saoreads's reviews
141 reviews

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

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adventurous challenging funny informative mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I felt bombarded with the TMI description in the story's narration, but it was enticing enough to keep me reading through the mystical element of how the main character will show prowess, the tales they share during their travels, and the antics the characters show while travelling to reach a destination. It's a slow read, but it was worth it. In the last parts of the novel, it was interesting to see where the story was leading with the character's way of handling the situation. This was more of a narrative and introductory, so it's understandable that this followed another installation of two other books. 
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The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine N. Aron

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emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

It was very informative and provided many insights into HSPs. I could always get back to reading it as a form of reminder when it comes to embracing and knowing one's uniqueness and personality.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

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emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

"the world is full of stories but the stories are all one"—The straightforward way of narrating the story to introduce a lesson on why we live and what we live for, as if tracing the dots, you realize it all happened for a reason when you look back. The different angles; sacrifice, forgiveness, then unveiling it to find a purpose; that your life wasn't a waste, you made a difference. It was striking to put it with the backward format of the novel, which began from the ending. It makes you think about life in general, because all of your suppression, hatred, denial, and emotions reveal how you have been living your life.
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The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

Added to my all-time favorite series of books. I could not believe it actually ended. The feeling's still surreal. When I first started reading the novel, I absolutely had no idea what I was getting myself into-Russian folklore, religious affiliation, political warfare, marriages, historical adaption, and such with a heroine that grew up to find herself a future not dictated by others. The characters were all so beautifully created that I am deeply attached to them, especially to Solovey, Vasya's mare. The storytelling wasn't grandiose in a way, but its world building was so captivating that it incessantly creates various images, bountiful at that with its back and forth movement of the plot. It's one I can always get back to when I feel like rereading a book.
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The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I didn't know I got through the end till I saw the references part. It was that good. It was a healing read and truly inspiring. 
101 Secrets for Your Twenties by Paul Angone

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.5

Secret No. 101 has to be my favorite, save the best for last. It gave a lot of insights in a witty way which keeps the readers engaged especially for a twentysomething like me. 
The Girl in The Tower by Katherine Arden

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

The deception and lies surrounding the novel's continued progression are indeed intriguing. The characters who play important roles in the story are introduced one by one in chronological order so that readers can focus on them. Not to be spiteful, but the way women are treated, with or without special circumstances, or simply as someone who is seen as insane, is baffling beyond measure to me. It's as if no personality can be bestowed upon a woman due to stereotypical beliefs and birthing machines alike, and addressing those issues was both frustrating and raging for some hopeful specks. That is how good this book is at evoking such emotions. I'm off to read the third one now.
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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

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adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I didn't know what I was getting through but it gave that serial kind of narrative which reminds me of Game of Thrones and The Witcher due to diverse characters pulling through in scenes that evolve throughout. I got confused for the most part of the terminology and world-building as it's Russian folklore and the fictional characters are unfamiliar to imagine, yet you can get used to it. Death was the common denominator here. Way too many deaths occurred as the flow of the novel isn't at the precipice yet. It seems there's more to see of the heroine as half of the book introduced the genealogy of her family and other characters involved. For some reason, I am looking forward to the next installment. 
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

"The only way to learn is to live." The first time I read that very line, it hadn't seeped through as much, but with the second one, it hurled down like an immediate slap of reality towards every aspect of life you have right now is giving you a lesson. It extracted a lot of themes from life when it came to grief, regret, depression, expectations, hopes, and external ways to please, which just makes it so relatable. The concept of a multiverse and a medium where you can imagine infinite lives is to teach you not to get over and make scores with what ifs, but to truly live and be thrilled by the fact that you are indeed alive and not just getting by. It's a book that'll leave an impression on me. I absolutely love this. 
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As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

It's going back full circle. That in itself was the part that got me thinking how the plot was moving to lurk back into the beginning to end this misery. This got me through a dreadful experience that was very traumatizing. As a matter of fact, the incident took up a lot of chapters due to its detailed account of how the characters pulled through to come to a decision that was air-tight with a solid alibi. I didn't know what to expect after, but the end brought me both tears of joy and agony, though the former was overpowering. 
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