Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
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
slow-paced
This was a really cute concept but the execution was unfortunately really boring. The characters felt flat and I found myself skimming so much because the stories were pretty uninteresting. And so much of the dialogue felt like a bad self help book! I was interested in Jieun’s backstory but that was left unresolved!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Marigold Mind Laundry (audiobook)
I'm a true K-drama addict, and while I could see this being adapted into one, it didn’t quite have the punch and emotional payoff that those familiar K-drama tropes usually deliver.
I’m not sure if I just didn’t pay enough attention during the beginning world-building to understand her magic or the mistakes she made when she was younger, but I also didn’t fully grasp how she was fixing things in the present timeline. I spent a lot of the book confused about the core concept and kept wondering: did I miss something crucial that explained it all? Or was it just that confusing on its own? So, this one wasn’t really a hit for me.
I'm a true K-drama addict, and while I could see this being adapted into one, it didn’t quite have the punch and emotional payoff that those familiar K-drama tropes usually deliver.
I’m not sure if I just didn’t pay enough attention during the beginning world-building to understand her magic or the mistakes she made when she was younger, but I also didn’t fully grasp how she was fixing things in the present timeline. I spent a lot of the book confused about the core concept and kept wondering: did I miss something crucial that explained it all? Or was it just that confusing on its own? So, this one wasn’t really a hit for me.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A saccharine take on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but it's magical faeries (?) offering the service as opposed to a corporation with clinical procedures on offer.
I actually quite liked the very whimsical, fairytale-esque opening of this book. But the world was poorly fleshed out and a lot of things simply didn't make sense. And boy, did they get boring quickly.
A magical woman (possibly teenager though she's presented as a child imo - it wasn't explained well) has the ability to make dreams come true, both good and bad. Sadly, she has no control over this power, and one night dreams her family are sucked away by a storm, and wakes up to find that its actually happened. She then makes a promise to search for them through a million lifetimes, even if it makes her miserable. Somehow, her power brings this promise into being - I didn't think that really made sense but hey ho.
Queue a brief explanation on how she steps from one world to the next, never staying for fear of making friends and watching them die (yes, she's also immortal at present). She never finds her family, becomes sad, wants to die but can't die because of her magical promise and lack of control over her powers to undo said promise. Ok.
Then, for no real reason, one day she stops world hoping. She remembers a book she got as a magical child living in a magical village that said she should use her powers selflessly and to help others. Will that bring her parents back? Who knows. But she wishes into being a laundrette that washes away pain (yes, I dont understand how she can do literally anything but undo a dream she has as a woman/teenager/kid but meh).
We then meet a bunch of people who, for one reason or another, have regrets and want to wash away that sadness. She explains they will lose all memories of those events as well but apparently they dont care. Oh god, their stories are so dull.
She meets like 5 peoples, helps them and then decides one is a bit hot so will go see his photography exhibition. After realising he took a picture of her (he shouldn't be able to because magic), she wakes up the next day realising she's aging and will die in this life. She's delighted. She never found the family she lost, but instead made a new one.
The short book is jam packed with "just be happy you fool" flim flam and I think it rotted my brain.
I actually quite liked the very whimsical, fairytale-esque opening of this book. But the world was poorly fleshed out and a lot of things simply didn't make sense. And boy, did they get boring quickly.
A magical woman (possibly teenager though she's presented as a child imo - it wasn't explained well) has the ability to make dreams come true, both good and bad. Sadly, she has no control over this power, and one night dreams her family are sucked away by a storm, and wakes up to find that its actually happened. She then makes a promise to search for them through a million lifetimes, even if it makes her miserable. Somehow, her power brings this promise into being - I didn't think that really made sense but hey ho.
Queue a brief explanation on how she steps from one world to the next, never staying for fear of making friends and watching them die (yes, she's also immortal at present). She never finds her family, becomes sad, wants to die but can't die because of her magical promise and lack of control over her powers to undo said promise. Ok.
Then, for no real reason, one day she stops world hoping. She remembers a book she got as a magical child living in a magical village that said she should use her powers selflessly and to help others. Will that bring her parents back? Who knows. But she wishes into being a laundrette that washes away pain (yes, I dont understand how she can do literally anything but undo a dream she has as a woman/teenager/kid but meh).
We then meet a bunch of people who, for one reason or another, have regrets and want to wash away that sadness. She explains they will lose all memories of those events as well but apparently they dont care. Oh god, their stories are so dull.
She meets like 5 peoples, helps them and then decides one is a bit hot so will go see his photography exhibition. After realising he took a picture of her (he shouldn't be able to because magic), she wakes up the next day realising she's aging and will die in this life. She's delighted. She never found the family she lost, but instead made a new one.
The short book is jam packed with "just be happy you fool" flim flam and I think it rotted my brain.