bookish_canadian's reviews
202 reviews

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

Tethered by Elayna R. Gallea

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

It was fun, entertaining, and fast paced. Definitely feels like a setup book with a lot of questions about what is really going on. 

The story is extremely isolated to the two main characters, and we see next to nothing of the side characters. Not a bad thing it is obviously by design, but hopefully in follow-up books we get much more of the World and other characters involved.

Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

A cute and fun romance.

I really enjoyed the slow burn of the beginning, then felt there was a bit of a lag in the story once the relationship actually started. Ending was solid though. 

I liked all of the side characters and what they added here and there. Will most definitely continue the series.

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book, and loved the prose.

 I liked how the POV provided limitations on the story. We really only see Constanta's view, and sometimes is just a small moment in time she remembers. Now this also means the readers is not getting all the answers, you have to come to your own conclusions on events/information that the narrator isn't privy to.

And of course as always woth first person POVs we also have to wonder if she's reliable or not, which also adds a fun layer to the reading experience as well.

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

The plot was intriguing and I was hooked in the beginning. The middle was a bit of a slog for me, but it picked up again at the end.

Lucky & Stella were great characters, I felt invested in what happened to Lucky. However, I didn't get the same from the other characters (other than maybe Lettie).

The dream sequences were the best part of this book, they were what really hooked me. Wish we got more of/from them.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Loved the world building, very interesting and unique. I felt the pacing wasn't very consistent. Plot was pretty Intriguing and what kept me going. The character development and dialogue was not great, this is where the novel fell through for me. The relationships and how they progressed felt extremel rushed.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

Very cute and cozy story.

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5