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sarai0410's reviews
322 reviews
Mirror Lake by Juneau Black
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Another fun and cozy installment in the Shady Hollow mystery series. Are the mysteries rather predictable? Yes - but the coziness and the characters really make the story worth reading still. I really love the romance sub-plot for our main character, Vera, and the background plots of each book add so much to the Shady Hollow community, keeping me interested in continuing on in the series.
Wolf.e by Paisley Hope
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
oh no, this book caused me to fall back into my dark MC romance era and I can't get up
Seriously though, this was so good. The characters and their chemistry was so hot; yes it's a little insta-lusty, which doesn't usually work for me, but in this case it worked . The smut was...look, there was a lot going on, but holy hell it was good (please for the love of all things holy, check your trigger warnings). The plot was good - although I would have liked a little more and to see the other members of the MC more.
I loved how Wolfe took his time to build Brinley up; making her stronger, not only physically, but mentally - building her confidence and teaching her to not let other's expectations influence her decisions. While Brinley brought a different side of Wolfe out, being the light he needed.
The big highlights of Wolf.e for me (other than the smut 👀) were: NO miscommunication trope and NO third act breakup 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
now excuse me while I fall down the Sons of Anarchy rabbit hole... 🏍️
Seriously though, this was so good. The characters and their chemistry was so hot; yes it's a little insta-lusty, which doesn't usually work for me, but in this case it worked . The smut was...look, there was a lot going on, but holy hell it was good (please for the love of all things holy, check your trigger warnings). The plot was good - although I would have liked a little more and to see the other members of the MC more.
I loved how Wolfe took his time to build Brinley up; making her stronger, not only physically, but mentally - building her confidence and teaching her to not let other's expectations influence her decisions. While Brinley brought a different side of Wolfe out, being the light he needed.
The big highlights of Wolf.e for me (other than the smut 👀) were: NO miscommunication trope and NO third act breakup 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
now excuse me while I fall down the Sons of Anarchy rabbit hole... 🏍️
The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
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
3.75
While I didn't enjoy this as much as the first in the series, I'll always enjoy a Rick Riordan story. Carter and Sadie are amazing characters and I love the back and forth storytelling style that these two have. The additions of Bes and Walt are really what kept the story going for me, and I'm very interested to see what is in store in the final installment of The Kane Chronicles for them and our Kane siblings.
Axe-identally Married by Daphne Elliot
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was alright - there was a lot of 'telling, not showing' that really pulled me from the story, which made it hard to actually see the relationship and character development.
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
fast-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? Yes
3.75
It's been a while since I read a book within the Wayward Children universe, so I was sufficiently confused jumping into Come Tumbling Down; there was no way around the amount of Googling I did to determine who was who and what happened previously.
After getting reacquainted with the characters and their doors though, I fell into the story so easily - McGuire's writing as an unnatural ability to pull you in and has more depth in under 200 pages than most 500+ page books.
While I think Jack and Jill's story didn't need another book, I felt like this was a nice way to round out their characters.
After getting reacquainted with the characters and their doors though, I fell into the story so easily - McGuire's writing as an unnatural ability to pull you in and has more depth in under 200 pages than most 500+ page books.
While I think Jack and Jill's story didn't need another book, I felt like this was a nice way to round out their characters.
Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I didn't love this one as much as the first, What the River Knows, I still enjoyed following Inez and Whit's adventures through Egypt and their quest to discover the truth behind Inez's parents. There were some very questionable decisions that came from our MMC and FMC, some which made me want to smack them upside the head with their own book...but I could still see why those decisions made sense to the characters themselves.
Spoiler territory:
While I can see why the author chose to include Whit's betrayal in the story for both some resolution to his character arc in the first book, and to create discontent between him and Inez, it felt like all of that wrapped up quite quickly, with Inez forgiving him within a couple days. HOWEVER, before I rag on that too much - her forgiving him makes sense to her character. Throughout book one we see how desperately Inez wants to be included, wants someone, anyone to choose her. Her parents were constantly jerking her around during her childhood, leaving her in Argentina, and then the poor girl is betrayed by her mother and then by her father (those moments were painful, Inez needs therapy after this book tbh), and she was desperate for Whit to be her person. I'm not saying Whit's actions themselves are forgivable, but I understand why Inez would be so ready to forgive him.
Throughout the story, there were so many villains and so few people that were trustworthy, that I was questioning every single character (I was right about Isadora though, so pats to me).
Similar to my thoughts on the first book, I just wish there was a little bit more focus on the magic itself.
I don't read a lot of YA, but Ibañez's writing style and characters are fantastic, so I would happily read more of her works in the future.
Spoiler territory:
Throughout the story, there were so many villains and so few people that were trustworthy, that I was questioning every single character (I was right about Isadora though, so pats to me).
Similar to my thoughts on the first book, I just wish there was a little bit more focus on the magic itself.
I don't read a lot of YA, but Ibañez's writing style and characters are fantastic, so I would happily read more of her works in the future.
Shadow in the Empire of Light by Jane Routley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
DNF @ 42 pages - the premise seemed interested but already so short into the book, the writing style was wonky, the FMC was beyond questionable, and already hints at incest..no thank you.
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
Every falling star in Shanandoah / 5 🌠
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
You know that feeling that starts to bubble within yourself when you start a book and so quickly you can sense that the words on the page are transforming themselves into something that will grip your heart and make you fall in love with storytelling all over again? That is exactly what I felt ~30 pages into The Lost Story.
It's going to sound dramatic (and it kinda is tbh) but I truly don't have any words for how beautiful this story is; how gripping the characters and their relationships are; how magical the world felt.
Go in blind; go in looking for magic - I promise you'll find it.
It's going to sound dramatic (and it kinda is tbh) but I truly don't have any words for how beautiful this story is; how gripping the characters and their relationships are; how magical the world felt.
Go in blind; go in looking for magic - I promise you'll find it.
In other words, a hero on a quest for the Holy Grail isn’t looking for the Holy Grail. The hero is trying to find himself, and the only way he can find his true self is by going on a journey, being tried and tested until he knows if he is a hero in name only or a hero in truth. And that’s why the world has Holy Grails—not because the world needs Holy Grails but because the world needs heroes.
All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is.
Every falling star in Shanandoah / 5 🌠
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
adventurous
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
I have literally no idea what I just read but I can see why it's considered a modern classic. Seriously though - no clue what happened or what the 'point' was lmao
Nicked by M.T. Anderson
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was so weird but in the best way. No real thoughts, purely enjoyed this based on vibes.