jamie1498's reviews
42 reviews

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

informative lighthearted slow-paced

3.0

Sometimes, due to its delivery, Cultish was difficult to pick back up. It’s written like a blog-post or a podcast transcript. Informal language and occasional tangents sometimes made it difficult to follow along. My other gripe is it often felt like with the repetitive nature of the book, the author was bashing me over the head with information. However, a lot of what she covers is intriguing and her approach is open, somewhat humorous, and empathetic. 

Saga: Compendium One by Brian K. Vaughan

adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Volume One of Saga is jam packed with action, twists and turns, political commentary, violence, sex, and much much more. It took me a while to get through this volume. At times I wanted to savor it, and at others I didn’t want to keep reading because I knew something bonkers would throw the story off course again. 

The cast of characters is ever growing around our original protagonists and at every turn, allegiances change, circumstances shift, and so does the perspective along with it. I don’t think this is a perfect story. Sometimes commentary is oversimplifying an issue or can feel slightly dated. More often though, it hits as if it was written yesterday. 

I don’t think Saga is for everyone. It’s certainly a story that covers a lot of heavy and triggering topics. However, I think it’s worth checking out if the TW list isn’t too much. It’s some of the most engrossing sci-fi I’ve consumed.

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.0

This was a delightful sequel. While I think I still liked the first novel better, this was a great continuation of Emily Wilde’s story. I found myself wishing for another cast of characters more similar to the first book. I didn’t feel like Ariadne or Rose were developed enough as characters when comparing them to the supporting cast of the first novel. All in all though, it had the same heart, warmth, tension, and humor of the first novel. I also felt like the pacing wasn’t as strong this time around. I flew through the first but found myself taking a little longer to get through this one. I look forward to reading the third. 

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.25

I wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t. The first act was fine, the second act ran long, and the third act was exhausting. I really couldn’t enjoy any of the characters all that much. I had to force myself through the last third. So much felt unnecessary or dragged. This was my second Kingfisher read and I don’t think I’ll read another. 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I picked this up because of the immense hype around it online. I knew it would be cheesy.

Most of my frustrations come from aspects outside the romance plot. For a “STEMinist” novel, it felt like all of Olive’s problems were solved by a man and her one female friend was woefully underdeveloped and came off like a lovesick, feminist/empowerment buzzword machine. 

Maybe I’m just still new to the romance genre, but I wanted Olive to have a little more agency, for the resolution to have been more than

producing evidence for Adam so that he could report Tom.

My last bit of criticism: a biology PhD and PhD candidate

(and her mom literally died from cancer????)

are anti-flu shot and anti-sunscreen respectively???? It totally took me out in both instances.

The romance between Olive and Adam was sweet and I enjoyed how it developed. Not all of the banter landed for me, but they kept me turning the pages the entire way through. I think it served as a nice palette cleanser book that was very addictively readable. 

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-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

It’s clear Under the Whispering Door was written by someone with a first hand experience of grief and its complexities. Klune, though at times heavy handed in delivery, has created a touching and wonderful story about death and grief (and love, and friendship, and personal growth, and more). I expected to cry, considering the subject matter, but there were also so many moments of warmth, joy, and humor. I do not think this is the most complex or nuanced novel about death or loss, but it is one that resonates with me and my own journey with grief. It was hopeful in ways I will continue to expect from Klune’s work.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I wanted to love this book more than I did. While some moments still evoked the feelings from the first novel, I couldn’t help but feel like this addition was not necessary. Somehow it felt like it was doing too much and too little at the same time. I couldn’t get myself to care about

Maylee and the budding romance between her and Viv

. Fern and Satchel and others I cared about more. It was still an overall enjoyable read, but does not live up to Legends and Lattes for me. 

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was such a delightful read. One of my favorites this year. The journal format, the characters, and the folklore included were all so thoughtful. This novel struck the right balance for my fantasy, hitting some cozy moments, some action, and intrigue. It even included a pining romance that did not overwhelm or overtake the story. I can’t wait to continue the series!

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It’s hard to give this one a review. It was so inconsistent for me. Parts of it were wonderful and others dragged or made me cringe. Dialogue worked sometimes, and other times it really didn’t. POV would shift within the same chapter which would take me out. The initial concept of a paladin of a dead god intrigued me. Pacing was all over the place. I think the book had a few too many subplots/setups for future novels than my liking. I’m not sure that I’m willing to give the second one a shot to see if a fresh perspective makes it better. The supporting cast was solid. I didn’t love either of the MCs whole heartedly but could see myself liking future MCs out of this cast. 

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

At times I enjoyed this book more than the first, at others I liked the first more. I wish the cast hadn’t been split for most of the book. I missed Elspeth’s autonomy for most of the novel. Ione and Elm’s storyline was a bright spot for me. All in all, pacing was an issue at points but still thought it was a fun read!