clacksee's reviews
1116 reviews

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

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

4.5

Two strangers, Kel and Lilah, get caught up in adventures through four different versions of eighteenth-century London. 

It was good; I just wasn’t the right reader. 
Haunted: A Hallowe'en Adventure by Steph Shangraw

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adventurous hopeful mysterious slow-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

Sweet, cosy paranormal adventure filled with adorable characters exploring a strange abandoned house on Hallowe’en night. 

This would have benefited from a thorough edit to tighten the story a bit, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. 
A Terrible Village Poisoning by Hannah Hendy

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

4.75

Margery and Clementine leave Dewstow on a rare holiday – only to find themselves suspected of murder in nearby St-Martins-on-the-Water. What a way to spend their anniversary. 

Fun, chaotic cosy mystery with a sapphic twist.
The Best Way to Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale

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dark funny lighthearted medium-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? Yes

4.75

Sally finally strikes back at her abusive husband, killing him with her grandmother’s cast-iron pan. When three other women in the neighbourhood have similar problems, they have to work together to figure out what to do. 

Darkly hilarious and deeply twisted. It’s so hard – trust me – to write good, entertaining stories that bring the funny without minimising the seriousness of the subject matter. Casale succeeds on both counts. 
Plains of Utopia: Colony Six Mars by Gerald M. Kilby

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

Just how many times can one robot die?

It’s a conspiracy … on Mars!
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

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emotional hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

You know inciting incidents, right? The thing that kicks the whole story off, yeah? Someone should tell Back Chambers about them. And story arcs. And plots. 

But here’s the thing… No one reads a Becky Chambers book for the plot. Well, anyone who tries is going to be sorely disappointed. You read her books for the characters. And this one has them in spades. 
The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas

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

4.75

Cop uncovers big, terrible crime. He wants to investigate, but the top brass will do anything to prevent him from looking into it. Cop won’t  let  it go, so he ends up taking time off to investigate despite orders to stay away. 

The bones of the plot aren’t new. But what sets this story apart is the rich and vivid setting. The author drops her reader straight into the heart of Mumbai. 

I had trouble keeping all the characters straight, but it was still a worthy read. 
A Cut Below by T.W.M. Ashford

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

A murder mystery in a futuristic, alien setting. Not my favourite in the sub-genre, but definitely not terrible. 

My favourite character was Beads.  
A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne

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adventurous emotional funny 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

4.5

For me, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the first. Kianthe and Reyna are an established couple, which I love. This book continues to follow them, but also focuses heavily on the will-they/won’t-they story of Bobbie and Serina. It’s more of a traditional romance in that sense, which isn’t my (pardon the pun) cup of tea. But that’s not the author’s fault. 
All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

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

4.25

In a post-climate-change world, Nonie and her family live on the roof of Amen – formerly the American Museum of Natural History. But when the flood waters rise even higher, they’re forced to flee. 

Reminded me of both Moon of the Crusted Snow and Be the Sea. I thought it was longer than it needed to be, but that might be just me.