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charvi_not_just_fiction's reviews
728 reviews
A Matter of Death and Life: Love, Loss and What Matters in the End by Marilyn Yalom, Irvin D. Yalom
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
A really emotional, moving and interesting read on bereavement, grief, loss and old age. I took my time with this one and I'm glad I did. It feels wrong to rate this book because it's not just a book. It's a man coming to terms with his wife's death, his death anxiety and knowing what it is to live alone. It's a memoir and a product of the love of two people who've never known a life without each other. How do you rate something so raw and personal?
I found it to be a very moving and enlightening book that constantly had me reaching for the tissue box.
I found it to be a very moving and enlightening book that constantly had me reaching for the tissue box.
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
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? It's complicated
3.5
Unfortunately, this book wasn't my cup of tea. I enjoyed the first one in the series so freaking much but yeah, so many tropes in this book were just not my cup of tea. Not a fan of insta-love, werewolf romance is not my thing either and just generally this particular book went so heavy on romance and spice and I couldn't find the plot.
Like don't get me wrong, there is a plot but it's so understated and really shines towards the end. I adore our entire cast though - love love love Brie and Felix and of course Cin and Fallon and just the whole crew which is why I kept on reading and had some fun. Still, I feel this was nowhere near as wonderful as the previous book. I am to blame since this is usually not my thing but like seriously, why the hell was the plot lurking behind the entire time??
Like don't get me wrong, there is a plot but it's so understated and really shines towards the end. I adore our entire cast though - love love love Brie and Felix and of course Cin and Fallon and just the whole crew which is why I kept on reading and had some fun. Still, I feel this was nowhere near as wonderful as the previous book. I am to blame since this is usually not my thing but like seriously, why the hell was the plot lurking behind the entire time??
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
4.5
SOMEBODY HOLD ME WHAT -
This book is so beautifully written and I am struggling to put into words how much I adored it. The worldbuilding is so well done and immersive - I was invested from the very beginning. I adore Maia and read with excitement as she tried to become the imperial tailor. And oh my god Edan and Maia?? CHEF'S KISS. I was giggling so hard because the banter was truly bantering and I loved every second the two of them had any scenes together.
In terms of plot, I really like it when writers go on different journeys and tangents than revealed in the blurb or expected. I don't want to give any spoilers but think about say The Poppy War wherein characters enter their story with a goal and dream in mind but undergo a transformative journey.
Maia's character arc was so well-built and you can clearly see her take the reins and be confident in herself. I was shedding tears over how proud I was of her growth and development.
AND THEN THAT ENDING -
It's not exactly a cliffhanger but I need to get onto book 2 right now and hope all my beloved characters will be okay!
This book is so beautifully written and I am struggling to put into words how much I adored it. The worldbuilding is so well done and immersive - I was invested from the very beginning. I adore Maia and read with excitement as she tried to become the imperial tailor. And oh my god Edan and Maia?? CHEF'S KISS. I was giggling so hard because the banter was truly bantering and I loved every second the two of them had any scenes together.
In terms of plot, I really like it when writers go on different journeys and tangents than revealed in the blurb or expected. I don't want to give any spoilers but think about say The Poppy War wherein characters enter their story with a goal and dream in mind but undergo a transformative journey.
Maia's character arc was so well-built and you can clearly see her take the reins and be confident in herself. I was shedding tears over how proud I was of her growth and development.
AND THEN THAT ENDING -
It's not exactly a cliffhanger but I need to get onto book 2 right now and hope all my beloved characters will be okay!
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
You mean to say there is this perfectly wholesome, heartwarming, funny and soul-satisfying book about witches and family and romance AND NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT?!
Hello police, I'd like to report a crime, it's absolutely criminal that I've seen such few people talk about it. I mean it wouldn't even have been on my radar had it not been written by my favourite author. Criminal, I tell you.
This book is everything warm and sunshiney with tropes like found family, witch covens, grumpy x sunshine romance and themes of family, love, acceptance and so much more. There's also tons of tea!
Our protagonist Mika is a lonely young witch who signs up to tutor three little witches who are struggling to control their powers. She ends up falling in love with Nowhere House and its eccentric residents and sparks fly whenever she's around the handsome librarian Jamie. I adored each and every character in Nowhere House and together they made the craziest and most perfect found family <3
Honestly, this book made me feel all warm and fuzzy, laugh out loud at the humour, grin like an idiot at the banter and also tear up at how much heart and depth this book carries. The author wrote this during the pandemic and you can tell she wove in the loneliness we all felt into Mika, with a side of always feeling unwanted. Seriously, this is the perfect cozy, quiet yet fun kind of fiction to curl up with.
