xandra_lyn's reviews
545 reviews

Women Heroes of the American Revolution: 20 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Defiance, and Rescue by Susan M. Casey

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Interesting but dry. I felt I had a lot of questions about their lives still and that this was a very bland look at them. 
The Lost Heir (Wings of Fire #2) by Tui T. Sutherland

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adventurous hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

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Delphine & the Dark Thread by Alyssa Moon

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

A really good second half! I LOVED cornichone (the cat)! I loved Alexander! This one was a lot darker than the first one, and the end was sad, but still satisfying.
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Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

This was a really great book!!! It was dark, but a lot of the darkness was hinted at rather than explicit. It was faithful to the comics and get a new story. I really liked that she paired Selina and Luke Fox. I've never been a fan of Bruce and Selina (too toxic). But Maas's version of Luke and Selina worked really well because they had some core things in common that Bruce and Selina never really had.

I had a few minor complaints, such as there being a seemingly sudden shift in Selina's goals. I think maas was trying to draw out the suspense, but it came off as inconsistent. Also, Selina made a lot of powerful enemies, and it did make me worried for her future in Gotham. (To be clear, it wasn't a cliffhanger in that it was open for future issues; I just know comics, and the enemies she made are formidable).
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Dungeons And Dragons: The Thief of Many Things by Ellen Boener

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

3.5

This was interesting but I wanted more backstory. It would have been better as a series rather than a one shot.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #13 by Erik Burnham

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

4.0

Boy Wonder #2 by Juni Ba

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

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Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was my favorite book when I was a teen, and so I decided to re-read it as an adult. 

I really liked it! I loved the wimsy and magic of the book, the mysteriousness of the other kingdom, and the myths/folklore of eastern Europe.

However, books made before the #meetoo movement often have problematic material. This one is relatively benign - Jena thinks she has mismanaged everything and heaps shame on herself, and Tati wastes away from true love. As an adult, I know that Jena didn't mismanage it - she was up against the rigid patriarchal structure of her time. But a kid wouldn't know that - and I wish someone in authority in the book had told Jena she'd done all she could and had done a good job. 

Unfortunately nothing salvages the ridiculous Tati story line. Which is a shame, because I really love tati and feel the author did an injustice to portray her like that.
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A Taste of Italian Sunshine by Leonie Mack

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

3.0

This is the first leonie mack book that I didn't love. There was a lot of second hand embarassment from Jenn's behavior, and then Jenn's character had a weird shift part where suddenly she wanted to sleep with titziano. Someone as uptight as Jenn just doesn't do those type of things. It felt like Leonie Mack didn't know how to get her from point a to point b. 
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Dating A Golden Goddess by Laura Greenwood

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is best one yet! I really loved learning more about the world she has created. And Aphrodite was very different than I expected but it felt really sweet and genuine!
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