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caseythereader's reviews
1741 reviews
The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thanks to Avon Books for the free copy of this book.
- I just can’t pass up a reality dating show novel, and THE VILLAIN EDIT is probably the juiciest one I’ve read yet.
- I didn’t think a lot of the plot made sense - How is “failed author” going to make you a beloved contestant? Could you really not see that everyone hated you? Did you think the cameras were really gone? Why would they let you talk openly about producer machinations on air? Etc. Maybe I just watch too much Bachelor, though.
- However, despite or maybe because of all that, I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what would happen next.
- I just can’t pass up a reality dating show novel, and THE VILLAIN EDIT is probably the juiciest one I’ve read yet.
- I didn’t think a lot of the plot made sense - How is “failed author” going to make you a beloved contestant? Could you really not see that everyone hated you? Did you think the cameras were really gone? Why would they let you talk openly about producer machinations on air? Etc. Maybe I just watch too much Bachelor, though.
- However, despite or maybe because of all that, I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what would happen next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
3.5
Thanks to Forge Books for the free copy of this book.
- MASQUERADE is a gorgeously rich story. A loose Persephone and Hades retelling set in precolonial West Africa, the world of this story drew me in immediately and the beautiful writing kept me hooked.
- I took some issue with characterization in this book. Òdòdó didn’t have a very solid personality, and she veered between naive and smarter than a room full of generals depending on what the story needed.
- I did love how it was entirely women that drove the plot forward. Women who were trying to break out of the confined roles they were given, and each choosing different ways to try to do it.
- MASQUERADE is a gorgeously rich story. A loose Persephone and Hades retelling set in precolonial West Africa, the world of this story drew me in immediately and the beautiful writing kept me hooked.
- I took some issue with characterization in this book. Òdòdó didn’t have a very solid personality, and she veered between naive and smarter than a room full of generals depending on what the story needed.
- I did love how it was entirely women that drove the plot forward. Women who were trying to break out of the confined roles they were given, and each choosing different ways to try to do it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Sexual content
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence
Out On a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
Cash Delgado Is Living the Dream by Tehlor Kay Mejia
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Thanks to Dell Romance for the free copy of this book.
- Tehlor Kay Mejia is lowkey one of the best romance writers out there. Their books are brimming with love and hope and queerness and I want to scoop everyone up into a big hug.
- CASH DELGADO IS LIVING THE DREAM deals with a later in life queer awakening, and I am so so glad it exists. I think regardless of when you come out, you’ll relate to a lot of Cash’s confusion, justifications, and ultimately feelings of freedom.
- Plus, Sammy from SAMMY ESPINOZA’S LAST REVIEW plays a key role in this book, which I loved!
- Tehlor Kay Mejia is lowkey one of the best romance writers out there. Their books are brimming with love and hope and queerness and I want to scoop everyone up into a big hug.
- CASH DELGADO IS LIVING THE DREAM deals with a later in life queer awakening, and I am so so glad it exists. I think regardless of when you come out, you’ll relate to a lot of Cash’s confusion, justifications, and ultimately feelings of freedom.
- Plus, Sammy from SAMMY ESPINOZA’S LAST REVIEW plays a key role in this book, which I loved!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
System Collapse by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Trafficking
We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sim
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Thanks to Nancy Paulsen Books for the free copy of this book.
- WE SHALL BE MONSTERS is Frankenstein by way of Indian mythology, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
- The characters are all multilayered and morally gray, each chasing their own goals and giving us a few good plot twists along the way.
- I enjoyed how the further we got into the the book the more detailed the world of the story became. More information and backstory was unspooled at just the right rate, and the ending left me excited for the sequel.
- WE SHALL BE MONSTERS is Frankenstein by way of Indian mythology, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
- The characters are all multilayered and morally gray, each chasing their own goals and giving us a few good plot twists along the way.
- I enjoyed how the further we got into the the book the more detailed the world of the story became. More information and backstory was unspooled at just the right rate, and the ending left me excited for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free copy of this book.
- This book is a delight. If you are into the cozy fantasy genre, THE SPELLSHOP is a must. What’s not to love about a rogue librarian, an anxious spider plant, and an attractive merhorse herder, along with the rest of the island’s inhabitants?
- I also liked the conversation layered into the story about whether libraries are for keeping information from or sharing it with the people.
- I read the audiobook, and narrator Caitlin Davies is super engaging, managing to do slight voices for each character without making it cartoony (even when said character is a sentient plant).
- This book is a delight. If you are into the cozy fantasy genre, THE SPELLSHOP is a must. What’s not to love about a rogue librarian, an anxious spider plant, and an attractive merhorse herder, along with the rest of the island’s inhabitants?
- I also liked the conversation layered into the story about whether libraries are for keeping information from or sharing it with the people.
- I read the audiobook, and narrator Caitlin Davies is super engaging, managing to do slight voices for each character without making it cartoony (even when said character is a sentient plant).
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent
Please Stop Trying to Leave Me by Alana Saab
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
This is just going in insufferable circles.