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bookish_frog's reviews
235 reviews
Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
š”ļøThe beginning was pretty slow and I almost didnāt finish, but ultimately Iām glad I continued
š”ļøI really didnāt like the ending, and the epilogue was completely unnecessary - I think this should have been left as a standalone
š”ļøThe romance was ok, but we didnāt see them interact enough for me to truly root for them as a couple
š”ļøI wasnāt particularly drawn to any characters but they werenāt bad either, and I appreciated the queer rep in the side characters
Madame by Sara Cate
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
šI thought I would like this more, but unfortunately I just didnāt end up rooting for the throuple that much
šIt was good that Edith worked through her issues, I just ultimately feel like Clay and Jade were more couply and Edith was more there for sex.Like I just didnāt get how Clay fell in love with her initially because I feel like he hardly knew
šIt was good that Edith worked through her issues, I just ultimately feel like Clay and Jade were more couply and Edith was more there for sex.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.75
āļøI enjoyed this overall. Rating it is a little hard because itās for a younger audience, so itās not really my place to say itās a bad book because it isnāt for me. However, I still want to give my opinions on what was done well and what I didnāt like so much, but again I was not the target audience so it doesnāt matter much what I think.
āļøI didnāt really have much of a connection to any character throughout the book (none of them were unlikeable or bad characters, they just werenāt memorable), which is a shame because loveable characters is what makes a book for me! However, I did appreciate the female friendships in this (especially Deka and Britta) because it feels like so many fantasy books will only develop one female friendship instead of multiple so I really appreciated that
āļøThe end conflict felt a little too easily resolved, and given the way it ended I feel no reason to read the sequel
āļøThe romance was so unnecessary. Like there was hardly anything romantic there, and I feel the book would have been better off making them just good friends.
āļøThe way the themes were explored in this was pretty simple so I would recommend this to a younger ya audience, or to anyone new to having a book about feminism or fighting oppression