miss_reads_romance's reviews
128 reviews
Before I Let Go, by Kennedy Ryan
emotional
hopeful
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
Natural: How Faith in Nature's Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science, by Alan Levinovitz
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Natural is a wide-ranging and thoughtful exploration of the cultural construction of naturalness as purity. My main interest was in our food systems, but the discussion of contraception was also extremely interesting. I wasn't so interested in the chapter on sports, but that's down to personal interest. Levinovintz' background in religion studies was a fascinating surprise (it shouldn't have been... "faith" is in literally in the subtitle), informing the fallacy of purity that forms the thesis of the book.
The Snow Queen With CD, by Sarah Lowes
adventurous
4.0
This is a beautifully illustrated and relatively well-told version of The Snow Queen, though the titular villain is not particularly engaging. How early do we need to start to complicating the myth of one-note, motiveless "evil"? Apart from this, the heroine Gerda's adventure to save her best friend is a fun one.
This book will be rehomed to my classroom, where I may use it in our fairytale unit (on a reading list at the very least).
This book will be rehomed to my classroom, where I may use it in our fairytale unit (on a reading list at the very least).
You Just Need to Lose Weight: And 19 Other Myths about Fat People, by Aubrey Gordon
challenging
informative
5.0
This is an excellent primer for anyone hoping to do anti-fat bias work in this own lives. Much of the material will be familiar to those who have consumed Aubrey Gordon's previous work, but the reference style of the chapters make this a valuable resource to share with people in your life or equip yourself for conversations with people vouching anti-fat bias.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Kiss of the Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Know going in that this novel is over 20 years old... and you can tell. Some of the hallmarks of its 2000 pub. date are harmless (the heroine has the Rachel) but reader beware casual fatphobia, Not Like Other Girls energy and a tiresome focus on the heroine's virginity. From a craft perspective, readers who mostly read new releases may notice some head hopping, which reads as quite old-fashioned now. If you're okay with these things, you should have fun with Kiss of the Highlander, a quick, mostly silly highlander time travel romance.
Thanks to Karen Marie Moning for a fun introduction to a subgenre that I have so far neglected in my romance life.
Thanks to Karen Marie Moning for a fun introduction to a subgenre that I have so far neglected in my romance life.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia and Addiction
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
A charming epistolary novel set directly post-WWII, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a celebration of resilience, friendship and how books can bring people together, even in the darkest times. For my fellow romance girlies: there's a sweet one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
A Court of Silver Flames, by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Court of Silver Flames is outstanding, but it is not for the faint-hearted. My girl Nesta goes through it. There are parts of her journey to healing that are hard to read, and this novel is long, but it's absolutely worth it.
This summer is my reintroduction to speculative fiction after a long time away so I'm not fantasy expert; thus, I'll leave the critique of the fantasy worldbuilding to other reviewers. My expert area is romance though, and the development of Nesta and Cassien's relationship is something special. This book is notably sexier than previous SJM books, but I would argue that the explicit scenes here are doing what they need to, to serve the emotional arc (which is what sex scenes in romance novels are supposed to do). Cassian is also a god among men in the ranks of romance heroes. He is fully devoted to Nesta despite her tendency to lash out at him, but he doesn't veer into creepy "persistent" territory where harrassment is treated as romantic.
Truly, I would go to war for Nesta. She is what may be called an "unlikeable heroine", but that label feels reductive when the reason is so clear and deliberate... She isn't unlikeable, she has debilitating trauma and self-hatred. She is surrounded by people who are not able or willing to give her the grace of being depressed, compounded by her lashing out at anyone attempting to reach her. I felt the conflict between Nesta, Feyre and Rhysand was so well-done: no one is blameless but everyone's perspectives are understandable.
SJM's unabashed appropriation of romancelandia chat, Nesta's friendly house that reads romance novels, and the Valkyries' training also affords some much need levity. This book is as much a celebration of female friendship as it is a soarching romance.
This summer is my reintroduction to speculative fiction after a long time away so I'm not fantasy expert; thus, I'll leave the critique of the fantasy worldbuilding to other reviewers. My expert area is romance though, and the development of Nesta and Cassien's relationship is something special. This book is notably sexier than previous SJM books, but I would argue that the explicit scenes here are doing what they need to, to serve the emotional arc (which is what sex scenes in romance novels are supposed to do). Cassian is also a god among men in the ranks of romance heroes. He is fully devoted to Nesta despite her tendency to lash out at him, but he doesn't veer into creepy "persistent" territory where harrassment is treated as romantic.
Truly, I would go to war for Nesta. She is what may be called an "unlikeable heroine", but that label feels reductive when the reason is so clear and deliberate... She isn't unlikeable, she has debilitating trauma and self-hatred. She is surrounded by people who are not able or willing to give her the grace of being depressed, compounded by her lashing out at anyone attempting to reach her. I felt the conflict between Nesta, Feyre and Rhysand was so well-done: no one is blameless but everyone's perspectives are understandable.
SJM's unabashed appropriation of romancelandia chat, Nesta's friendly house that reads romance novels, and the Valkyries' training also affords some much need levity. This book is as much a celebration of female friendship as it is a soarching romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, Murder, Death, Blood, Mental illness, Death of parent, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage, Body horror, War, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
There are some outstanding visual moments in this book - her first time with the silver flames after her nightmare was memorable, and I won't forget the horrific description of the Kelpy in a while. I also squalked aloud when she was turned on by Cass and Az sparring and imagining a threesome... Thank you SJM, I need that levity in your PTSD book!
A Court of Frost and Starlight, by Sarah J. Maas
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I believe I have hit the post-blockbuster post-rigorous editing period of SJM's career. But I'm quite aware that I read all four of the ACOTAR titles in a row over a few days. I imagine after waiting for each installment, this quotidian Christmas novella would have been a welcome epilogue to Feyre and Rhys' story.
Unfortunately, I didn't much care for the Feyre and Rhys sections. They're romance was tied up well in ACOWAR so I was just waiting for their chapters to be finished so I could be with Nesta and Cassian. I will say this: goddamn did Chapter 31 sell me on A Court of Silver Flames!
Unfortunately, I didn't much care for the Feyre and Rhys sections. They're romance was tied up well in ACOWAR so I was just waiting for their chapters to be finished so I could be with Nesta and Cassian. I will say this: goddamn did Chapter 31 sell me on A Court of Silver Flames!
How Story Works: An Elegant Guide to the Craft of Storytelling, by Lani Diane Rich
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
How Story Works is a comprehensive, assessible introductory reference guide to author and podcaster Lani Diane Rich's work in narrative theory which can also be found on her podcast of the same name from Chipperish Media. Rich delivers college level theory on narrative conflict, structure and character, supported by film examples podcast listeners may remember from the early seasons, as well as new narrative examples from the author. This skinny volume is easy to get through in a single sitting, but will not doubt become an invaluable staple of writing reference shelves.
My Killer Vacation, by Tessa Bailey
I will return to this book sometime, I think. I have been so busy this semester. I'm not in the mood for a pivot to a contemporary subgenre of romance that I'm not familiar with. All I want is the holidays and the speculative fiction summer I've been promising myself for six months!