teghans_tomes's reviews
83 reviews

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny mysterious fast-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

This book had me absolutely gripped, I read it in three sittings! Heather Fawcett's mode of storytelling through the recounts of our main character Emily in her field journal is a unique and gripping twist on first-person narration. Fawcett makes you feel as though you are a page socking up the inky stories Emily is writing of her day in the field learning new tidbits and encountering Fae. The characters are loveable, the magic system is a fresh take on traditional Fae and their roles in folklore, and there are so many moments you will catch yourself giggling and kicking your feet, this is by far a no-brainer read. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves a good laugh with their academic adventure through a cold, uncharted landscape, with a love interest who might be more than he appears and a main character too smart for her own good.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

A truly significant masterpiece. Tracy Deonn has truly crafted one of the best-written books or all time and if there is no one singing praise for this book, then something is very wrong because I will continue to sing about Legendborn even after I'm dead. This book is one now one of my all-time favorites. I went into Legendborn with high hopes and my expectations were apparently minuscule compared to what this book was bringing to the table. During most books, there will be a moment where you want to throw the book against the wall or jump up in joy, and Legendborn had me jumping so high and crying so deep I will never get a better physical or emotional workout again! 

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

This book was surely suspenseful because you will be waiting forever to get to the actual murder part of this murder book. This was actually a book about a bunch of rude rich people showing off and making all of their not-rich friends incredibly uncomfortable at a wedding between two of those rude rich people. If this book was marketed to you as a thriller, like it was for me, I am so sorry but we were lied to. This book could have been so much better, but instead, it focused too much on the people and not enough on the stabbing, this was not supposed to be a slow-burn type of kill!

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

Belladonna had me hooked from the first few chapters! Though it did take me a second to get oriented into the world, I had a great time settling in! The use of death as a character is brilliant and the banter between him and our MC is amazing and very poetic at times. I am not someone who gets hooked on romance but I was absolutely intrigued by where it was going and am excited for the sub-plot in the rest of the series! I also adore the mystery element and the use of ghosts as clues to solve murder, I am very much looking forward to picking up the sequel and seeing how Signa solves the next case!

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

adventurous mysterious fast-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

4.0

It may have taken me a while to finish, but this book was an amazing read! It was full of twists and turns! Barnes was able to add to the original story without becoming to repetitive, or straying too far away from the original plot, which I think is something that is often hard to find in a series. If you liked the first book, you will enjoy the series! I am truly sad that the adventure is over, but I am excited to read the prequals and uncover how it all started! 

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

Practical Magic, was good. It seemed more lit-fic then magical to me, so I was slightly disappointed by that. We follow around Sally and her two daughters for most of the book and she is so against magic, that it is really only mentioned or performed in the book by someone else, which is the reason for my disappointment in the lack of magic. I will definitely be picking up the second book, as I absolutely need to know where the characters are going and how their lives will change. I am also excited at the promise of more magic! I really enjoyed Sally's story arc and how Alice Hoffman wrote each character, and now that magic seems more "practical" in this world, I am excited to see where Hoffman takes the Owens girls next! I would definitely recommend this book to everyone! 

Midnight at the Houdini by Delilah S. Dawson

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-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 book was a really good read! I found it while browsing the library shelves and I thought it looked interesting. I had no idea I was in for such a wild ride of love and magic. Midnight at the Houdini is an action-packed magical realism story with a healthy sprinkling of love. The book was well crafted, and the magic system was so unique that I constantly wanted to learn more about its inner workings. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a story with twists, turns, magicians and love finding a way to almost mess up the mission multiple times. It was a really great read and I cannot believe I had not heard of it before! 

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

reflective medium-paced

3.0

I was told to read this book by a friend. I am not a memoir person, and I am not a very big fan of love, and so I thought I was going to hate this book. Why did I decide to read it anyway? I have no idea. I am glad I did, however. Since I picked this book up, I have started to look at the world differently and view my experiences with a new lens. I no longer felt so alone as a 20-year-old girl who has never even been in a relationship. I learned that it's hard and that's not always great to hear, but that friendships are just as if not more important than romantic interests. This is a good book, full of good life lessons, some harder to swallow then others, but all necessary to learn. I enjoyed the reading experience, and thank my friend for recommending it to me. I know have hope for the future, where before lay the scary though that all of my friends will find love and I will end up renting a 1 bedroom and be sad, now I know I will be renting a 1 bedroom and be happy!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

This was a good book. I never thought I would pick up any of Backman's books because I am not a lit-fic girlie, however, I was walking around the library and I just so happened to pick this book up and read the synopsis. It sounded interesting so I picked it up! I am definitely glad I did too, Backman executed a well-done interconnected story! Each character has some relevance to every other character's life and I think that perfectly represents life in a small town. Overall, I gave this book three stars because it was a good book, and the ending had me sobbing on the floor, but it was sort of just a book in my eyes. Backman did something new with Anxious People and it was enjoyable and refreshing, but it did not change the way I looked at the world. I would absolutely, however, recommend this book to everyone. I can absolutely see the appeal within the pages, they just did not captivate me as much as they will someone else.

Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I loved this book! It was hard to put down to do things like sleep or work. I adore how this story is packed full of all of my favorite elements of spy movies, but is not being performed by a middle-aged white dude, instead, it's a young black woman! Ross is such a strong character, but unlike the "strong fmc" that has been used over and over again, we get to see her crack, we learn her faults, Kayvion Lewis does not shy away from Ross's imperfections and I love it! This book is absolutely jam packed with pure awesomeness and I think everyone should pick it up! I cannot wait for the sequel to come out in November, to see where Ross goes, and how her new "partnership" unfolds.