beautynbks's reviews
260 reviews

The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This was not on my radar at all until I watched one of my favorite TikTokers give a glowing review. While I didn’t love it as much as she did, it was still enjoyable.

I couldn’t imagine receiving a phone call from my husband telling me he’s sorry and then boom his gone from this earth. Anna moves into the dumpy apartment her husband was using as his “art space”, to find out what happened to him. First off why is my husband paying for an art space outside of our home? That was problematic for me. There is trust and there is woeful ignorance.

The other main character was Cass. She broke one of my cardinal rules, not having her own ish! Her man broke up with her and put her out of HIS home! She ended up at the Sycamore Apartments as the handy woman. She did some questionable things for money. Of course it went sideways. There were some serious characters there and they made an unconventional group but they were a family.

The Vacancy in Room 10 was a great book to make the weekend go by faster.

All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Witches, potions, and Black girl magic? Sign me up! The cover art for The Poisons We Drink reeled me right in, and the story itself wasn't a letdown. Venus Stoneheart, a potion brewer with a knack for love concoctions? Intriguing, right?

But here's the thing, while the audiobook narrator was fantastic, there was a lot to unpack. The world-building involved Witcher lore and nuanced details, and constantly rewinding slowed my progress. By the time the plot reached a pivotal point, I was lost in the sauce or brew. (pun intended)

Was it bad? Not at all! The story itself is solid, but the audiobook format wasn't the best match for me. If you're looking for a captivating fantasy with a strong Black girl lead, this might be your potion of choice. Just grab a physical copy for those intricate details!

The Atonement by Kiersten Modglin

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I feel like I have been lied to, by whom I’m not sure. This book was on my TBR for a long time and I had the time to give it a listen.

Ani Fanelli was not a sympathetic character. She survived a traumatic event in high school but her survival was polarizing to her community. Ani reinvented herself but she was shallow and deceitful. The woman needed THERAPY. The Luckiest Girl Alive didn’t seem that lucky to me.

Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced