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booksoversecondbreakfast's reviews
64 reviews
Pages To Fill by Travis Baldree
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I enjoyed this! I don't think this would be as good of a read as a standalone short story, but I think it's great as a prequel short story for Legends & Lattes. It made me happy getting to learn a bit more about the backstory that set Viv onwards towards her cafe adventure. This added a bit more action to the story, revealed a bit more magic system lore and world-building details, and gave me more of a background on some of the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Blood
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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? No
5.0
I just loved this book so much!! It's definitely a cozy fantasy, so don't expect something fast-paced and thrilling, but it's just so sweet and full of so much well thought out lore and intrigue.
It's a story of a retired mercenary & adventure orc, Viv, and her journey building a business and a community. There's a secondary plot that features a romance between Viv and one of the other characters, but it's not as central as the community-building plot of the book. I had hoped that there would be more romance to this book, because I really enjoyed it, but I can't penalize the book for not having as much of as I'd have preferred, especially because it was so tastefully written and the rest of the plot was so interesting otherwise.
All in all, this was totally a 5-star book! Especially for fantasy! The characters were all so interesting and loveable, the setting left me wanting to explore the world and visit Viv's coffee shop, and the magic system seemed well thought out and interesting. It was such a wonderful found-family story, which I'm a total sucker for, and I loved how this author made that work in such an interesting and well-written fantasy world. We totally need more books like these! I borrowed this book via ebook from the library, but I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this book for my library, because I expect to comfort-reread this several times throughout my lifetime.
It's a story of a retired mercenary & adventure orc, Viv, and her journey building a business and a community. There's a secondary plot that features a romance between Viv and one of the other characters, but it's not as central as the community-building plot of the book. I had hoped that there would be more romance to this book, because I really enjoyed it, but I can't penalize the book for not having as much of as I'd have preferred, especially because it was so tastefully written and the rest of the plot was so interesting otherwise.
All in all, this was totally a 5-star book! Especially for fantasy! The characters were all so interesting and loveable, the setting left me wanting to explore the world and visit Viv's coffee shop, and the magic system seemed well thought out and interesting. It was such a wonderful found-family story, which I'm a total sucker for, and I loved how this author made that work in such an interesting and well-written fantasy world. We totally need more books like these! I borrowed this book via ebook from the library, but I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this book for my library, because I expect to comfort-reread this several times throughout my lifetime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death, Genocide, Gore, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Gaslighting
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
In so many ways, I really loved this book. The story as a whole was very interesting. It had me clutching at the edge of my seat in fear for the characters I grew so attached to. I came to enjoy the magic and the families the story centers, as well as the land in which the story is set. It was all so whimsical and the plot was so thrilling.
At the same time, however, the plot was extremely predictable and almost felt like a YA read (but with a spicy seen added in), which was not what I was anticipating. The first few chapters could have used more editing, with the narration really throwing me off sometimes and ruining my reading flow. It got a bit better further into the book, however, but I was close to DNFing it a few chapters in.
The main character took some time for me to come to like, as she very much had a 'not-like-other-girls' mindset that felt pretty annoying. She has great character development as the story progresses, however, so that kind of redeemed her in my eyes.
I wish the magic system had been explored much more prior to the climax, as it felt kind of underdeveloped. I also wish the romance had more time to cook as well, as everything seemed to happen really suddenly when the romance finally did seem to come together. Also, I just wish we had more time to see what honey + ash magic is like in the post-climax setting. It all rushed so quickly at the end, and I ended wanting more, so I think the pacing wasn't quite right.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but it was kind of frustrating to me at times. It's a really great story, though, I just think there was room for improvement. I borrowed this book from the library, and don't think I'll read it again, but I might keep an eye out for this author's future work.
At the same time, however, the plot was extremely predictable and almost felt like a YA read (but with a spicy seen added in), which was not what I was anticipating. The first few chapters could have used more editing, with the narration really throwing me off sometimes and ruining my reading flow. It got a bit better further into the book, however, but I was close to DNFing it a few chapters in.
The main character took some time for me to come to like, as she very much had a 'not-like-other-girls' mindset that felt pretty annoying. She has great character development as the story progresses, however, so that kind of redeemed her in my eyes.
I wish the magic system had been explored much more prior to the climax, as it felt kind of underdeveloped. I also wish the romance had more time to cook as well, as everything seemed to happen really suddenly when the romance finally did seem to come together. Also, I just wish we had more time to see what honey + ash magic is like in the post-climax setting. It all rushed so quickly at the end, and I ended wanting more, so I think the pacing wasn't quite right.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but it was kind of frustrating to me at times. It's a really great story, though, I just think there was room for improvement. I borrowed this book from the library, and don't think I'll read it again, but I might keep an eye out for this author's future work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Gore, Infertility, Abortion, and Alcohol
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The writing is great and the story is interesting but it just wasn't that interesting to me. I don't really understand why this book is so beloved, but horror books aren't really my thing anyways. I think it becomes a bit more interesting when read as allegorical of a child's POV living with an abusive mother, but I'm still unsure if that was the intent of the book. All in all, it was a decent read. Definitely creepy, but I have trouble wrapping my head around it all.
