whimsyandwitt's reviews
696 reviews

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

Read if you love comedy, lots of banter, and lots of popculture references.
The Witchstone is non-stop dramedy and adventure. It was a lot of fun and never took itself too seriously. At 400+ pages, it was still a quick read. I went in fairly blind. Curse Keeper meets Curse Bearer. Mission:  Break Curse. Hijinks ensue. 
Comps (particularly, humor wise):
-Good Omens
-Dreadful
-Long Live Evil
-How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying 
-The Frugal Wizards Guide to Turbine Medevil England 
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC!

Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher

adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Why didn't I realize that this was more or less a Christmas story? As luck would have it, I began reading it around Christmas, so the mood was fitting.
Grimm Curiosities is a great cozy mystery, portal fantasy, folktale hybrid in a Victorian setting with a smidge of romance. Fisher's writing flows easily and her characters are likable (well, mostly). Lizzy is endearing and it's not difficult to be invested in her, her family, and the adventure at hand.
Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for the eARC!

Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake

sad medium-paced

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

2.0

Well written, but the main characters are quite hateable. Maybe they really do deserve each other.

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark funny mysterious

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

5.0

The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner

mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This Girl's a Killer by Emma C. Wells

adventurous emotional funny fast-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

4.0

A fun gender-bent version of Dexter with an aire or supernatural influence.
Cordelia Black is successful, likable, and funny. The relationship with her bestie Diane (and god-daughter) is believable and relatable. You'll be rooting for this serial killer and lol-ing along the way as everything that can go wrong... goes wrong. 
#girlpower
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.0

Cozy Magical Realism

The Full Moon Coffee Shop is definitely cozy, well written, and easy to read through. Maybe a more positive spin on the Midnight Library? The cats just threw me off due to my assumptions of how they might be guiding people versus how they actually did. That just wasn't for me. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the eARC!

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-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

I was not prepared for how much I'd enjoy this book. There are plenty of laugh out loud and relatable moments combined with the crazy and outlandish. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for a free ebook!