Reviews tagging 'Death'

Play the Fool by Lina Chern

5 reviews

uranaishi's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

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coco78337's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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smagzisreading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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katiemack's review

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

4.0

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this one because I'm trying to read more thrillers and mysteries and because it's set near Chicago. (Also, that cover is amazing.) This is more of a cozy mystery than the thriller the marketing suggests, but I still found some moments a little terrifying. The actual unraveling of the mystery of who killed Marley and why is genuinely compelling; the twist at the end genuinely surprised me too. Protagonist Katie is stubborn, which I liked most of the time but makes her frustrating during parts of the investigation. I also wished some of the side characters had been fleshed out more. (I appreciate that Owen's neurodivergence isn't TOTALLY stereotypical, but even more nuance here would have been great.) I don't feel like a sequel is necessary, but I'm sure Lina Chern will write one to further explore Katie's relationship with Jamie. 
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zaqlovesbooks's review against another edition

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

4.5

First, thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity to review this book,. Though I’m very late on so many books. I hope this year I can cut that down and probably won’t request for a while.


We’re following Katie true, a tarot card reader who believes her friend Marley is missing . Basically we’re following along as she tries to unravel what’s going on( pretty short.) 

I really like Katie True voice and character she’s so real. I also love the focus on friendship and how they met and such. It really gives us - the readers, a look into friendship and how much Marley impacted Kate’s life.  We see her family and how Jamie the only one who’s helping her so far. Although let’s be honest she’s a pain in the a** to him. Despite that each character has their own goals and accomplishments . It’s like we’re in the each moment, awkward ape not. 

There was very little I didn’t like the awkward conversations, and so much more. But also a very picky reader so stuff like people assuming that two people are in a relationship bother me. Cause i don’t care for but it at the

I’d have to my favorite character is definitely Katie true, we get to a huge change throughout the book. Plus she’s just really relatable and shows how not every mc has to have their life together. 

Overall I was worried cause I’m not a huge fan of tarot card. I just find them pretty. It would be daunting read with me needing to look up EVERYTHING. Because as much as I love reading. A book that throws so much information on a reader really impacts them for future books. But nope, it was a digestible read with witty characters whom all come to life with their own personalities and conflicts. 

I’d definitely recommend if you love really realistic characters, dry humor, existential crises everywhere and the thrill of a lifetime that come with the mystery in this book.
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