forum Review the most recent book that you've read.
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@SupernaturalSyGuyIsTIred group

Writing a Fiction Book Review
Note: You don't have to answer every question – they're suggestions!

Points to Ponder:

  • What was the story about?
  • Who were the main characters?
  • Were the characters credible?
  • What did the main characters do in the story?
  • Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
  • Who was your favorite character? Why?

Your personal experiences:

  • Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
  • Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?

Your opinion:

  • Did you like the book?
  • What was your favorite part of the book?
  • Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
  • If you could change something, what would it be? (If you wish you could change the ending, don't reveal it!)

Your recommendation:

  • Would you recommend this book to another person?
  • What type of person would like this book?

Deleted user

Book: Looking for Alaska - John Green

Points to Ponder:

What was the story about? This story is about Miles, a boy who moves to a boarding school to get away from his dull life. He meets a girl, typical teenage romantic novel stuff. then, just when he thinks he is getting somewhere with this chick, something terrible happens…
Who were the main characters? Miles 'Pudge' Halter, Alaska Young and Chip 'The Colonel' Martin.
Were the characters credible? I think so???
What did the main characters do in the story? Everything that teenagers probably shouldn't be doing as well as actually getting their schoolwork done.
Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures? SO MANY!
Who was your favourite character? Why? Alaska, cause she's fucking awesome, once you read the book you will defo agree!

Your personal experiences

Could you relate to any of the characters in the story? I could relate to most of the teenage characters in this story because, teenagers.. aha
Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did? Absolutely!

Your opinion

Did you like the book? I LOVED this book! It was both immersive and unbelievable at the same time!
What was your favourite part of the book? The unravelling of the crash. (not saying any more than that!)
Do you have a least favourite part of the book? The beginning part where Miles is still at home…
If you could change something, what would it be? (If you wish you could change the ending, don't reveal it!) I would change the suddenness of Miles crush on Alaska. It felt a little rushed, maybe after spending more one-on-one time with her it would make more sense but it feels kinda pushed on him.

Your recommendation

Would you recommend this book to another person? I would DEFINITELY recommend this book to anyone else!
What type of person would like this book? I think this book is something quite a lot of people would enjoy, i believe there is something in here that most people would enjoy.

(sorry, i cant write reviews so i hope this was okay…?)

@GoodThingGoing group

Book: Nocturna by Maya Montayne
Points to Ponder:
What was the story about?
A prince (who is mourning the death of his brother) meets a thief, who ends up breaking into the palace. They band together when a dark magic is unleashed.
Who were the main characters?
Finn Voy

and Prince Alfie
Were the characters credible?
Decently? Finn's motivations were a little all over the place, but Alfie was pretty consistent.
What did the main characters do in the story?
Cause chaos, drink, use magic, and go on a heist.
Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
Yes, Finn's abusive father figure and a magic force that possesses others.
Who was your favorite character? Why?
I loved Finn and Alfie, but I really loved Alfie's storyline of

Your personal experiences:
Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
Not super well, but I still loved them. Alfie's grief is done well and relateble for me.
Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?
I've felt grief and anger at being helpless

Your opinion
Did you like the book?
Yes
What was your favorite part of the book?
Finn and Alfie's characters and banter
Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
It was pretty slow at times
If you could change something, what would it be?
The overabundance of similarities to A Darker Shade Of Magic, and the constant use of 'maldito'. Swearing does not a badass make, and while I'm not a prude when it comes to swearing (I've dropped my fair share of f-bombs), it's used like…multiple times a page.

Your recommendation:
Would you recommend this book to another person?
Yes
What type of person would like this book?
Anyone looking for a fantasy story not based in Medieval England (it's Latinx inspired) and enjoys magic and heists.

