story_goblin's reviews
357 reviews

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book beautifully renders everything it means to be human- all of the tragedies, beauties, loves, relationships, and creativities (both big and small for all of them). It is outside of my normal reading comfort zone, but I was thoroughly immersed the entire time and I cannot find a single flaw/reason to take off any stars. 
Hard Contact by Karen Traviss

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

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adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Now that the main characters have more fully decided on their goals and personalities, it’s becoming more obvious that those who are stuck in the old ways and/or only focused on amassing power for themselves are doing The Dark One’s work- unintentionally if they are not Darkfriends. I noticed this most with
the way Alviarin was unable to corrupt Egwene with offers of escape (as she is focused on reuniting the tower, not her own power) compared to how easily she corrupted Elaida (who was just power-hungry).
Temporary by Hilary Leichter

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This book is funny and fast, as promised, but I think I read it too close to reading The Midnight library, which I related to more. This book’s similar messages just didn’t quite resonate with me the same way. No complaints- it was well written and a fun read.
Spectacular by Stephanie Garber

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was quick and fun, and basically exactly what I had expected. It’s ok if it’s been quite a while since you read the Caraval trilogy because it reminds you of the important bits from the trilogy where necessary.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book has been recommended to me many times, and the universe conspired to make sure this is one of the ones I finally read at the exact right time. We made some big choices this year that didn’t always pan out exactly the way we were hoping. This book helped me articulate some of the feelings I’ve been having surrounding those choices- there are no “perfect choices” in life that will lead to the perfect outcome, and overall I am happy with the decisions we’ve been making. 
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book does what it intends to quite well; it’s just not really my cup of tea. 
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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

4.0

I found myself almost distracted trying to make connections to the previous two books. This one is closer in feel to Shadow of the Wind, but for me the magic isn’t as strong, maybe because I kind of know what to expect from this series now. (It’s still VERY good, though, don’t get me wrong.)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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

Wild and fascinating to come back to this series in 2024’s political and social climate….
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

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adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-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

4.25

Although it was a little formulaic/predictable in the plot, the world building was fantastic. I was fully immersed and immediately wanted to read the next book.