belanna's reviews
9 reviews

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

Librarian/amateur-detective solves murders in her small town, until she realizes that there are TOO MANY MURDERS for a small town! Demonic interference.

I enjoy Waggoner's books, but this one was perhaps the weakest. I think she does great world building in her fantasy works, whereas the setting for this one requires less creativity. Still a cozy read that I enjoyed!
The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Such a great premise and really well executed! I think the ending was a little convenient but I'm not mad. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and looked forward to coming back every time I put it down.
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

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Did not finish book.
Annoying character, overwritten
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

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4.0

Amazing story! For me, a little overwritten in description, but I can see that that suits the character's perspective and perceptions.
The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

I love Zen Cho's books and I think I've read them all - she generally writes books with supernatural themes, so this one is a bit different. I didn't dislike it, but the whole thing felt distracted by the romcom goal. I'm not going to pick on the kdrama-inspired characters, nothing wrong with over the top attractiveness, but the internal explications were long-winded and understanding the characters relied on telling much more than showing. Because the characters were based on well-trodden romance tropes, that felt kind of tedious. 

Read her other books, this one was not particularly special.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

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3.0

3 is about right, the most interesting thing about this book were the sassy birds and setting, but I honestly didn't have much patience for the nature descriptions 😅 
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Great book of supernatural short stories rooted in Chinese-Malaysian culture! 
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

James by Percival Everett

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adventurous funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0