I borrowed this book from my library, in audiobook form, and the audiobook format definitely made it more interesting. The narration was really engaging. It's a book I feel is worth reading at least once, but I don't know that I'll read it again.
I borrowed this book from my library, in audiobook form, and the audiobook format definitely made it more interesting. The narration was really engaging. It's a book I feel is worth reading at least once, but I don't know that I'll read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? No
4.0
A really great book! I'm normally not very into poetry, but I really got into this book. Drag is a world I don't have a lot of familiarity with so it was great getting to peer into the scene via this book. I felt so proud of Mike by the end of the book, and it really left me smiling.
I read this as a part of Book Riot's Read Harder prompt and I'm glad I did. It's a bit out of my usual comfort zone for books, but I all-around enjoyed the book!
I read this as a part of Book Riot's Read Harder prompt and I'm glad I did. It's a bit out of my usual comfort zone for books, but I all-around enjoyed the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery, Suicide, and Cultural appropriation
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.25
I loved how close I started with feel with Theo in this book! The author helped us reader's to develop a deep understanding of Theo and to care a lot for him as the book progresses. As Theo encountered hardship after hardship throughout the book, my care towards him grew and my acceptance and understandingness of his malidaptive behaviors grew as well, which was something I found quite interesting to observe in myself towards a literary character who did as many bad things as he did.
The book lasted so long and and was so slow at times, but it captured the ins and outs and the full complexity of Theo's life, spanning a surprisingly long time frame. I enjoyed the thematic links between Theo and the painting, and I liked how it all ended with Theo teaching us what he had learned since that initial childhood tragedy took place in his life.
I rank this less than a 5 because while it was great, it didn't quite thrill me enough for me to want to go back and reread it someday. I definitely recommend reading this at least once, however. I read this via the audiobook and I highly recommend any interested read it that way if they're intimidated by the book's length.
The book lasted so long and and was so slow at times, but it captured the ins and outs and the full complexity of Theo's life, spanning a surprisingly long time frame. I enjoyed the thematic links between Theo and the painting, and I liked how it all ended with Theo teaching us what he had learned since that initial childhood tragedy took place in his life.
I rank this less than a 5 because while it was great, it didn't quite thrill me enough for me to want to go back and reread it someday. I definitely recommend reading this at least once, however. I read this via the audiobook and I highly recommend any interested read it that way if they're intimidated by the book's length.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, Vomit, and Stalking
Minor: Child death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This is such an important book of a beloved series, so I can't rate this too low, but this is one a rare book where I feel the movie is better than the book.
Compared to the rest of the books in this series, this one kind of drags on in the middle, presents Hermione too one-dimensionally (I'm so tired of the one-dimensional bookworm trope... give her some more complexity!), and gets painfully cheesy during the 'big reveal' section of the book (I huffed whenSnape popped out from under the invisibility cloak in the Shrieking Shack .)
I do really enjoy the big twist at the end and about the use of thetime turner during the book's climax, however. All in all, this book is not my favorite of the HP series, but the series is iconic that I strongly feel that anyone should give this book at least one read-through in their lifetime.
Compared to the rest of the books in this series, this one kind of drags on in the middle, presents Hermione too one-dimensionally (I'm so tired of the one-dimensional bookworm trope... give her some more complexity!), and gets painfully cheesy during the 'big reveal' section of the book (I huffed when
I do really enjoy the big twist at the end and about the use of the
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Minor: Forced institutionalization
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? No
2.75
Reading this book was like reading a classic story of old. It read similarly to 1001 Arabian Nights, Old Testament Biblical scripture, and Aesop's fables. It was very fantastical and felt like something I'd enjoy reading to a child as a bedtime story. I listened to the audiobook, and it reminded me of watching A Princess Bride for the first time. It's a comforting kind of story - the kind that makes you dream of what could be. It truly is a more modern-day fable, and in that regard, I can see why people love this book.
The philosophical ideas taught in this book ranged from gnosticism to prosperity gospel to humanism - none of which align with my personal beliefs, so at times I really felt conflicted about this book. I've heard that some people classify this book as a self-help book, and that honestl really surprised me. I have trouble seeing past this book being a fictional magical-realism story, but I can see how people sharing philosophical beliefs with those in this book might see it more as a self-help book. I gave this book a shot and really enjoyed it for the first two-thirds of the book, but towards the end, it just seemed more and more like a pipedream, and the story felt less and less grounded.
All in all, I didn't mind the read, but I also didn't love it. It was overall fairly enjoyable, but I just don't think the story was for me. 2.75/5 stars.
The philosophical ideas taught in this book ranged from gnosticism to prosperity gospel to humanism - none of which align with my personal beliefs, so at times I really felt conflicted about this book. I've heard that some people classify this book as a self-help book, and that honestl really surprised me. I have trouble seeing past this book being a fictional magical-realism story, but I can see how people sharing philosophical beliefs with those in this book might see it more as a self-help book. I gave this book a shot and really enjoyed it for the first two-thirds of the book, but towards the end, it just seemed more and more like a pipedream, and the story felt less and less grounded.
All in all, I didn't mind the read, but I also didn't love it. It was overall fairly enjoyable, but I just don't think the story was for me. 2.75/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and War
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book, but there were some aspects of it that I didn't vibe with.
On the positive side, I really enjoyed how the writer communicated in the comic panes versus outside of the panes to communicate differnt but related information. I enjoyed the back-and-forth nature of balancing narration with commentary of the events. I also liked how the author's autobiography was told within the context of events taking place in queer U.S. history. I feel like this added a lot of depth to the story and helped me to understand the context of what went on, plus it taught me a bit too!
Furthermore, the thematic parallels drawn between the father's life, the author's life, and the stories were extremely intelligent and well thought out. I was very impressed by the author's way of capturing her relationship. She revealed her father's hurtful ane abusive sides, but also shared the aspects of him that left her feeling a great sense of gratitude towards him. I too have a father who was a bad man, but who passed along some characteristics that I'm grateful for, and the author elegantly captured the complexity that comes with this complicated experience, and I really treasured that about this book.
On the other hand, I felt like the book was just too intellectual and too smart for me. So many of the literary references went over my head, so I feel like I missed out on it potential depth. This is more of a me-problem than a problem with the book, however, so I can't be too critical of it. Still, this was a big way in which this book was just not 100% idea for me. Besides that, I wish I has more of a heads up that there were explicit sexual images in here. To each their own, but it's not my cup of tea and it just caught me off guard how much there was, so I wanted to give others a heads in case that's something they also want to avoid.
Overall, it was a really great, thought provoking book, and I enjoyed the read.
On the positive side, I really enjoyed how the writer communicated in the comic panes versus outside of the panes to communicate differnt but related information. I enjoyed the back-and-forth nature of balancing narration with commentary of the events. I also liked how the author's autobiography was told within the context of events taking place in queer U.S. history. I feel like this added a lot of depth to the story and helped me to understand the context of what went on, plus it taught me a bit too!
Furthermore, the thematic parallels drawn between the father's life, the author's life, and the stories were extremely intelligent and well thought out. I was very impressed by the author's way of capturing her relationship. She revealed her father's hurtful ane abusive sides, but also shared the aspects of him that left her feeling a great sense of gratitude towards him. I too have a father who was a bad man, but who passed along some characteristics that I'm grateful for, and the author elegantly captured the complexity that comes with this complicated experience, and I really treasured that about this book.
On the other hand, I felt like the book was just too intellectual and too smart for me. So many of the literary references went over my head, so I feel like I missed out on it potential depth. This is more of a me-problem than a problem with the book, however, so I can't be too critical of it. Still, this was a big way in which this book was just not 100% idea for me. Besides that, I wish I has more of a heads up that there were explicit sexual images in here. To each their own, but it's not my cup of tea and it just caught me off guard how much there was, so I wanted to give others a heads in case that's something they also want to avoid.
Overall, it was a really great, thought provoking book, and I enjoyed the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.75
This was a quick, thrilling, and heartwarming read that had me grasping to know what happens next throughout the book. It's a story of a strong-hearted girl and that ways in which her people's peaceful culture and innovative spirit bring great peace and unity to a horrific situation. Binti is truly and inspiring character, and I look forward to reading more books featuring this character.
The world-building of this book was also wonderful. I'm not usually a sci-fi reader, so this was my first Africanfuturism and solarpunk book, and I totally loved it. I loved that it gave a hopeful view of the future and had so much technological innovation. I subtract a quarter star only because the book kind of confused me in how it talked about math and equations, so I wish that aspect had been fleshed out a bit more, but overall, I still really loved this book! A highly recommended read!
The world-building of this book was also wonderful. I'm not usually a sci-fi reader, so this was my first Africanfuturism and solarpunk book, and I totally loved it. I loved that it gave a hopeful view of the future and had so much technological innovation. I subtract a quarter star only because the book kind of confused me in how it talked about math and equations, so I wish that aspect had been fleshed out a bit more, but overall, I still really loved this book! A highly recommended read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail