natreadthat's reviews
388 reviews

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

After escaping from a toxic marriage, Lakshmi has become a successful henna artist with a growing client list and she’s building the house she’s dreamt of. Soon, her parents should accept her invite to move in and she can finally absolve herself of her past mistakes. All is going according to plan. But only until her estranged husband tracks her down, with a sister she had no idea about in tow. 
 
This story opened up a window to a different world—one of the many reasons I love reading so much. Joshi really brought the cultural aspects of 1950s India to life. I loved how consuming the world was; it made the city of Jaipur leap off the page. The lyrical prose and budding storyline had me wondering how Lakshmi would turn her life around. 
 
There was a beauty in the way Joshi handled difficult situations while maintaining the integrity of her characters. Watching the characters struggle, grow, and heal in their own ways was captivating and felt realistic. I read this as an audiobook, but wish I had snagged a copy from my library. I hear the hard copy has a helpful list of characters, terms, and information, as well as a wonderful history of henna and even a henna recipe in the acknowledgments! Going into this blind, I also wasn’t aware this was both a debut novel and the first book of a trilogy. What a lovely surprise. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny informative mysterious 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? No

4.0

Finally!!! Action packed and funny with a healthy mix of “who tf is that again???” 

Xaden and Violet are back babyyy. The squad is journeying across uncharted territories to find long lost answers, bargain for allies, and (hopefully) save the world as they know it. 

What keeps me coming back to this series time and time again—other than dragons, you ask? The characters, their witty banter, a thiccc plot line and magical world, the sexual tension, romance, emotional relationships, you name it. And it surprisingly had me laughing out loud, which is unexpected for a war college to say the least. 

Ya girl looooves to theorize, so you know I’ll be re-reading to pick up all the hints I missed on the first whiplash-inducing read. Then… probably cry because who knows how long we’ll be questioning that cliffhanger until the next book comes out. Rebecca, don’t forget about us!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Women by Kristin Hannah

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

4.0

Oooof, this was a tough read. I had limited knowledge of the Vietnam war, but knew at a high level that it was atrocious all around. Kristin Hannah, in typical queen of historical fiction fashion, drove that point home. 

After sending her brother off to fight in Vietnam, Frankie makes a split-second decision to join the fight as a combat nurse. In Vietnam, she experiences the highest highs and lowest lows. Back home, she’s hit with shame, disappointment, trauma, and PTSD. 

It was widely believed there were “no women in ‘Nam”. This book helps provide a voice to the forgotten women veterans of Vietnam. Frankie’s story, though fiction, does not shy away from the gory details of war and dealing with the aftermath. Even though parts were predictable, they still hit you like a ton of bricks. Between loss, trauma, betrayal, and heartbreak, my heart broke for Frankie, but it soared for the friendships between her girls.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Go to review page

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

3.5

Hot take: I found it very hard not to hate this book. Perhaps it was wrong book, wrong time. Perhaps it was just depressing AF. I know, I know—that was likely the whole point.

The book itself is well-written and immersive. Kingsolver does a phenomenal job capturing some really agonizing realities: addiction, poverty, fostering, death, griet, abuse. The level of realism forces readers to feel like they’re going through the troubles the characters are, and that alone is painful.

If I had to rate this for enjoyment, it'd probably be a three-star read. For storytelling? I'll give it four.
After pondering over it all for a week or so now, I wonder if this story has gotten praise because it ebbs towards poverty-porn. Is it a good story because it's a good story? Or because of how dramatic and sad it is? I guess that will be up to you to decide. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a beautiful, feel-good book. It was joyful in the face of grief. 
 
When tragedy strikes, GUP—“Gay Uncle Patrick”—takes in his brother’s children for a summer in Palm Springs. Taking the kids started as a way to prove himself to his siblings, but ended up being just as healing for the kids as it was for him. The story itself touches on grief and how it ripples through a family and beyond. 
 
You will laugh, you might cry, and your heart will be warmed. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Go to review page

mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I picked this up from the recommendations wall at my local library and loved the idea of being able to hop between parallel worlds. And, London? Might as well do a little traveling at the same time. 
 
As one of the last Antari, a rare blood-magic wielder, Kell can walk between worlds. Officially, Kell is part ambassador, part messenger tasked with passing communications from one London’s royalty to the next. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler. 
 
Kell’s smuggling hobby quickly turns dangerous when he unknowingly transports a forbidden piece of magic from Black London, a formerly powerful kingdom now shut off from the rest of the world. While fleeing, Kell runs into, quite literally, a pick pocketer who first robs him, then joins forces with him—in her world, and in his—to stop the deathly spread of black magic. 
 
A fast paced, fantasy-adjacent book. There’s magic, yes, but it’s vague and left me wishing for more from the magic system and relationships between the different Londons. For an inter-dimensional book, the story felt a little one-dimensional at times. Enjoyable, but finished wanting more. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

The sequel to The Serpent and The Wings of Night did not disappoint, though I didn’t love this one quite as much. 

Our beloved characters are forced to face the ramifications of the wish granted at the end of the deadly, magical Kejari tournament from book one. Lucky for us, we get both Oraya and Raihn’s POV as they find themselves in the middle of the three vampire houses viciously fighting for power.

Broadbent does such a great job of writing multifaceted characters, immersing them into an ever-evolving plot, and showcasing the experience of sifting through conflicting emotions all at once. How human of these vampires! The ending did feel like it dragged on for just a touch too long, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a great last read of 2024! ✨
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Go to review page

adventurous dark 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? No

4.0

Amidst my Fourth Wing hangover, I picked up this book based on rave reviews from friends and bookstagram, and luckily for me, it did not disappoint. 

Raised by an infamous vampire king, a measly human girl spends the first half of her life learning how to survive in a kingdom of blood-hungry vampires. Learning all she can from her father, she enters into a cutthroat Hunger Games-esque tournament hoping to have her wish granted by the powerful goddess/mother of vampires. All she has to do is survive. 

I picked this up with the intention of disappearing into a new fantasy world—aka ignoring anyone and anything around me. I loved the banter between the two main characters, the intricate world building, the ever-expanding plot, and even the unexpected twist at the end. Broadbent executed the tension and longing of the characters so, so well and that really made the story. I really enjoyed this; on to the second book!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 A short, quintessentially Irish novella. I am not a novella girly, but kept seeing this audiobook pop up on Libby and figured why not. 
 
Christmas is coming and Bill Furlong is making his rounds delivering coal. He’s also trying to understand why he feels stagnant in life and pondering the small things. Bill uncovers a disturbing secret at the local convent that forces him to question his morals. 
 
Wrapped up in 2.5 hours, this audiobook does what it sets out to do: educate the reader on the Irish Laundries for “fallen women” and inspire people to speak up when no one else does. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Ruby aspires to be the first in her family to attend college and climb out of poverty. She spends her days studying, taking care of her grandmother, and painting, until she meets a boy. Falling fast, Ruby must decide her fate quickly. 
 
Eleanor falls for William, an affluent, medical student, as they both attend Howard University. To Eleanor’s delight—and everyone else’s surprise—William falls for her too. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage, right? 
 
Historical fiction often brings to light some of the darkest parts of history and The House of Eve is no different. Laced within its pages, we glimpse the racism, hardships women faced (often on their own), societal expectations, and prejudice of the 1950s. Despite the struggles and sacrifices that are forced onto both women, the story hones in on the resilience both characters display. Class/poverty was a huge focus, especially when it comes to reproductive issues, slamming me with deja vu to the current political landscape (don’t get me started on repro rights being political). This was a beautiful albeit emotional read. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings