abookishmagpie's reviews
608 reviews

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.5

I had heard some really wonderful things about this, and then when I read the synopsis myself, I kinda fell for the whimsical nature of it and then knew I had to give it a go. Lucy is a kindergarten aid with a special bond with a young boy named Christopher who has had a rough time since his parents died and he has been in the foster care system. Her biggest wish is to be able to adopt him and become his mother, but with a minimum wage job and debt that feels insurmountable, she needs a miracle to make that wish a reality. Enter Jack Masterson, author of the beloved 'Clock Island' children's book series, who has been MIA for years but makes a sudden reappearance with the announcement of a competition for some lucky people to win the newest manuscript in the series and do with it whatever they want.   

The Willy Wonka like character with his own Clock Island where he hosts the contest and talks in riddles was a lovely aspect to the book that I particularly enjoyed. I don't know that this book needed as many layers to Lucy's past, it got a bit convoluted at times with all the little parts we had to revisit and address that we could have spent on more world and game building. However, I liked the pace and the way there was a depth to the emotions of the story, getting to know the characters and their motivations and stories unraveled this really beautiful story. Yes, it had a cheesy and overly happy ending that was triple sugar coated, but it felt earned and deserved after we spent this time with these characters. I'm really glad I picked this up and would be curious to read more from this author in the future.

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

This series just continues to be such a delight! Even when we are addressing some heavier topics like in volume four, the heartwarming feelings and sweet softness of teenage/first love is so strong. In this volume we see Charlie and Nick navigating the idea of taking their physical relationship farther and what the future holds as Nick will be heading off to University soon and Charlie contemplates taking on a big leadership role at school. I love how Oseman writes the communication between her characters, Charlie and Nick especially, but even between the other friends in their groups and their family members. It just feels so refreshing to see both an overly positive familial and one that at times can be contentious, it shows the realistic range of life and makes it all more relatable. It is a bit sad to know the next volume will be the last, but I believe this volume did a great job of setting up the end and I have no doubt that Oseman will craft the perfect ending for these characters. 

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I got to this book a bit later than I had wanted, but it worked out because it made for a really good start to my 2024 reading. In this fifth book of the series, we see Stevie struggling to come to terms with the fact she is in her senior year, and she has no idea what her future looks like. Her friends are applying to colleges left and right and making all these plans, and all Stevie knows is she doesn't want to be apart from them like she currently is from her boyfriend, David, as he is in London attending school. So, when the opportunity to do a week of study abroad in London with her friends and get to spend time with David, she leaps at the chance. But of course, it can't be that simple, when they get there David's new friend Izzy brings a cold case that involves her aunt Angela to Stevie's feet and thus ensues another murder-mystery that Stevie is thrust into solving. 

I thought this was another well plotted and written mystery by Johnson that kept me captivated and always on my feet for clues and ideas of who did it and how was Stevie going to put the pieces together. I could have done with less personal drama, or maybe at least narrowed it down to friend drama (the lying to friends and fearing losing them) or boyfriend drama (deciding to have sex for the first time and worrying about his relationship with Izzy) so it didn't feel like we were stuffing plot points into an already complicated story. I'd have loved for more Nate and Janelle time in this book actually, because those friendships are such a big part of this series and I love getting to see them grown and strengthen. However, I get why there is as much personal stuff, we can't have Stevie be all true crime, all the time and she is still a teenage girl who has a lot of stuff going on and it makes sense it would converge with her work. And that ending! I was listening via audiobook and when it just ended LIKE THAT! I was shook and had to sit and really just absorb that it was truly the ending Miss Maureen Johnson gave us. Then I go look to see when the next book is coming out, and I see we have no date! Wild. But like I said, a nice way to start out a new reading year with characters I am comfortable with and like and a well-paced and written book.  

Prince of Thorns & Nightmares by Linsey Miller

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

I had such high hopes for this book. I thought, "What a treat to find a new book that focuses on one of my true loves, 'Sleeping Beauty'!" Sadly, this was a dud for me, and it hurts a bunch. In the book, we are following Prince Phillip as the days leading up to his marriage to Princess Aurora are dwindling, and he feels what little choices he can make about his life slip away. He is off on last adventures with his squire Joannah when three fairies find them and inform Phillip he has magic and with their training he will easily defeat Maleficent and save the world and Aurora after her curse takes hold. It sounds so promising, like really good, but I was just endlessly bored throughout the whole thing. The magic could have been developed better, and the characters didn't go that much deeper than the Disney movie did. I am sure there are plenty people who would like this, and I would never say it was bad because the writing wasn't awful...just not something I clicked with and found  to keep even half my attention. Really bummed about this one. 😕

Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

2.5

I randomly saw this non-fiction book on a BookTuber’s video, and it caught my eye right away. As a big pop-culture nerd who studied gender related issues, I am always excited to see any type of book that combines the two and looks at the dynamics as they are represented in our pop culture and society. In this book the author narrows in on the idea of “unlikeable female characters” in TV and movies and provides a set of nine specific roles they tend to fall into; The Bitch, The Mean Girl, The Angry Woman, The Slut, The Trainwreck, The Crazy Woman, The Psycho, The Shrew and The Weirdo. These categories get their own chapter and are explored by one or two characters the author thinks best represents the type of women and just how their characteristics make them “unlikable” as well as giving a little history lesson on the dynamics of Hollywood and how such strict ways a woman can be represented came to be. It is for sure that the author is passionate about this topic and that she has done the research and has a vast knowledge of the characters that are best known to fit these categories, and for some people this will be an eye-opening read. However, for me as someone who has studied this stuff and taken an avid interest in it myself I didn’t really learn anything new in terms of analysis of the representation of these types of women and how they compare to their male counterparts. In fact I think that the author could have gone farther than she did in some aspects, she could have had one specific women for each category and do an intense dive into them and what makes them unlikeable verses the surface level we got so she could cover multiple characters. It’s good, but definitely not as intriguing or engaging as I was hoping to find.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

 This is a hyped book that I have had on my radar for a bit and it just felt like the perfect time of year to pick up a book with some magical elements to it. While there is no set timeline to the book it gives me very strong 1930s/1940s vibes, stylistic wise, like I can very easily picture the main characters as the ones in ‘His Girl Friday’. However, it is not set in our world, but one where Gods and Goddesses exist and it appears that while humanity prevailed over them years ago a new war has started after a God named Dacre has awoken and is ready to seek his revenge on the Goddess Enva. Our main character Iris Winnow has lost her brother to the war when he left to fight on the front lines and her mother to her addiction to alcohol and lastly she lost a dream columnist spot to her work rival Roman Kitt. With what feels like nothing left for her she joins a competing newspaper and becomes a war correspondent to write on the war and make sure the truth is reaching back to her home. There is also the plot point that Iris has been writing letters to her brother that seemingly go missing from the wardrobe she places them in, and suddenly a response comes and then a back and forth correspondence begins between her and a stranger. The stranger turns out to be none other than that work rival Roman Kitt, who figured out who Iris was quickly but has trouble figuring out how to tell her it is him she is writing to. Eventually they both are reporting from the front lines and the feelings that started to form between letters builds as they survive the life and death matters of war. It is a well written book with such a lyrical and poetic style that sweeps the reader up in the scenes. I liked our main characters, their banter in particular is great, and the story itself is intriguing, however there is something that holds me back from thinking this is a five star or a new absolute favorite. I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but it is there irking the back of my mind. That being said I will be reading the follow up when it comes out soon because the cliff hanger leaves me needing to know what the heck is going to happen to Iris, Kitt and all the other characters we got to know and love. 

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

 I’m sure most people recognize this as the title as the one that inspired the most recent Leonardo DiCaprio movie of the same name, and the movie coming out pushed me to pick it up because after hearing the synopsis I knew that I wanted to know more about this major historical event that I had never learned about in school. This non-fiction book lays out the story of the “Reign of Terror” that the Osage Indians faced in the early 1920s where many of their citizens were dying in quick numbers seemingly out of nowhere. David Grann focuses his time on a group of murders that directly affect Mollie Burkhart who lost her sisters, mother brother-in-law and started to become sick herself. After upwards of 20 Osage have died in a short period of time the Bureau of Investigations (later known as the FBI) sends in Agent Tom White and a team to investigate why these mysterious deaths have managed to not been solved by local authorities. What is uncovered is a mess of lying, cheating and deliberate murder by local men who have lived with the Osage for years, some even marrying into the tribe, to steal the head rights these Osage members had for the oil that was discovered on their land and made these people some of the richest in the nation at the time. It is a story that should be a wildly creative fictional murder mystery, but sadly it is a real historic event of our country that has been pushed to the side as time moves on. Grann does an incredible amount of research on this event and documents everything very well. I really appreciate the time he spent making sure as much came to light as did, and the other Osage families and allies he mentions in the last part of the book. People he met while researching this book and who he has tried to also help and shed light on murders that might have gone unheard of that existed outside the dedicated time frame of “The Reign Of Terror”. A very heavy read, but an excellent one. 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

 I was never sure I was actually going to read this book because I just didn't think we needed a book focusing on young President Snow...especially not one that was over 500 pages. I didn't really care to know his 'villain origin story', he was just a really awful, despicable man and I was okay with knowing that. However with the movie coming out I decided why not give it a try and see what happens, if it does truly suck I'll just reread the original trilogy and wash the prequel from my mind. And now I can eat my words because I came out the other side of this read really liking the book and happy that I picked it up. 

Following Snow was more interesting than I thought it could be, while he did get a bit of a sob story edit (hearing what his family and others went through during the war and losing his parents and the prestige of his families name), we also got to be in his mind the entire time and understanding how his thought process worked fleshed out the villain we know he becomes and never tries to excuse it. His back and forth about morality and ethics and love read genuine of a young adult on the cusp of the next chapter of their lives and trying to figure out the best path to provide them with a good future. I also especially enjoyed getting to know more about the behind the scenes of The Hunger Games and how they worked and what they looked like at this early stage in their history, how they differed from the Games we saw in the original series. Not to mention seeing the Games from the point of view of a watcher, a capitol member no less, and not a tribute in the games was a good way to keep that fresh for the readers. 

My complaint or critique of the book comes in the length of it and that the third part doesn't take up enough room of the overall story. The first two parts I think could have been trimmed up, some subplots maybe even cut entirely, to give more room for the third part to be flushed out and given a better pacing so that the last, truly crucial, scenes of the book were built with a better tension and therefore gave a stronger impact. It moved too fast to really find the actions and the emotions as true as they could have been. Overall though I still had a much better time than anticipated and found myself always itching to get back to my time with the book so I could see where the story was going. Definitely happy I choose to pick this up and now I am excited to go see the movie when I can. 

Rein Me In by Kayla Grosse

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Trying out western romance for the first time with this one that I have heard good things about. Blake lost her brother five years ago and left her home town for five years in an effort to hide from her grief, but now she is back to help out on her families ranch after her mother breaks her leg and she has to face her grief as well as her lived ones. It doesn't make it easier that a few run ins with her brothers former friend, Gavin, have her angry but also a little curious what the handsome cowboy has going on. The romance had some great chemistry between the main characters, their banter was fun to read. The emotional side of the story is heavier than anticipated, but for me I think that made the story more powerful. I definitely had a good time diving into this genre and I can easily see myself reading another like it in the future.

Bunny by Mona Awad

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

 What an absolute journey this book was. It has had some decent hype for a few years and I always hemmed and hawed on if I really wanted to read it, because it is definitely outside of what would normally interest me, but I always was just very curious was it was often cited as a book that you either love it or hate it. So for the Halloween season I decided I would finally dive in. The basic concept is that we follow Samantha, a woman starting her second year at a prestigious MFA program, who feels like an outsider in her fiction cohort. The four other women she is in school with have their own little cliquey (almost cult like) connection where they call each other Bunny and host their own get togethers. Samantha both hates them, but wants to be at least invited into their world. When she does some extra weird things begin to happen and she becomes almost like a different person and she has to find her way back to her friend Ava and try to graduate on time and with her sanity and writing voice which has been hard to find since she entered the program. To say this is a unique story is putting it mildly and I can’t really explain much without spoiling it either, I think the writing was skillfully good and engaging for sure, but the story itself was for sure not for me. I was in a constant state of, “What the F?” while reading and sometimes that was okay and others I was just kind of annoyed by it. The final plot twist was clever and did bring the overall story together better, but the bulk of it was just so wild and outlandish I can’t really admit to liking it. I guess I am going to fall into the category of not liking this book, and that’s totally fine. An experience nonetheless.