jade_newcastle's reviews
49 reviews

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater

fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Addiction

Moonstruck, Vol. 1: Magic to Brew by Grace Ellis

funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Violence, Torture, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Confinement, Death, Blood, Physical abuse, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Classism, and Colonisation

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I found the relationship between Harrow and Gideon really toxic. I understand the narrative justification for it, but it ruined my enjoyment of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Physical abuse, Suicide, and War

Minor: Child abuse

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

This is my go-to comfort book right now! The romance is charming and healthy, the disability representation makes me feel seen, and the worldbuilding is intriguing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Chronic illness, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Sexual content

Minor: Ableism, Biphobia, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Suicide, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Infertility

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

4.25

I gasped out loud while reading the ending!

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous emotional slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking

Minor: Misogyny, Child abuse, and Slavery

Poison Kiss by Ana Mardoll

5.0

This was a great book! The characters were complex and lovable (especially the main trio) as well as being good representation of diverse races, genders, and orientations. I love the fact that the version of faeries used hearkened back to their original mythology of being evil kidnappers. I also liked that in times of conflict, everyone's strengths were used to help. No one felt superfluous. This book had some great world building. It did a good job of being a complete story while still setting up for the rest of the series.

Survival Rout by Ana Mardoll

5.0

This was a really strong sequel to Poison Kiss. It surrounded new characters that were just as interesting as the protagonists of the first book. Survival Rout focused more on what living in the faery world is like, which I think helped to give good insight into what the others had escaped. I would say the stakes were raised for these protagonists, as well. Mardoll continued her trend of great, diverse characters. She placed disability and trans issues at the forefront of this book, to immense pay-off.

This is one of the best series I've read in a long time. Anyone who loves fantasy should give it a look. Survival Rout has a content warning at the back, which I recommend a read through before reading the book, if you have prominent triggers. But know that none of the content listed is used for shock value, but rather to explore the reality of it through a fantasy lens.

Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger

1.0

I didn't really like this book, and didn't make it all the way through. It felt like the author didn't do much research. For one, the sections of the book that are meant to be excerpts from the protagonist's comics weren't actually in any kind of comic format. It may have been because he wrote and drew his own comics, so he didn't need as much direction, but I can't see him writing a comic script as if it were a book. They're two completely different mediums. I also kind of felt like Unger didn't understand her protagonist very well, even on a very basic level. He was a really stereotypical guy, to an unrealistic degree. He even said "ladies, this is what all men are like" at one point. I'm not a man, but I've always had a lot of male friends, and can tell you that that isn't, actually, what all men are like. It may seem like a strange thing to complain about, but it made him seem really unnatural. He didn't feel like a person, so much as an idea of a person.