So fun! A mix of fairytale, adventure, humor, and swamp animals with large teeth. The main characters are two mercenaries, one a human named Eli and the other, a battle unicorn named Sasha. On page 41, there's a snippet of conversation between the two that is a good example their dynamic and the tone of the book:

(Eli) "...I don't like The Green either, but this is as good a job as we're likely to find, so let's go out there and do what we're good at."
(Sasha)"Rush into situation we don't understand, surviving by luck and mad schemes?"
Eli adjusted his hat. "Exactly."

There's also a hint that the series will continue, and I look forward to reading more of the adventures of Eli and Sasha!

Content Warnings

Fire by Kristin Cashore

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book needs some serious content warnings! The story and characters were great, but if I had been warned about the animal cruelty, I would not have read, and wished I had not read, this book. Ditto for her book, GRACELING. WIll not be reading any other books by this author.

Content Warnings

Himawari House by Harmony Becker

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emotional funny informative medium-paced

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

5.0

I lived in Japan for 9 years, and reading this book was like traveling back there. The background art, the food, the situations, the gaijin group and the discussions we had about fitting in Japan, the issues with language, the cultural complexity of how to express a crush on someone from another country...it was all spot on! I also enjoyed the way each character had their own moments of POV and how that made the story more nuanced, complex, and layered.

The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken

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inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced