Reviews written by Kelly Goodwin

In what was one of the most thrilling and suspenseful, yet confusing and paranoid, reads of recent memory, 17 & Gone held me prisoner as its almost dream-like atmosphere blurred reality to a point of non-recognition. Shadowy figures, whispered voices and a feeling of desperation overwhelmed my senses in a...

Frustratingly delightful, The Shadow Girl masterfully leaked out hints at life-changing secrets and sinister intentions, all while keeping the reader in the dark for most of its duration. With a headstrong and confident heroine, who spends much of The Shadow Girl confused yet determined, and an interesting twist to explain...

I thought I loved Under the Never Sky. I thought I knew Aria and Perry, and the strength of their relationship. I thought I understood life outside Reverie, and how hard Dwellers had it. I’m here today to tell you: I thought wrong on all counts. Through the Ever Night...

With a stream of consciousness narrative style, Mind Games is a fast-paced thriller thanks to each one of Fia’s manic thoughts that are exposed and laid bare for the reader to witness. As the sinister truth behind the Keane Academy is brought to life through flashbacks, and the sisters are...

After my excitement for this series had been rekindled by Destroy Me, I was really looking forward to Unravel Me. I was sure my dislike of Shatter Me was a situational thing; I must have disliked it because of the headspace I was in when I read it! And then...

The biggest thing going for 40 Things I Want to Tell You is its realism: Bird is put through the ringer before a glimpse at a happy future is shown. Her decisions come back to haunt her, and her friends don’t let her get away with her self-indulgence. And when...

Clockwork Princess has so much going for it – action, suspense, a beautifully tragic love triangle – but while I found myself enjoying the playful banter of familiar characters, I also found myself bored of professions of love and anxious for what I assumed would be an action-packed ending. And...

With one of the most unique premises that I’ve read in YA fiction, The Archived’s biggest strength came from having such fleshed out and convoluted world-building. With a cast of enjoyable, if not overly memorable, characters and a little mystery to keep me intrigued, I flew through The Archived in...

Switched was an interesting read because I was constantly flip-flopping over how I felt about it. While it was a quick and easy read that I found hard to put down, it was also filled with shallow characters, lacklustre villains and an abundance of plot holes. So while I enjoyed...

I don’t have the best track records with novellas, so imagine my surprise when I not only enjoyed Elemental, BUT found it peaked my interest in picking up the rest of the series! So much of what’s touched on in Elemental – the small group of people...

With an opening scene that promised blood, violence and death, I started The Eternity Cure with anticipation, having been really impressed by its predecessor, The Immortal Rules. I quickly realized that The Eternity Cure would be much more focused on Allie’s character development and relationships, and the odd brush with...

Sketchy should have been a thrilling and exciting read, with dynamic characters and a unique supernatural twist on a protagonist with powers. Unfortunately, extremely poor characterization and weak plot development destroyed any chance Sketchy had at engaging me as a reader. With a plot that contained rape,...

As a novella, The Goddess Hunt is actually very good. It has everything I look for in a novella – a story arc independent of the main series, a deeper glimpse into the characters, and a solid amount of content. But, while I found myself enjoying it for a novella,...

With a certain addictive quality to it, Storm grabbed my attention from the first few lines, keeping me glued to its fast-paced and intense plot until I had turned the last page. While it wasn’t without its issues, I was able to mostly forget that they existed thanks to Storm’s...

Twenty Boy Summer is one of the most emotional and moving contemporaries I’ve read in a long time. It’s the type of story that invades your being and settles deep in your bones, becoming a part of who you are and touching you in ways you forgot books had the...