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hibsdontlie's reviews
28 reviews
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
i’m not proofreading this leave me alone
i had a lot of fun reading this book esp the first 2/3’s that played like a movie in my head. the multiple povs were pretty well-done imo. writing is also p easy to follow. immersive world-building, i love this world i love how well thought out it is i can tell the author really cares about this series. within the first handful of chapters i just shut my brain off and put my faith in miss tasha suri. i especially loveddd how it’s really the women running this shit (like when vikram died i was like yeah bitch gtfo this isnt about you haha you really thought) bc oftentimes that is objectively the case with revolutions even irl and i’m glad that miss tasha didn’t fall into the trap of shoving it down our throats yknow? like these women are strong and capable bc they ARE strong and capable.
the only thing keeping this from a 5 star read for me is the pacing gets kinda funky somewhere after chapter 50 she almost lost me there and the romance after that point as well idk i just wasnt completely convinced but okay ig but by the end i really want to know what happens next and i def want to see where this series goes ◡̈
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
the only thing keeping this from a 5 star read for me is the pacing gets kinda funky somewhere after chapter 50 she almost lost me there and the romance after that point as well idk i just wasnt completely convinced but okay ig but by the end i really want to know what happens next and i def want to see where this series goes ◡̈
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
1.5
the story itself is mid at best. the writing was not great. i didn’t agree with the way that certain topics were discussed, idk made me feel icky. the book was wayy too long and the pacing was uneven. right when it would start to pick up it would just drop dead. too much text spent on stairways and corridors and left and right. the only thing i really enjoyed was the deep maleen arc. that was probably bc i thought i was gonna get some answers. silly little me! at least those characters were better. the audiobook was good, though. i liked the narration.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.0
i really wanted to like this book but i just finished it and i have already forgotten half the plot. for what it is it’s too long and lacks substance. idk maybe it would’ve worked better as a short story.
i did like the characters and there were definitely little details i enjoyed (“boys” turning into dragons as well, the librarian, how the media avoided stories about dragoning, etc.). overall, the concept itself is fun, i just think it could have used another round of editing. felt like an overpriced salad at a fancy bistro like i def could’ve made this at home. :((
i did like the characters and there were definitely little details i enjoyed (“boys” turning into dragons as well, the librarian, how the media avoided stories about dragoning, etc.). overall, the concept itself is fun, i just think it could have used another round of editing. felt like an overpriced salad at a fancy bistro like i def could’ve made this at home. :((
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
i had fun reading this book. characters are well written and i really liked most of them. i didn't like some of the dialogue and the pacing was kind of up and down (it took me 3 weeks to finish the last 60 pages 🤠), but overall a fun read. surprised myself and teared up towards the end. also the way they got rid of raksh was borderline cartoonish but okay
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
this took me 6 months to finish bc i have fomo and refuse to dnf books. there’s a lot i couldn’t care less about but more of the enby ifrit pls.
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
adventurous
emotional
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
3.75
successful marriage counseling is when your wife nearly cuts your head off and you say thank you.
+ overall, it was a good book to lose yourself into.
+ i really liked our main cast of characters. tears were definitely shed because of them and it was so easy to hurt with them. they were well-written and they felt whole, even as they continued to develop throughout the book.
+ i could not put it down between around 35-60%
- i was not a huge fan of the world building.if kwang chul-hee plays video games in his freetime... technology must be available and accessible? so why is the superior ranganese army fighting with cheap swords and not guns? or did i miss something? 😭
- i haaaaaaaated the use of real-life languages in this book. took me all the way out of the fantasy. at worst, it made me cringe. you want me to believe they're kaigenese why are they speaking real life japanese??? orthe soldier with the braid talking about you cut my hair in mandarin(?) . i came here to escape i want my money back >:(
+ the author herself acknowledges that the world building has its problems. it's such a shame otherwise this definitely would have made a great first book in a series, hence the rating because it's not a 4 but it's not a 3 either ☹
- the writing for the most part was smooth but there were definitely moments where i remember reading something and feeling like okay that was kind of redundant. the last third especially was tedious to read. there were parts where i felt like i kept reading and reading but wasn't getting anywhere 🗿
i'm not proofreading this. send.
+ overall, it was a good book to lose yourself into.
+ i really liked our main cast of characters. tears were definitely shed because of them and it was so easy to hurt with them. they were well-written and they felt whole, even as they continued to develop throughout the book.
+ i could not put it down between around 35-60%
- i was not a huge fan of the world building.
- i haaaaaaaated the use of real-life languages in this book. took me all the way out of the fantasy. at worst, it made me cringe. you want me to believe they're kaigenese why are they speaking real life japanese??? or
+ the author herself acknowledges that the world building has its problems. it's such a shame otherwise this definitely would have made a great first book in a series, hence the rating because it's not a 4 but it's not a 3 either ☹
- the writing for the most part was smooth but there were definitely moments where i remember reading something and feeling like okay that was kind of redundant. the last third especially was tedious to read. there were parts where i felt like i kept reading and reading but wasn't getting anywhere 🗿
i'm not proofreading this. send.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Suicide
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
the most unlikeable protagonist to ever exist my god this whole book is just
coriolanus: they can’t have nice things only i can have nice things >:(
literally everyone: coryo you have had cabbage for dinner for four days now and your empty house is being held together by tape
coriolanus: but i’m a snow >:(
coriolanus: they can’t have nice things only i can have nice things >:(
literally everyone: coryo you have had cabbage for dinner for four days now and your empty house is being held together by tape
coriolanus: but i’m a snow >:(
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
took me months to finish. it’s not a bad book. the writing is good and i can see why people like these characters. just wasn’t for me :/