Scan barcode
claragweny's reviews
188 reviews
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Original magic system and dragon lore. While I had an inkling of where the plot was going I was pleasantly surprised of the actual twist the story took. This was one of the best first book in a fantasy series I’ve read in a while. Akin to the feeling I got when reading the first Throne of Glass book - giddy anticipation of NEEDING to know what happens next. I’ll be impatiently waiting for the next installment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
My Vampire Plus One introduces us to Amelia and reintroduces us to Reginald from My Roommate Is a Vampire. Is a fast paced, hilarious fake dating rom com with a twist - Reggie is a vampire! I loved Jenna Levine’s first book in this duology - but the second I found even more hilarious and endearing.
Reginald grew on me and his esoteric approach to fashion and bullet journaling. Amelia felt like an incredibly relatable protagonist. She’s 35, her family doesn’t understand her dietary needs, and her work consumes her life. So relatable girl!
I loved their story and throughly enjoyed this read. I’d read more from Jenna Levine once published! I would recommend this book to anyone who typically enjoys romance, funny and lighthearted books, and easy, fast paced stories.
Reginald grew on me and his esoteric approach to fashion and bullet journaling. Amelia felt like an incredibly relatable protagonist. She’s 35, her family doesn’t understand her dietary needs, and her work consumes her life. So relatable girl!
I loved their story and throughly enjoyed this read. I’d read more from Jenna Levine once published! I would recommend this book to anyone who typically enjoys romance, funny and lighthearted books, and easy, fast paced stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
The Unwanted Guest by Tamsyn Muir
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
At first I was confused what this was, as you most often are with The Locked Tomb series. When I realized this was when Palamedes was fighting with Ianthe in her mind while trying to take control of Babs’ body I audibly gasped. It feels like a treat to get this scene!
The format change is really engaging too. It might not be some folks cup of tea but I am a fan of screenplays and epistolaries so this was a fun change for me. I’ll definitely be reading the other shorts now!
The format change is really engaging too. It might not be some folks cup of tea but I am a fan of screenplays and epistolaries so this was a fun change for me. I’ll definitely be reading the other shorts now!
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-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
“Camilla and Palamedes were loved by Nona, said Paul. Pyrrha was loved by Nona. It’s finished, it’s done. You can’t take loved away.”
If I took the time to detail all my thoughts about this book, I’d be writing an essay. Tamsyn Muir has written an incredibly gripping, surprising, and moving novel. I was constantly reminded why I loved the first two books. Muir is a genius at speculative fiction. There’s even an alphanumeric code in some of chapter titles for a plot hint! I mean, who does that?!
Like many of you, Camilla and Palamedes were two of my favorite characters from Gideon the Ninth. Their continuation in Nona the Ninth as a parental figure for Nona felt natural. Some of my favorite lines in the book were between Camilla and Palamedes.
I was absolutely floored when I put together who Nona was. Pretty early on I thought I figured out what body Nona was inhabiting but I was still confused. As you ought to be while reading these for the first time, confusion gives way to beautiful and wonderful realization. It makes me feel really giddy to FINALLY know what Muir has been planning when I get to that point.
I am going to have the biggest book hangover from this and I can only hope Alecto the Ninth comes out soon.
Note: I HIGHLY recommend reading the Daily Kos reviews if the tonal shift in the epilogue confused you. A couple of things I read on their review made me understand it much better and I even went back into the book to highlight more parts.
If I took the time to detail all my thoughts about this book, I’d be writing an essay. Tamsyn Muir has written an incredibly gripping, surprising, and moving novel. I was constantly reminded why I loved the first two books. Muir is a genius at speculative fiction. There’s even an alphanumeric code in some of chapter titles for a plot hint! I mean, who does that?!
Like many of you, Camilla and Palamedes were two of my favorite characters from Gideon the Ninth. Their continuation in Nona the Ninth as a parental figure for Nona felt natural. Some of my favorite lines in the book were between Camilla and Palamedes.
I was absolutely floored when I put together who Nona was. Pretty early on I thought I figured out what body Nona was inhabiting but I was still confused. As you ought to be while reading these for the first time, confusion gives way to beautiful and wonderful realization. It makes me feel really giddy to FINALLY know what Muir has been planning when I get to that point.
I am going to have the biggest book hangover from this and I can only hope Alecto the Ninth comes out soon.
Note: I HIGHLY recommend reading the Daily Kos reviews if the tonal shift in the epilogue confused you. A couple of things I read on their review made me understand it much better and I even went back into the book to highlight more parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.75
Uh… based on how this was I will not be reading the rest of this novella collection or this authors books.
Holiday Hideaway by Mary Kay Andrews
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
This is an absolutely unrealistic cute Christmasy winter novella. I enjoyed the ridiculous shenanigans and the sweet, not spicy, atmosphere. It’s genuinely laugh out loud ridiculous.
The Match by Sarah Adams
hopeful
fast-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
3.5
My favorite thing about this book was how Evie has a mother/daughter relationship with her boss Joanna and then goes on to have the a mother/daughter relationship with Sam. When Joanna and Evie talk about it and Joanna says something alone the lines of “and how you feel complete? I know because that’s how I felt when I met you.” Oh I broke down in tears.
Honestly, I was less invested in the romance aspect in this book and way more invested in Evie & Joanna’s relationship and Evie & Sam’s relationship. Give me healing maternal storylines over romance any day.
I would’ve rated this higher if Sarah Adams had epilepsy herself. Disability representation is ALWAYS nice but it’s nicer if it’s by us, for us. 😌
Honestly, I was less invested in the romance aspect in this book and way more invested in Evie & Joanna’s relationship and Evie & Sam’s relationship. Give me healing maternal storylines over romance any day.
I would’ve rated this higher if Sarah Adams had epilepsy herself. Disability representation is ALWAYS nice but it’s nicer if it’s by us, for us. 😌
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Pregnancy
Almost Like Being in Love by Sariah Wilson
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Pretty funny but sweet. Instant love in a magical Scottish castle is a hilarious concept but it was a nice wintery, Christmas novella. Would recommend.
The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
Class solidarity, disability justice (WITH queer representation!) fantasy YA novel?? Maybe one of the best, most original fantasy novels I’ve ever read. This is my first time reading a book by Jordan Ifueko and I know I will be picking up her other works too. Her writing style is beautiful and so wonderfully immersive.
There are some heavy emotional and pretty political themes in this book. Sometimes in YA, I find authors tend to dumb those themes down for a younger audience. Ifueko doesn’t do that here. She’s clear, concise, and no nonsense in her storytelling.
The Amenities are so lovely and I was rooting for them to succeed. Climber was my favorite character though, I’m so sorry. 🦎
There are some heavy emotional and pretty political themes in this book. Sometimes in YA, I find authors tend to dumb those themes down for a younger audience. Ifueko doesn’t do that here. She’s clear, concise, and no nonsense in her storytelling.
The Amenities are so lovely and I was rooting for them to succeed. Climber was my favorite character though, I’m so sorry. 🦎
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Slavery
Minor: Alcoholism
A Holly Jolly Ever After by Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I wish there would have been some trigger warnings for this book. For me they would have included: religious trauma, purity culture, disability shaming, and pregnancy.
I have two really big gripes with this book. Number one being Winnie’s narcolepsy. She never tells anyone, not even Kallum, about her narcolepsy. At a certain point, it just doesn’t really matter and almost completely forgotten about. As a disabled person, I find this really untruthful and not believable at all. No one experiences disability, especially as shame-ridden as Winnie did, and then deserves to get it left out of their story. Part of her happily ever after should have included her loudly proclaiming her narcolepsy as something not be shameful about, just like she did with sex and intimacy.
My second issue is the surprise pregnancy. Some people are down with this trope and even I like it sometimes (I loved the book Ready or Not by Cara Bastogne). But it feels wrong in this story. Winnie is healing from religious trauma, a lifetime of shame around sex, and her divorce from a bad husband. Why, oh, why does HER story have to end with a surprise pregnancy? It’s an easy plot maneuver and creates a lot of easy to write drama. Why spend so much time giving us all this backstory for a character just for her to end up pregnant? Because that is a way to heal all wounds for women? I don’t know but it doesn’t fit with this story or with these characters and I hated it.
Fix those two parts and you’d have a good book.
I have two really big gripes with this book. Number one being Winnie’s narcolepsy. She never tells anyone, not even Kallum, about her narcolepsy. At a certain point, it just doesn’t really matter and almost completely forgotten about. As a disabled person, I find this really untruthful and not believable at all. No one experiences disability, especially as shame-ridden as Winnie did, and then deserves to get it left out of their story. Part of her happily ever after should have included her loudly proclaiming her narcolepsy as something not be shameful about, just like she did with sex and intimacy.
My second issue is the surprise pregnancy. Some people are down with this trope and even I like it sometimes (I loved the book Ready or Not by Cara Bastogne). But it feels wrong in this story. Winnie is healing from religious trauma, a lifetime of shame around sex, and her divorce from a bad husband. Why, oh, why does HER story have to end with a surprise pregnancy? It’s an easy plot maneuver and creates a lot of easy to write drama. Why spend so much time giving us all this backstory for a character just for her to end up pregnant? Because that is a way to heal all wounds for women? I don’t know but it doesn’t fit with this story or with these characters and I hated it.
Fix those two parts and you’d have a good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy