mcluster1's reviews
139 reviews

Queen of Myth and Monsters, by Scarlett St. Clair

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Solid follow up to the first book. I like that the relationship between Adrian and Isolde was so tumultuous.

I don’t think that the twist at the end of the book was as shocking as the first.

Spoiler

it was quite clear that something was up with Ana through the whole book. Sorian was a good misdirect, but I was disappointed that Isolde didn’t realize he wasn’t the only traitor

A Million Junes, by Emily Henry

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challenging emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

I picked this up because I enjoy Emily Henry and Julia Whelan. However, I had pretty low expectations since it is YA. Wow did this book blow those expectations. This is a beautiful story about grief, shame, hate, and love. It did not shy a way from difficult topics. The main character, June, was difficult and complicated, but still incredibly easy to route for.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This was a great read. SMG always creates the most thought provoking and unique books. The book was, imo, as enthralling as Mexican Gothic.

Knocked a star for the weird relationship between Carlota and Montgomery. nothing physical happens between the two, but I struggled with a man in his 30s (?) lusting after a 14-18 year old. Just a little icky

Content Warnings

The Goddess Effect, by Sheila Yasmin Marikar

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funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.0

This was a fun read. At times Anita could be very immature, she seemed more like 22 than over 30, but it think that was necessary for her to really buy into the goddess effect.

Horse, by Geraldine Brooks

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challenging informative slow-paced

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

2.0

This book started out okay, but I quite frustrated by the end. I believe Geraldine Brooks intent was to creat a realistic dissection of race in America without objectifying her black characters. However, she completely failed to do so. She objectified Theo through his death and made it a learning moment for Jess, a white MC. I also disliked that after Theo’s death, Jess immediately decided to high tail it back to Australia, because America is beyond repair. SHE LITERALLY GIVES UP AFTER 2 DEMONSTRATIONS.

I also had difficulty with Brook’s reliance on characterizing nice ‘masters’ and that jarret was thankful for time spent laboring in the field, because it made him realize how luck he had been. WTF?!

The relationship between Jarrett and Lexington was the only thing that kept me reading the book. I quite honestly think that Brooks does not have an in-depth enough understanding of Blackness and Americans to write this book.

One Italian Summer, by Rebecca Serle

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emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a great mother daughter story. I thought that it covered grief and love in a very respectful way. I personally have a difficult time with these types of books because my relationship with my mother is so negative, but I aspire to have a relationship similar to the one in the boom with my daughter

Delicious!, by Ruth Reichl

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emotional funny informative 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? No

3.0

The best thing about this book is it’s love of food and history. The descriptions of food, cooking styles, and aromas were fantastic. I could have done with less of the sister plot, but everything else was enjoyable

Yerba Buena, by Nina LaCour

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced