bennabazooka's reviews
5 reviews

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.25

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense 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

4.25

Weyward by Emilia Hart

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

Totally love when an author can weave stories through different time periods together so beautifully. Subtlety, clever writing and big character developments make the writing really engrossing. 

The Creature in the Case by Garth Nix

adventurous dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This is wee novella that’s technically book 3.5 after the original trilogy. The main character is one who was pivotal in the 2nd and 3rd books previously, and is a short but epic adventure that gives a few clues and insight to what happened right after book 3. I love the little info snippets that add to that story as well, and propel the MMC’s actions and decisions in this one. A worthwhile addition to the big Abhorsen series!

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I loved the conclusion to the Abhorsen series, although this book ends with some emotional aspects and sacrifice, it isn’t quite gut-wrenching. The magic system and world building are really what empowers this series, and characters working through their uncertainties gives the entire story real tension and stakes. I will say though, this book was weirdly the slowest read for me. Even though the action, pacing and movement is consistent, the details and precision of explanations made it a little harder to read quickly. Also having an annoying chest cold in the middle of this read kinda distracted and spread it out. But I will absolutely be reading every book in this series!