cortanasreadingnook's reviews
353 reviews

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Thanks to PRH & Berkley for the DRC through Edelweiss! This doesn’t affect my thought about the book in any way. It is Witchcraft for Wayward Girls’ first week in shelves! 🤍 

*DEEP BREATH* full rtc because this book was emotionally draining and i need to take a few more days to process everything i’ve put myself through by reading this. it was such a brutal reminder on why we will always need feminism in our society and why men need to d!e more 💟
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

Go to review page

Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for the DRC through Edelweiss! 

Read from: 01/08/24-01/14/24 

I was very excited for an Adrienne Young book since I’ve never fully explored this particular genre. However, I DNF-ed at 38%. I didn’t resonate with her writing, since it focused more on description and imagery than actually moving forward with the story (my main concern was how slow this book was) so it actually felt dragging because nothing much was happening. I was already in a slump so I doubted I was going to enjoy this, even though the blurb was quite intriguing. It’s an adult small-town murder mystery with a supernatural twist with a bit of romance on the side (for anyone curious!). Maybe one day I’ll pick it up again with more enthusiasm (I tend to do this a lot so fingers crossed). 
For One Night Only by Jessica James

Go to review page

emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

My thanks to Penguin Random House for sending me a complimentary copy through Edelweiss. 

OKAY so I wish I had more courage to DNF this. But I will be clear about what I liked and didn’t like. 
I was fond of the angst and longing between Valerie and Caleb. It felt like I was watching a movie where two strangers still so clearly in love with each other desperately try to run away from their feelings. It was quite hilarious to read about them going back and forth to fight the tension and lingering chemistry. I am a firm believer that you can’t be friends with your ex so their banter and dynamic together were fucking romantic. 

However, I just wish that the other characters were more fleshed out. Considering that this book is about a former band getting back together, they felt a lot like side characters instead. They didn’t get enough page time for the readers to enjoy as we didn’t exactly have much to work with. There’s so many unresolved plot points in the other characters. I expected character development from all sides of the story and not just the two perspectives this book was told from. Valerie also annoyed the hell out of me because of how selfish and childish she was and I truly feel like this story should’ve ended differently. I had high expectations for this book but it was poorly written and unfortunately quite cringe to me. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

“Pierce my heart with one thousand daggers. Let the kingdom shine golden with my blood. You’ll find that I enjoy it.”  

Wrath of The Talons is an exquisite fantasy story about pent-up female rage, grief, and loss. This story is narrated from the point of view of Shin Lina, Sunpo’s Reaper and is highly-trained fighter and assassin that does the bidding of the Blackbloods, the kingdom’s local gang that took everything from her. But when she suddenly angers Haneul Rui, the Dokkaebi emperor, her life is once more upended as she ends up in a deadly bargain with the king: kill or be killed. 

What I liked about this book is that the story simply started as a tragedy. It didn’t sugarcoat grief and the desire to just fuck up everything around you. We see Lina’s life unfold in a manner where she carries a lot of anger and regret and these traits emphasize the story’s character. Moreover, the tragic nature of Lina’s story was a way of depicting this book as something that focuses on revenge but is also vaguely romantic in the tension and longing between the characters. I’m looking forward to where the sequel takes Lina and Rui <3 

I saw that the trilogy was ending this year so I immediately decided to start the first book! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 2 by Mokumokuren

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1 by Mokumokuren

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i can't believe some people think that this isn't Bl or when it's marketed as such... there's no straight justification for the amount of times yoshiki has blushed over hikaru and it's even not even the real one. there's already a lot of lore in the story and i'm excited to see how the mangaka will illustrate it for us. this is cozy horror in a smalltown japanese countryside. it reminds me so much of the anime another.. 8.5/10. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun, Vol. 4 by AidaIro

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
It's a Love/Skate Relationship by Carli J. Corson

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-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

I received a complimentary copy from HarperCollins Children’s Books in exchange for my honest review. This doesn’t affect my thoughts about the book in any way. 

I LOVE LESBIANS! Perfect for fans of How To Excavate a Heart, It’s A Love/Skate Relationship is a cozy, smalltown sapphic romcom between a figure skater and a hockey player sharing a rink after an incident that tied their lives together. 

Alexa and Mac’s love story is a novel that you’d come back to on rainy, cold days for comfort. This book has the aesthetic of those early 2000s romcom movies, with readers eating up the sweet cliché of every single moment they have shared together. The vibes gave off She’s The Man x Icebreaker (make it gay). The supporting characters were also quirky and cute whose dynamic with the MCs complimented the beauty of the tasteful slowburn the author went for. 

I am encouraging everyone to read more sapphic novels in 2025 because you are definitely missing out on women falling in love <3 wuhluhwuh is so fun to read about! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

True North by Carina Gaskell

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25