aylaravenstar's reviews
122 reviews

Squire by Tamora Pierce

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

Page by Tamora Pierce

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

adventurous hopeful informative lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

First Test by Tamora Pierce

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

Goldenhand by Garth Nix

adventurous challenging dark tense 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? No

4.5

Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-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? No

5.0

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

2.75

I'm a fan of Libba Bray and I think she crafted a unique take on the "dying teenager" genre with Going Bovine, however I had a hard time enjoying this book because I found the main character to be almost completely unlikable. I'm not the target audience for this book though, and I encourage any fans of Libba Bray to give it a try, particularly young adults that may identify more directly with the protagonist. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Medical content, Grief

Clariel by Garth Nix

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Clariel was much harder to get through than the others in the Old Kingdom series, though overall I did enjoy it. The main character was hard to like, but it's a worthwhile read if you're planning on continuing the series.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Confinement, Blood, Grief

The Devil in the White City (Abridged): Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

5.0

Being mostly a fiction reader, I wasn't sure if I'd really enjoy this book, but both the story of H. H. Holmes and the building of the Chicago World's Fair were deeply engaging, and left me wanting to learn more.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Murder

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

adventurous challenging dark slow-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? No

5.0