@Pickles group

I'm gonna try my best, but it's been a while. This wasn't the last book I read, but I mean… the last book I read was Frankenstein, but we're not gonna talk about that In hindsight, this is pretty useless
Book: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
Points to Ponder:

  • What was the story about?
    A girl is selected to leave her family and get a college education and decent career
  • Who were the main characters?
    Cia Vale, Thomas something or other, and some other people (I really don't remember OOPS), there was a guy named Will and his twin who I don't remember the name of
  • Were the characters credible?
    I mean… I guess? Some of them turn out to be assholes, but they all just want to be chosen
  • What did the main characters do in the story?
    learn stuff and go on an adventure type thing
  • Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
    Oh boy, yeah
  • Who was your favorite character? Why?
    Will's twin because

Your personal experiences

  • Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
    they're all super smart and driven, which I am not. I wasn't a super huge fan of the characters, but the world and plot is really good better than I make it sound, I swear
  • Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?
    I haven't killed anyone if that's what you mean probably, yeah

Your opinion

  • Did you like the book?
    yup
  • What was your favorite part of the book?
  • Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
    I'm sure I did, but I can't remember
  • If you could change something, what would it be? (If you wish you could change the ending, don't reveal it!)
    I feel like if anything changed, it would change the whole story, so maybe nothing? Idk
    Your recommendation
  • Would you recommend this book to another person?
    for sure
  • What type of person would like this book?
    people that like dystopian, I guess, and don't mind if the characters suck at points.

@Pickles group

I read it in sixth grade, but I was a VERY innocent bean back then and when I reread it I realized I either didn't pay that much attention to it or I just blocked it out, because I remembered the beginning and the very end and nothing in between

@GoodThingGoing group

Book: Master And Apprentice by Claudia Gray
Points to Ponder:
What was the story about?
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan work out their issues while visiting a chaotic planet
Who were the main characters?
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn
Were the characters credible?
Definitely!! They were very in-character too!!
What did the main characters do in the story?
Free slaves, banter, and cause general chaos
Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
Terrorists, slavers, and the galaxy's most adorable jewel thieves.
Who was your favorite character? Why?
I absolutely LOVED Pax, as well as Qui-Gon, Princess Fanry, Rahara, and Rael.

Your personal experiences:
Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
YES. As someone who's on the spectrum, Pax's whole 'raised by protocal droids' thing was hella relateable. Also the general theme of how your choices affect others, the ripple effect of what you do, and how you can always make a difference.
Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?
Yep. ~~But I have not staged my own assassination attempt, killed someone who saw me as a mentor, or gotten obsessed with old prophecies.

Your opinion:
Did you like the book?
YES!
What was your favorite part of the book?
The relationship and banter between Pax and Rahara, and everything involving Rael and Qui-Gon.
Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
Some scenes seemed pointless at firstbut became very important later so it's not really a complaint
If you could change something, what would it be?
Have it be longer, and have more Obi-Wan, because he felt like a side character in his own book. Also more karma for Czerka.

Your recommendation:
Would you recommend this book to another person?
Hell yes!!
What type of person would like this book?
Star Wars fans, especially those who enjoyed the Jedi Apprentice series by Jude Watson. And if you're not familiar with the Star Wars novels, this is also a decent jumping-off point to get into the books.

@GoodThingGoing group

Book: Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray

Points to Ponder:
What was the story about?
The Diviners try and figure out the source of their powers, which leads them to uncover some very startling news.
Who were the main characters?
Evie O'Niell, Theta Knight, Mabel Rose, Sam Lloyd, Memphis Campbell, and Jericho Jones. Ling Chan and Henry DuBois lV are side characters in this one.
Were the characters credible?
They're the most realistic characters I've read about in a while
What did the main characters do in the story?
Banter, expose government conspiracies, and fully embody today's Gen Z despite living in the 1920s.
Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
Yeah, the government
Who was your favorite character? Why?
Theta. Knight. I absolutely love her and her storyline, she's a badass and I love her so much!!

Your personal experiences:
Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
Yes! Ling has always been relateable to me, especially after this book confirms that she's ace, and Evie is also pretty relateable.
Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?
I wish.

Your opinion:
Did you like the book?
Posi-tute-ly!!
What was your favorite part of the book?
The relationships between the characters, be it romantic or platonic.
Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
Jericho.
If you could change something, what would it be?
Kill off

Your recommendation:
Would you recommend this book to another person?
YES!!!
What type of person would like this book?
Anyone who loves historical fiction, fantasy, books with relevant plots and themes, and casts that are diverse in personality and race/sexuality/etc. (Seriously, in the main cast there's a Russian-Jewish immigrant, a half-Cherokee abuse survivor who's had an abortion and not shamed for it, a black poet and his younger brother who still deals with the grief of losing his mother, a Jewish socialist who's also an atheist, a gay pianist from the South, a girl with depression that's confirmed on-page, and an asexual Chinese-Irish lesbian who uses leg braces due to her bout with polio.

and they all have very varied personalities and play off of each other super well!!!)

