turrean's reviews
2105 reviews

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

A lovely build-up to the last third of the book, at which point the author appears to have lost interest and wrapped everything up as quickly as possible.

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.5

A fabulous read. The audiobook narrator was wonderful.

Content Warnings

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge by Spencer Quinn

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adventurous funny lighthearted

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

4.0

A delight!

How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge by K. Eason

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adventurous slow-paced

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

3.25

An enjoyable companion to How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse, though the path of the fascinating AI character seemed a waste of a good storytelling opportunity.

I was also annoyed at the suddenness of the end of a possible romantic entanglement. But such is life.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

A thoroughly enjoyable “romantasy.” It was fun to be dropped into the middle of a maturing love affair, instead of at the tenuous beginning. I covet the characters’ bookstore.

There were some irritating small errors in word choice / verb tense that a good editor should have caught and corrected. Example: “Slivers of space…offered glimpses of what lie beyond” should be “what lay beyond.”

What You Need to Be Warm by Neil Gaiman

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

A beautiful work, cooperatively created with Neil Gaiman’s poetry, the thoughts of respondents asked to contemplate warmth, and the hauntingly lovely illustrations of a number of artists.

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

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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

1.5

Infuriatingly predictable. The book is only 15 years old, but feels even more stereotyped and out of date. A non-English speaker’s dialog consists of exaggerated mispronunciations, which she delivers while clutching her crucifix or trying to ward off the evil eye. Male characters tell the women what “needs to be done” and the women fall in line. Decades-old feuds and romantic betrayals are resolved by a few minutes of earnest explanation. The author takes a few steps toward body positivity but doesn’t go anywhere meaningful.

The “sweet,” “quirky” magic of the town traps people with inescapable promises, tries to railroad a young woman into instant forgiveness of a betrayal, and grants agency to help others only when characters are incapable of saving themselves.

Do not even get me started on the reckless and grotesque spectacle of a lawyer whom we are meant to think is “a good guy” who has sex with a grateful, vulnerable woman, at a time and place where this act threatens the outcome of a court decision that will keep a killer behind bars. He then TELLS EVERYONE that he had a fling but “nobly” protects her identity…therefore practically ensuring that curious people will ferret out the truth.

Chile Peppers: A Global History by Dave DeWitt

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informative slow-paced

Listened to the audio — use of the n-word took me by surprise.

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

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adventurous mysterious relaxing medium-paced