shrayirene's reviews
523 reviews

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.0

As always, the banter has so fun! However, I think this is my least favourite of the Mead Mishap books. The pacing seemed strange, and things that should have gotten more attention were glossed over in favour of what felt like a random series of adventures rather than an overall quest. 
No Exit by Taylor Adams

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

3.0

This was a great book in some ways, and pretty meh in others. It was fun, and I liked Darby and Jay a lot, and there were some twists that I honestly didn't see coming. However, it also felt like the story was a bit much. It was sensationalized to a ridiculous or unnecessary degree, which detracted from the plot points that were done well. 
The Road of Bones by Demi Winters

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

I really enjoyed this! The fantasy Viking world building was great, the characters were intriguing, and there were a few plot twists that I didn't see coming (and the ones I did, did not detract from my enjoyment). On more than one occasion I was laughing out loud and grinning like an idiot. I can't wait to read the next one! 
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective sad tense 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

Well, I definitely learned a lot about tennis, which I knew next to nothing about before this. The scoring is quite complicated, but you can skim thru the details because Reid gives you enough information to understand how the games are going. It was the relationships and complications that come with fame and being a female champion that really drew me in. Relationships and broken, flawed characters are something that Taylor Jenkins Reid does so well! 
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

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adventurous emotional funny sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

4.5 stars

It was so refreshing to read about a woman in her thirties going on a quest to save her sister from her abusive husband. Throw in a dust witch, some godmothers, a unique dog, and I am in! I related hard to a lot of her internal monologue, as I feel lots of millennial women will. I'll definitely be checking out her other novels. 
Of Song and Scepter by Liesl West

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adventurous dark hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

Dark, spicy Little Mermaid? Yes please! This was a fun read, and I really enjoyed the world building (unlike the Little Mermaid, the prince was a Siren and there were no humans). I'll definitely be reading the next one!
Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

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adventurous emotional funny sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

There were a lot of good things in this one, but I found Yelena very annoying. She randomly swung back and forth between intelligently planning and reacting with no thought at all or letting herself make incorrect assumptions. It felt like she was missing obvious things or willfully refusing to ask the right questions. She also lacked compassion often, as well as communication skills. I get that this was part of her arc to accepting herself and her magic, but it felt overdone.

This is consistent throughout the books, so I don't think this is a spoiler, but I don't like how 95% of her interactions with Valek are private. It made me wonder how quickly things would fall apart outside of their "bubble". 
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

But... what.... how... WHY?! It's absolutely rude to emotionally traumatize someone without releasing the date of the next book! 

This was an epic third book, and as expected, I NEED ANSWERS!! I laughed, I cried, I ranted, I stared blankly not knowing what to do with myself. 

It's hard to write this without spoilers, so I'll just say that I thoroughly enjoyed the expansion of Ridoc's character, and was so glad that Yarros toned down the communication fails. 

NOW BRING ON BOOK FOUR!
Iron Flame (Parts 1 & 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous challenging emotional funny tense 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

4.25

It was great to listen to the dramatized adaptation as my reread in preparation for Onyx Storm. I definitely picked up on more details and clues this time.

But seriously, if they don't fix their communication in Onyx Storm.... 
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

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adventurous emotional sad 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

4.0

I enjoyed this even more than the first book! The culture of Sitia was very interesting, and I liked how different it was from Ixia. We meet a lot of new characters in this book, and I'm looking forward to how they will expand and develop in the next book. It would be nice to see more of Yelena's two worlds interact.