@GoodThingGoing group

Book: Frankenstein; Or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley

Points to Ponder:
What was the story about?
Reanimating the dead and character analysis
Who were the main characters?
Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, and Captain Robert Walton
Were the characters credible?
I mean I would assume so, but the story took place over 200 years ago so like. who knows.
What did the main characters do in the story?
Expose their dramatic life stories while stranded in a cabin in Geneva the arctic.
Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
Guilt, ice, exhaustion, abandoned crimes against nature. You know, the usual.
Who was your favorite character? Why?
Victor Frankenstein. See below cause I'm not writing it out twice.

Your personal experiences:
Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
I first read this book for school in 8th grade, which was not a great year for me. It was the first time I ever really struggled with mental illness, I was dealing with the imminent separation from both the school I'd spent my entire education at and my teachers (and the impending massive high school I'd go to next), and I'd just come to terms with my sexuality. Did I mention that this is a Catholic school? I spent 8th grade very stressed, often to tears, and with a constant fear of both being outed and of what was to come. So when I picked up this book about a college student struggling with going from a small private education to a massive college, and dealing with separation, and who has this massive secret that no one can know about, I was like "c'est moi". (And yes, this is a big reason why I am team "the Creature represents Victor's attraction to men"). Also because we're both absolute messes who run away from our problems and use too many big words and have to tell every single detail of our stories and feel guilt very intensely and he's just one of the best characters in literature canon and people who disagree can meet me in the pit.

Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?

Your opinion:
Did you like the book?
It's my favorite book of all time so yeah I'd say so.
What was your favorite part of the book?
Every single interaction between Victor and Clerval.
Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
The part with the Creature telling the story of the DeLacey's, it just distracted from his story.
If you could change something, what would it be?
Not kill off

Your recommendation:
Would you recommend this book to another person?
YES
What type of person would like this book?
Fans of sci-fi (since it's the first sci-fi and written by a teenage girl, suck it basement dwellers) and horror, since it helps show where they've come from. Also people who enjoy complex, non-one note characters and character studies.

@ElderGod-Icefire

Book: Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray

Points to Ponder:
What was the story about?
The Diviners try and figure out the source of their powers, which leads them to uncover some very startling news.
Who were the main characters?
Evie O'Niell, Theta Knight, Mabel Rose, Sam Lloyd, Memphis Campbell, and Jericho Jones. Ling Chan and Henry DuBois lV are side characters in this one.
Were the characters credible?
They're the most realistic characters I've read about in a while
What did the main characters do in the story?
Banter, expose government conspiracies, and fully embody today's Gen Z despite living in the 1920s.
Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
Yeah, the government
Who was your favorite character? Why?
Theta. Knight. I absolutely love her and her storyline, she's a badass and I love her so much!!

Your personal experiences:
Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
Yes! Ling has always been relateable to me, especially after this book confirms that she's ace, and Evie is also pretty relateable.
Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?
I wish.

Your opinion:
Did you like the book?
Posi-tute-ly!!
What was your favorite part of the book?
The relationships between the characters, be it romantic or platonic.
Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
Jericho.
If you could change something, what would it be?
Kill off

Your recommendation:
Would you recommend this book to another person?
YES!!!
What type of person would like this book?
Anyone who loves historical fiction, fantasy, books with relevant plots and themes, and casts that are diverse in personality and race/sexuality/etc. (Seriously, in the main cast there's a Russian-Jewish immigrant, a half-Cherokee abuse survivor who's had an abortion and not shamed for it, a black poet and his younger brother who still deals with the grief of losing his mother, a Jewish socialist who's also an atheist, a gay pianist from the South, a girl with depression that's confirmed on-page, and an asexual Chinese-Irish lesbian who uses leg braces due to her bout with polio.

and they all have very varied personalities and play off of each other super well!!!)

I HAVE THIS BOOK IN MY LIBRARY BAG RN!! I've been working on this series and i love it so fucking much XD

@ElderGod-Icefire

YESSSS!!! I CRIED IN THE SECOND BOOK

@GoodThingGoing group

YESSSS!!! I CRIED IN THE SECOND BOOK

I LOVE HENRY SO MUCH I FELT SO SAD FOR HIM!!

@ElderGod-Icefire

YESSSS!!! I CRIED IN THE SECOND BOOK

I LOVE HENRY SO MUCH I FELT SO SAD FOR HIM!!

