Mini Reviews: Books I Never Got Around to Reviewing

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on August 23, 2019 | 2 Comments


Mini Reviews: Books I Never Got Around to ReviewingBird Box by Josh Malerman
Published by Ecco (3.27.2014)
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Format: Hardcover, 262 pages
Source: Library


3.5 Stars

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

My thoughts

I never reviewed this way back when I read it, but I just discovered a half-assed review draft on the blog and thought I’d transfer it here. Cuz let’s face it, I’m never gonna actually write a real review *shrugs*

I really enjoyed the movie, but when I saw it I was thinking to myself, “I read the book but I don’t remember ANY of this???” So I don’t know if they changed a lot or if my memory is just terrible, lol. Anyway, here’s what I had:

This book was SUPER creepy! What makes this so terrifying is that you’re robbed completely of sight. The imagination makes things sooo much worse, making this story rather disturbing. It kinda freaked me out at times, and that’s saying something for me! It was full of suspense. It’s definitely a psychological thriller that screws with your brain.

The main complaint I had about this book was that the writing style felt very disconnected and unfeeling. I didn’t get much emotion from the story while reading, despite the high stakes. Also, the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. We got no real answers. What actually happened? What are the “creatures?” I NEED TO KNOW.

Overall assessment

Plot: 4/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 2.5/5
Originality: 5/5
Characters: 2.5/5
World-building: 3/5
Pace: 3.5/5
Feels: 1/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall rating: 3.5/5

Mini Reviews: Books I Never Got Around to ReviewingSmoke & Key by Kelsey Sutton
Published by Entangled Teen (4.2.2019)
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: eARC, 304 pages
Source: NetGalley


3 Stars

A sound awakens her. There's darkness all around. And then she's falling...

She has no idea who or where she is. Or why she's dead. The only clue to her identity hangs around her neck: a single rusted key. This is how she and the others receive their names—from whatever belongings they had when they fell out of their graves. Under is a place of dirt and secrets, and Key is determined to discover the truth of her past in order to escape it.

She needs help, but who can she trust? Ribbon seems content in Under, uninterested in finding answers. Doll’s silence hints at deep sorrow, which could be why she doesn't utter a word. There's Smoke, the boy with a fierceness that rivals even the living. And Journal, who stays apart from everyone else. Key's instincts tell her there is something remarkable about each of them, even if she can't remember why.

Then the murders start; bodies that are burnt to a crisp. After being burned, the dead stay dead. Key is running out of time to discover who she was—and what secret someone is willing to kill to keep hidden—before she becomes the next victim…

My thoughts

I put this review off for so long that I really don’t remember anything about the book. I also didn’t really have much to say about it after I finished, which is another reason I never reviewed it.

The idea of it was fantastic – our MC wakes up dead, underground, with no idea who she is or how she died. All she has is a key for a hint. So cool! They mystery surrounding this story was definitely the driving point. It’s what kept me going.

I didn’t really care about any of the characters, sadly. They didn’t seem to have much depth, therefore I wasn’t invested in them. Even when characters were dying I couldn’t summon an ounce of feeling. I think that was one of the main things that killed this story for me, because it honestly had great potential.

I enjoyed the little twist at the end! I found the story to be original, and intriguing because of the mystery – and it was a fairly quick and easy read, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. It’s one of those books you enjoy while you’re reading it, but don’t really think about it again once you finish.

Overall assessment

Plot: 3.5/5
Premise: 4.5/5
Writing style: 3/5
Originality: 5/5
Characters: 2/5
World-building: 3/5
Pace: 3/5
Feels: 1/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 3/5

Mini Reviews: Books I Never Got Around to ReviewingJinxed by Amy McCulloch
Series: Jinxed #1
Published by Simon & Schuster (8.9.2018)
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Format: Paperback, 323 pages
Source: Library


2.5 Stars

Lacey Chu has big dreams of becoming a companioneer for MONCHA, the largest tech firm in North America and the company behind the "baku" - a customisable smart pet that functions as a phone but makes the perfect companion too. When Lacey finds out she hasn't been accepted into Profectus - the elite academy for cutting edge tech - it seems her dreams are over. Worst of all, rather than getting to choose one of the advanced bakus, she’s stuck with a rubbish insect one.

Then, one night, Lacey comes across the remains of an advanced baku. Once it might’ve been in the shape of a cat but it’s now mangled and broken, no sign of electronic life behind its eyes. Days of work later and the baku opens its eyes. Lacey calls him Jinx – and Jinx opens up a world for her that she never even knew existed, including entry to the hallowed halls of Profecus. Slowly but surely, Jinx becomes more than just a baku to Lacey – he becomes her perfect companion. But what is Jinx, really? His abilities far surpass anything written into his code or built into his motherboard. He seems to be more than just a robotic pet. He seems ... real.

My thoughts

This one was a MAJOR letdown. Being a crazy cat lady and a sucker for any kind of cat story, I had pretty high hopes for this one. I mean, it’s a book pitched to be about a girl who befriends a robotic cat. Sign me TF up!!

And it was, in a way. But it was much more about Lacey finding her way in the fancy school she got accepted to (I don’t even remember what it was called, oops). It was basically a book about high school life. Booorrrriiiiing.

Not to say there wasn’t a robotic cat, there was – but for the fact that the book is freaking NAMED after him, you’d think he’d have been more of a frontrunner in the story. I craved more interactions between Jinx and Lacey, and sadly they were numbered. There really wasn’t much Jinx action, really. And that left me hella disappointed. Because those were the parts that I absolutely loved! Everything else was honestly boring AF. Mundane high school life with the addition of robotic animals *shrug*

I couldn’t connect to the story or the characters at all. Literally the only thing that I cared about in this book was Jinx. All of that two and a half stars is totally for him! I loved him so much!

Overall assessment

Plot: 2/5
Premise: 4.5/5
Writing style: 2.5/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Characters: 2/5
World-building: 4/5
Pace: 3/5
Feels: 1/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall rating: 2.5/5

Jessi (Geo)

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2 responses to “Mini Reviews: Books I Never Got Around to Reviewing

  1. I agree, I was a bit let down by the ending of Bird Box because I wanted some answers! But at the same time I thought it was quite a good ending because it was such a mystery? I don’t know, I had some mixed feelings about that.

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