s_holdthebus's reviews
73 reviews

Court of Blood and Bindings by Lisette Marshall

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

3.0

I was immediately hooked with the prologue and then my interest sadly just dissipated from there which is a bummer because this book is 500 pages.

I really only like Nausicaa, even if she was immature most of the time for an immortal, but she had the most depth out of all the characters. If this book were shorter, with more of a focus on character development and interactions and less on exposition, I would’ve really loved it!

And don’t get me wrong, I love DND but to have it play almost a significant role in the plot near the last 25% of the book was an interesting choice, especially when we already know Magic has been established.

Overall, I loved the LGBTQ rep and Nausicaa and the audio performance, but would’ve loved a lot more character development!
The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught

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

4.0

The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A.

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

Heart, Haunt, Havoc by Freydís Moon

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

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emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Nimona by ND Stevenson

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata

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challenging emotional lighthearted reflective 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

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0