Really, though, at its heart, this book is about what it means to love a band. I can't help but think it would make an excellent film.