bookishandlegal's reviews
536 reviews

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this! It’s been marketed as a thriller but I wouldn’t classify it as a thriller at all. It was a beautiful story into the background and life of the MC, his love for music, getting his violin, and the racism he suffers as a Black man in America and specifically as a Black classical musician. I really enjoyed the way the story was structured and learning about Rays life. At the end I didn’t expect the reveal of who stole the violin at all. I put this one off for a while but a friend got me to read it and I’m glad I did! 
Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky

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fast-paced

2.5

Eh this was not a favorite. It was fine but the storytelling felt a bit disjointed and it wasn’t overly clear what was happening (this is a common problem in graphic novels for me, but particularly noticeable in this one). I didn’t feel like I really knew anything about either of the characters by the end and wasn’t connected to them at all 
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

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4.0

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary

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  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Perfectly cute, perfectly fine closed door romance. Exactly the right amount of “spice” for me (ie mostly none and 99% closed door). But the pining and angst and attraction were still super clear even without explicit scenes. Both the main characters annoyed me but they do slowly grow on you. Also takes place at Christmas time but is not a holiday romance so a good option if you want a kinda Christmas romance 
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

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lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5