third_bookworm's reviews
110 reviews

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Easily one of my favorite books that I've read recently. I loved the layers of metafiction. The whole book felt very meaty; I think I would get even more out of it on a reread. I enjoyed the take on hauntings a lot; it made me think of The Shining a bit. The illustrations are gorgeous, and I would love to get a paper copy to annotate and to better see the illustrations. Definitely will return to this one!
That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
The worldbuilding seemed shallow and ill-conceived. The characters were not at all engaging, and I found that reading it felt like a chore.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-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

4.75

Really sweet and enjoyable! I loved the found family dynamics. All of the characters were dynamic and engaging. Would definitely reread!
Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I stuck with this book because I was expecting it to do something interesting or subversive. It did not. The plot was not good or interesting enough to make up for the deeply uncomfortable themes throughout, and the revelation at the end was boring and disappointing.
I think I would have been fine with either the glorification of Christian missionaries OR the incest plotline, but both of them at the same time was too much. The incest was deeply uncomfortable for obvious reasons, but it ended up bothering me almost as much that the entire institution of Christian missionaries working with English colonialism was treated completely without criticism. The combination made it frustrating and rather disgusting to read.

It was well-written and the worldbuilding was very fun; I especially enjoyed the excerpts at the beginnings of the chapters. It just wasn't worth it to grit my teeth through the entire plot and the  romance plotline just to enjoy the worldbuilding and writing, and I don't care enough about Christian theology to have enjoyed the commentary on that.
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Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

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adventurous emotional tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

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reflective 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

4.5

I enjoyed the magic system and the maneuverings between the gods a lot. The Hamlet parallels were really fun, but I'm glad that it wasn't an exact 1:1 Hamlet retelling, because the changes were interesting.
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

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adventurous emotional lighthearted slow-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

This was a really delightful book. I was initially skeptical, but it ended up as a very interesting and well-written take on the whole magical school portal fantasy genre. The criticism/subversion of the genre certainly started out rather heavy-handed, but it developed in nuance and elegance as the characters matured. The main characters were really delightful; I enjoyed the prioritization of platonic relationships over romantic ones, and I think the combination of the two was well-balanced. 
The character development was remarkable and very well-paced. The protagonist's pov was irritating for the first section of the book, but that became much better-balanced as the book progressed.
I don't think I would get it again, because I think it would be frustrating to read substantial parts of it knowing where it is going, but it was a very enjoyable read the first time through.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I think this is the third book to ever make me cry, so that's certainly a point in some direction for it. It's really really beautiful. I saw most of the ending coming a bit in advance, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable.
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

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adventurous emotional reflective 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

5.0

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

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emotional reflective slow-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

5.0

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