A new favourite has been found <3
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
"I can't transform the world, Jamie. The world's too big and too messy and too stubborn."
"Who said anything about transforming the world?" he shrugged. "What about just making it a little better? And then a little better? And then a little more, until, one day, maybe long after we're gone, it has transformed?"
You mean to say there is this perfectly wholesome, heartwarming, funny and soul-satisfying book about witches and family and romance AND NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT?!
Hello police, I'd like to report a crime, it's absolutely criminal that I've seen such few people talk about it. I mean it wouldn't even have been on my radar had it not been written by my favourite author. Criminal, I tell you.
This book is everything warm and sunshiney with tropes like found family, witch covens, grumpy x sunshine romance and themes of family, love, acceptance and so much more. There's also tons of tea!
Our protagonist Mika is a lonely young witch who signs up to tutor three little witches who are struggling to control their powers. She ends up falling in love with Nowhere House and its eccentric residents and sparks fly whenever she's around the handsome librarian Jamie. I adored each and every character in Nowhere House and together they made the craziest and most perfect found family <3
Honestly, this book made me feel all warm and fuzzy, laugh out loud at the humour, grin like an idiot at the banter and also tear up at how much heart and depth this book carries. The author wrote this during the pandemic and you can tell she wove in the loneliness we all felt into Mika, with a side of always feeling unwanted. Seriously, this is the perfect cozy, quiet yet fun kind of fiction to curl up with.
A new favourite has been found <3
shine your icy crown by Amanda Lovelace
I've really enjoyed Amanda Lovelace's poetry before, some of them are quite beautiful but this one was absolutely not it. I was so bored and almost none of it felt like poetry. Like no, I'm not gatekeeping what poetry is and isn't but this was just endless paragraphs of affirmative quotes or Instagram captions or something.
It was very much telling instead of showing through verse. Poetry is supposed to be lyrical, not whatever this was. The author's poetry is usually different and out of the box but I think this was just a fail for me.
slow-paced
2.5
I've really enjoyed Amanda Lovelace's poetry before, some of them are quite beautiful but this one was absolutely not it. I was so bored and almost none of it felt like poetry. Like no, I'm not gatekeeping what poetry is and isn't but this was just endless paragraphs of affirmative quotes or Instagram captions or something.
It was very much telling instead of showing through verse. Poetry is supposed to be lyrical, not whatever this was. The author's poetry is usually different and out of the box but I think this was just a fail for me.
The Future Library by Peng Shepherd
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I'm so amazed at what the author accomplished in such a short novella. It's an absolutely gut-wrenching and heart-touching story about Ingrid's desperate attempt to save the last forest on earth and expose the truth of The Future Library.
I think the scariest part is how close we as a society are to the society reflected in this book - this kind of a future where we continue to destroy ourselves and the only hope we have is not unimaginable.
I'd recommend just pick this book up, don't look into it too much because that's the beauty of it. How the author managed to pack in a plot twist or two and hit me so hard that I was in tears standing in a line in public has me amazed.
This is a masterpiece, in my eyes.
I think the scariest part is how close we as a society are to the society reflected in this book - this kind of a future where we continue to destroy ourselves and the only hope we have is not unimaginable.
I'd recommend just pick this book up, don't look into it too much because that's the beauty of it. How the author managed to pack in a plot twist or two and hit me so hard that I was in tears standing in a line in public has me amazed.
This is a masterpiece, in my eyes.
Seven Days by Alex Lake
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was such an intense book, but I'm all here for it.
It's pretty dark, similar plot to Room so go into it having read the trigger warnings. I was honestly expecting something like Room but I liked this one way better.
Thanks to the multiple POVs and jumping timelines the story is much more interesting and I got really attached to the characters and seeing how Maggie's disappearance impacted everyone around her. The man who kidnapped her made me sick to the core so yeah, good job writing him, I guess? It's really hard to rate these kinds of books sometimes?
Anyway, I think the story was well told and I was really rooting for Maggie.
But my main complaint it that you lure me in with seven days and then because of the jumping timelines and multiple POVs the seven days are so stretched and don't even matter? I feel like I would have felt less duped and still have enjoyed the book without that clickbait-ish blurb of seven days.
But other than that, this book definitely had me on the edge of my seat!
It's pretty dark, similar plot to Room so go into it having read the trigger warnings. I was honestly expecting something like Room but I liked this one way better.