SAME!! I SAT ON MY BED AND CRIED

@Starfast group

Book: The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith

Points to Ponder:

What was the story about? I'm honestly kinda struggling with this because the plot wasn't very cohesive. It mainly focusses on Ariel, a refugee who has been brought over from his home country to live with a new family in America. He attends a camp for boys with his adopted brother, Max. Their father works for a research group, and he specializes in trying to bring extinct species back to life. While they're at camp, they make some weird discoveries about the group that his father works for. That's my best attempt at describing the plot.
Who were the main characters? The story had 3 main perspectives- Ariel, a refugee who has been brought over to live with a new family in America; Leonard, schizophrenic bomber; and Dr. Merrie, whose POV was told through diary entries about a failed arctic expedition in the 1800's.
What did the main characters do in the story? Talked about masterbation all the time I wish I was kidding

Your personal experiences
Could you relate to any of the characters in the story? Larry, the Camp Counsellor. Also Ariel to an extent
Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did? Again with Larry. As a former camp counsellor I definitely related to him hating every single kid in his cabin. Although, he was constantly swearing at them and calling them names which I did not do (and frankly, no camp counsellor should really be doing this).

Your opinion:
Did you like the book? Not as much as I was expecting to, honestly. It was… ok.
What was your favorite part of the book? I really liked seeing the relationship between Ariel and his brother grow, as well as the friendship that developed between them and another camper. Also the part when they were telling scary stories was pretty good also.
Do you have a least favorite part of the book? There was a lot of things that I didn't really love but nothing is really standing out as being the least favourite part. I don't think I have a least favourite part as much as I just have a long list of things that I wish were done differently.
If you could change something, what would it be? (If you wish you could change the ending, don't reveal it!) The book has 3 perspectives and I was kind of expecting them to come together in a bigger way. There's links made between all the POVs, but nothing really comes of their paths intersecting. Oh yeah and I'd also tone down the masturbations references.

Your recommendation:
Would you recommend this book to another person? Maybe? It's not something I would really recommend to everyone though.
What type of person would like this book? People who don't mind excessive masturbation references and like books with sci-fi elements.

Deleted user

Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner

Points to Ponder:

What was the story about?
The story was about a young woman who overcomes sexism in order to just play a game.

Who were the main characters?
The main character is Cameron, a designer.

What did the main characters do in the story?
The main character, Cameron, dresses as a male to join a D&D campaign along with her brother, who she dragged along with her. However, her plan starts to go off the edge as she starts to catch feelings for the DM, Lincon.

Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
Well, Wyatt, another player in the campaign confesses that he has a crush on Cameron (Still dressed as a male.) who turns him down in the nicest way possible, by telling him she was straight. That goes haywire when she's caught kissing Lincon.

Who was your favorite character? Why?
Wyatt was my favorite character because he's relatable. He's a gay teen with a quirky personality and a sense of humor.

Your personal experiences:

Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
Like I said earlier, I relate to Wyatt. He's a gay teen and is easily hurt, I'm not gay, but I am in the community and seeing it be treated as just a normal thing makes me very happy!

Your opinion:

Did you like the book? Yes!

Your recommendation:

Would you recommend this book to another person? Yes!

What type of person would like this book? Any rpg nerd would love this! Along with people who are looking for a book with LBGT representation.

@Starfast group

Bumping this thread because I need another outlet (other than goodreads) to express my disappointment. OK, here we go.
The Disappointment Book: Extreme Survivors: 60 Epic Stories of Human Endurance.

What was the story about?
Exactly what the title says it's about. 60 true stories of people surviving through some absolutely wild events.

Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?
This book is about people surviving things like plane crashes, shipwrecks, escaping war camps, being held hostage. No, I've never experienced anything like that. And no, I don't want to.

Did you like the book? What was your favorite part of the book?
I mean yeah. The content was interesting enough. It was neat reading the chapter about the guy who escaped the Cambodian Killing Fields only a few days after visiting the Killing Fields.

Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
Um yes. The shit editing. The writing style was choppy and a lot of the stories felt really rushed. The way things were worded were often really unclear. Character were often brought into stories without being properly introduced which resulted in a lot of "Who the hell is this guy?" moments. But that's not even the worst part of it. There were at least two instances where people's names were misspelled. There was also the line "When he refused, one of the men put the muzzle of a 9mm pistol in his mouth and said:" But whatever the guy said next never actually made it into the book. LIKE COME ON!! How do you miss that?!
Also, I found the shipwreck chapter kinda boring. They felt kinda repetitive.

If you could change something, what would it be?
I'd fix the damn typos, and make sure that we figure out what that guy said. I tried googling it, but had no luck so I guess we'll never know :/

Would you recommend this book to another person? What type of person would like this book?
I mean, I guess so. Like I said, the content was interesting just the execution sucked. If you're into survival stories and aren't super critical of what you read, then you'd probably like this book.

@SupernaturalSyGuyIsTIred group

Writing a Fiction Book Review
Note: You don't have to answer every question – they're suggestions!

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Points to Ponder:

  • What was the story about?

The story is about Quentin Coldwater attending a secret magical school in New York. While learning to do and control magic he and his group of "friends" fantasize about going to a magical world known as Fillory, and eventually get to go there.

  • Who were the main characters?

Quentin Coldwater, Alice Quinn, Eliot Waugh, Josh Hoberman, William "Penny", Janet, and Julia Wicker (I actually count her as a side character though)

  • Were the characters credible?

Yes.

  • What did the main characters do in the story?

Attend a secret, magical school, and traveled to another realm.

  • Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?

They had to face problems of the magical sort, a "beast", and got to explore a separate realm.

  • Who was your favorite character? Why?

My favorite character would have to be Penny, for he is enthusiastic about his studies and interests.
Your personal experiences:

  • Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?

I found myself relating to Quentin, for we both suffer from depression and feeling lost in life.

  • Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?

I have felt lost in life, felt depressed, and definitely have had an obsession with a piece of fiction.

Your opinion:

  • Did you like the book?

It was enjoyable in some areas, but boring in others.

  • What was your favorite part of the book?

When Penny takes them to the Neitherlands for the first time.

  • Do you have a least favorite part of the book?

The portion where Quentin is in recovery.

  • If you could change something, what would it be? (If you wish you could change the ending, don't reveal it!)

I would give exposition by showing rather than telling; Grossman constantly gives expositional paragraphs that directly tell the reader what happened.

Your recommendation:

  • Would you recommend this book to another person?

Not really. If I did I'd warn them of Grossman's tendency of giving exposition via telling.

  • What type of person would like this book?

Anyone that likes fantasy.

I also wrote a review for it on Goodreads.

@SupernaturalSyGuyIsTIred group

Whispers by Lisa Jackson

Points to Ponder:

  • What was the story about?
    $ Whispers is a story about the Hollands and the Taggerts. It centers around the unfortunate demise of Harley Taggert, and the secrets that people keep.

  • Who were the main characters?
    $ The main characters were Miranda, Claire, and Tessa Holland along with Kane Moran.

  • Were the characters credible?
    $ They were very credible, for each of them stayed true to their characters.

  • What did the main characters do in the story?
    $ Kane investigated the death of Harley Taggert, who was at one time engaged to Claire, planning on writing an expose on the night Harley died and the Hollands and Taggerts. The Holland sisters do their best to keep the secrets from that tragic night.

  • Did the main characters run into any problems? Adventures?
    $ The Holland sisters have to deal with Kane uncovering their secrets. Kane himself has to deal with uncovering the truth. They also have to face a murderer!

  • Who was your favorite character? Why?
    $ Kane is my favorite character, for we're both intelligent, somewhat cocky, people that write.

Your personal experiences:

  • Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
    $ I found myself relating to Kane, since he was the "outsider" of the group. Tessa and her free-spirited attitude. Miranda and how she can read a book in a matter of days. Claire and her love for the outdoors.

  • Have you ever done or felt some of the things, the characters did?
    $ While I certainly haven't been engaged nor been rich, I have told lies to cover up something that happened only to have the truth come back and bite me in the end.

Your opinion:

  • Did you like the book?
    $ Whispers was an entertaining read, and is worth reading again.

  • What was your favorite part of the book?
    $ When the truth about what happened the night of Harley's death is revealed.

  • Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
    $

  • If you could change something, what would it be? (If you wish you could change the ending, don't reveal it!)
    $

Your recommendation:

  • Would you recommend this book to another person?
    $ Yes

  • What type of person would like this book?
    $ If you like slice-of-life mystery thrillers, you'd enjoy it!