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phoenix2's reviews
1179 reviews
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
2.0
"The Fox Wife" is a fantasy historical drama that follows two narratives.
The story is lush, with many historical elements that were masterfully handled, and plenty of interesting characters. The myths that were used were also nicely embedded into the story.
However, I found the story a bit too long and kind of lost me halfway through.
But, I appreciated the emotional impact of it.
The story is lush, with many historical elements that were masterfully handled, and plenty of interesting characters. The myths that were used were also nicely embedded into the story.
However, I found the story a bit too long and kind of lost me halfway through.
But, I appreciated the emotional impact of it.
A Drop of Fortune by Danielle Garrett
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Big Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
"A Drop of Fortune" is a cozy fantasy book with a cute romance to boot.
The book starts off smoothly, with a cute main character and her sassy sidekick, who was funny and entertaining.
The story is wholesome, in addition, with many interesting characters that create a nice blend of found family.
The pace was also nicely handled and there were some twists and turns, as well as an adorable (and clean!!) romance that, fortunately, didn't overshadow the main story.
Finally, the audiobook was nicely narrated and I enjoyed the production.
"A Drop of Fortune" is a cozy fantasy book with a cute romance to boot.
The book starts off smoothly, with a cute main character and her sassy sidekick, who was funny and entertaining.
The story is wholesome, in addition, with many interesting characters that create a nice blend of found family.
The pace was also nicely handled and there were some twists and turns, as well as an adorable (and clean!!) romance that, fortunately, didn't overshadow the main story.
Finally, the audiobook was nicely narrated and I enjoyed the production.
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
''You Will Never Be Me'' is a psychological thriller.
The book kind of had me confused at first with the two POVs, but, halfway through, things settled in and everything went smoothly after that.
The mystery was gripping and it was interesting to follow the main character and her way of dealing with what she has done.
However, those two big twists were not believable and didn't feel organic.
Still, it was an enjoyable read.
The book kind of had me confused at first with the two POVs, but, halfway through, things settled in and everything went smoothly after that.
The mystery was gripping and it was interesting to follow the main character and her way of dealing with what she has done.
However, those two big twists were not believable and didn't feel organic.
Still, it was an enjoyable read.
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
''Thornhedge'' is a spinoff of Sleeping Beauty.
The story is short and keeps things clean, as we slowly discover what has happened in the past that led to the current situation.
I also loved the main character who was adorable and relatable at times. I liked the knight as well. Also, and even though this is a fantasy, it felt historically accurate, if that is possible.
However, I was kind of bored and times and the story didn't keep me as interested as I wanted it to.
But, at least, the horror element wasn't that horrific.
The story is short and keeps things clean, as we slowly discover what has happened in the past that led to the current situation.
I also loved the main character who was adorable and relatable at times. I liked the knight as well. Also, and even though this is a fantasy, it felt historically accurate, if that is possible.
However, I was kind of bored and times and the story didn't keep me as interested as I wanted it to.
But, at least, the horror element wasn't that horrific.
My Plain Jane by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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? No
2.0
''My Plain Jane'' is a Jane Eyre retelling. The mood of the book is fun and light and I loved that they had added Charlotte Bronte and other characters' POVs. However, if you want to read about Jane Eyre, then this book won't really provide, as it is more focused on Charlotte and Jane felt like a secondary character. Also, at some point, things were just too messy to follow and tiring to boot. But I enjoyed the spinoff and the ending.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
''The Spellshop'' is a cozy fantasy romance.
I had this one on my radar for months and I was really looking forward reading it, so that is why I was hugely let down. I did read about 50% of it, but it didn't grab me and I found myself not really interested in the story. I guess it was too lengthy with the descriptions and the details were too much. Also, I felt like the author was trying too hard to make this a cozy read and the characters cute and fun.
I had this one on my radar for months and I was really looking forward reading it, so that is why I was hugely let down. I did read about 50% of it, but it didn't grab me and I found myself not really interested in the story. I guess it was too lengthy with the descriptions and the details were too much. Also, I felt like the author was trying too hard to make this a cozy read and the characters cute and fun.
Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 80%.
''Kiss the Girl'' is a Disney retelling and part of the Meant to Be series. Maybe it's me, as I'm not a fan of the original Ariel, though I loved the premisses of this story and that the main characters were Latinos, but I found this one weak and boring. I wasn't engaged and, even though I did read 75% of the book, I found myself not carrying to find out what would happen in the end.
How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science: A Dog Lover's Guide to Animal Behavior and Positive Reinforcement Training by Annie Grossman
informative
3.0
Big Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!!
''How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science: A Dog Lover's Guide to Animal Behavior and Positive Reinforcement Training'' is an informative book with examples of how to train your dog by understanding them first.
The author provides loads of examples from her personal experience and from the bibliography to connect with the reader and make things simple and understandable.
The exercises that she gave were also resourceful and one of them actually worked on my dog! (haven't tried them all out yet).
However, the book is kind of long and has the exercises spread out throughout it, thus, it gets tiring to read after a while. But, I enjoyed its tone and the examples.
''How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science: A Dog Lover's Guide to Animal Behavior and Positive Reinforcement Training'' is an informative book with examples of how to train your dog by understanding them first.
The author provides loads of examples from her personal experience and from the bibliography to connect with the reader and make things simple and understandable.
The exercises that she gave were also resourceful and one of them actually worked on my dog! (haven't tried them all out yet).
However, the book is kind of long and has the exercises spread out throughout it, thus, it gets tiring to read after a while. But, I enjoyed its tone and the examples.
The Goddess Guide to Branding: Your Blueprint for Building an Abundant & Authentic Feminine Brand by Kate McAndrew, Jane McCarthy
informative
3.0
Big Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!!
''The Goddess Guide to Branding: Your Blueprint for Building an Abundant & Authentic Feminine Brand'' is a book about branding your business using the Greek-roman goddesses archetypes.
The book provides the reader with many interviews and examples of real-life businesses that fit those types that are thoroughly explained.
Also, there were a lot of tests to do on your own and the colors and fonts of the text were spot on, with bright photos of the brands to boot.
I do have to say that the whole goddess concept got tiring after a while, but the author did a great job using a language that was easy to understand even if you had no business administration studies.
''The Goddess Guide to Branding: Your Blueprint for Building an Abundant & Authentic Feminine Brand'' is a book about branding your business using the Greek-roman goddesses archetypes.
The book provides the reader with many interviews and examples of real-life businesses that fit those types that are thoroughly explained.
Also, there were a lot of tests to do on your own and the colors and fonts of the text were spot on, with bright photos of the brands to boot.
I do have to say that the whole goddess concept got tiring after a while, but the author did a great job using a language that was easy to understand even if you had no business administration studies.