Thanks to the multiple POVs and jumping timelines the story is much more interesting and I got really attached to the characters and seeing how Maggie's disappearance impacted everyone around her. The man who kidnapped her made me sick to the core so yeah, good job writing him, I guess? It's really hard to rate these kinds of books sometimes?
Anyway, I think the story was well told and I was really rooting for Maggie.
But my main complaint it that you lure me in with seven days and then because of the jumping timelines and multiple POVs the seven days are so stretched and don't even matter? I feel like I would have felt less duped and still have enjoyed the book without that clickbait-ish blurb of seven days.
But other than that, this book definitely had me on the edge of my seat!
That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
I ADORED THIS BOOK!!
I saw it making the rounds everywhere a while ago and wow the hype is worth it. I literally had a big-ass smile on my face the entire time I was reading this book.
I love Cin so much, she's hilarious, has her priorities right and is just such a wholesome person.
LIKE YOU'RE TELLING ME SHE HAS LARGE POCKETS IN HER SKIRTS FOR SNACKS AND BOOZE?? I need her tailor's number ASAP. Cin doesn't want to be the main character at all but gets wrapped up in this big adventure because, you read the title, she got drunk and accidentally saved a demon. The writing is so on point and the characters are so refreshing and funny, I kept laughing out loud. Also the banter and romance??? Perfection.
Pacing? Amazing. Worldbuilding? Fun, in-depth but not overbearing. Like what more could you want?? This is so different from anything I've read, I'm super excited to go read the rest of the books in this series :D
I saw it making the rounds everywhere a while ago and wow the hype is worth it. I literally had a big-ass smile on my face the entire time I was reading this book.
I love Cin so much, she's hilarious, has her priorities right and is just such a wholesome person.
LIKE YOU'RE TELLING ME SHE HAS LARGE POCKETS IN HER SKIRTS FOR SNACKS AND BOOZE?? I need her tailor's number ASAP. Cin doesn't want to be the main character at all but gets wrapped up in this big adventure because, you read the title, she got drunk and accidentally saved a demon. The writing is so on point and the characters are so refreshing and funny, I kept laughing out loud. Also the banter and romance??? Perfection.
Pacing? Amazing. Worldbuilding? Fun, in-depth but not overbearing. Like what more could you want?? This is so different from anything I've read, I'm super excited to go read the rest of the books in this series :D
Find You First by Linwood Barclay
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What a breathtaking pageturner of a thriller!
I adore everything Barclay writes but this was just next level. The plot is engaging, the pacing is perfect and I loved getting to know the different characters introduced to us. You're invested in each and every one of them as well as their little subplots. You really think you know what's happening until the plot twists hit you.
It's all beautifully spun together and I loved how it all clicked and made sense in the end leaving me shocked. I'd honestly say go into this without trying to find much of what it's about. Just know that it's a thriller about a dying rich man trying to find his children and connect with them as they start disappearing and getting killed off.
I promise you're in for a wonderful ride!
I adore everything Barclay writes but this was just next level. The plot is engaging, the pacing is perfect and I loved getting to know the different characters introduced to us. You're invested in each and every one of them as well as their little subplots. You really think you know what's happening until the plot twists hit you.
It's all beautifully spun together and I loved how it all clicked and made sense in the end leaving me shocked. I'd honestly say go into this without trying to find much of what it's about. Just know that it's a thriller about a dying rich man trying to find his children and connect with them as they start disappearing and getting killed off.
I promise you're in for a wonderful ride!
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? No
3.5
This was a very cozy, quiet and heartwarming piece of literary fiction.
This book is a bout a set of stories starring different characters as they seek out the Kamogawa diner and the detective agency to recreate a meal from their past lives. Each of them has a different story and a different approach. All in all this book is about family, looking at your past, and living life while appreciating it - especially appreciating food.
Honestly, I feel my expectations were a bit too high and the first couple of stories didn't hit me as hard as the rest. Overall, it's a nice and cozy book but I won't say it's my favourite either. Just a personal preference thing, I guess. The concept is so intriguing, though!
This book is a bout a set of stories starring different characters as they seek out the Kamogawa diner and the detective agency to recreate a meal from their past lives. Each of them has a different story and a different approach. All in all this book is about family, looking at your past, and living life while appreciating it - especially appreciating food.
Honestly, I feel my expectations were a bit too high and the first couple of stories didn't hit me as hard as the rest. Overall, it's a nice and cozy book but I won't say it's my favourite either. Just a personal preference thing, I guess. The concept is so intriguing, though!