finedanddandy's reviews
1047 reviews

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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funny lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea

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informative sad medium-paced

5.0

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo

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

3.0

I picked up The Witches of El Paso, because I love a multigenerational story, especially with magic of some sort. However, I unfortunately found the story to be simultaneously hard to follow and yet boring. I didn’t care for any of the characters; past or present. Marta’s POV was insufferable and watching her make poor decision after poor decision was exhausting. Nena was an interesting, multi-faceted character, but unfortunately her part of the story suffered from somewhat unclear timelines. I also found Marta’s character arc to be flat and definitely rolled my eyes at the ending. While Jaramillo’s writing style was beautiful, I didn’t find it nearly immersive enough to give the story the kind of attention I wanted to give it.

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

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dark fast-paced