botanicals's reviews
615 reviews

Take Back the Magic: Conversations with the Unseen World by Perdita Finn

slow-paced

2.0

Finding Their Roots by Tris Lawrence

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

(I received an eARC from the author with a request for an honest review.)

The first thing I have to say is that if you haven't read the description/blurb thingy, skip it. I do it habitually, and for this book in particular, it was such a good twist that I would have been sad to have known beforehand.

Now that that's out of the way, I think my favourite thing about this book is that it's cozy, the characters are warm, and they spend a lot of the time in nature. That was the only downside for me, actually—I would have liked more descriptions at certain points. On the other hand, this is what makes this book read very quickly. I read it in one day and now the only question is when the next book is coming out. We've met some characters, situated Colin in a corner of a universe that is obviously much bigger and that I would like to know more about. (I'm also really interested in other characters' thoughts on Colin.) This book is such a good hook.

I'll just share my favourite quote, that is such a computer programmer thing to say, before I go:

"I've got all of his records here, and he's already been seen by the vets at Derwent, so if you don't mind using them...?"

"That'll be fine. Does he come with documentation?"

Barbie opens her mouth, then closes it. "Oh. You mean how to take care of him. For a moment I thought you thought he might be a purebred dog."

Waking Up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age by Clark Strand

slow-paced

1.0

Kći Lotršćaka by Marija Jurić Zagorka

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary by Clark Strand

fast-paced

3.5

The Practice of Groundedness: A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds-Not Crushes-Your Soul by Brad Stulberg

informative inspiring fast-paced

3.0

Aether Beyond the Binary by ilgaksu, Zel Howland, Elior Haley, Bettina Juszak, Nicola Kapron, Alec J. Marsh, Terra P. Waters, Catherine E. Green, Sebastian Marie, Ellen Faye, Kelas Lloyd, Lyonel Loy, Mikki Madison, Em Rowntree, Flore Picard, Nina Waters, S. J. Ralston, Scarlett Gale

hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

(I received an eARC of Aether Beyond the Binary. I'm not obligated to give a good review, just an honest one.)

It's a good collection of stories, but not great. There were a couple of stories in it that I felt were poorly done. Not poorly written, because actually, the prose was good in every story. The issues I noticed were more structural, like a poorly defined theme or a crucial concept not explained/described well enough. There were a few more stories that were about themes that I currently have little interest in, like coming out, so I don't think that I'm a fair judge of them.

The stories in the collection that I liked best were:

• "We Might Contain Multitudes" by Lyonel Loy: the setting was really good, I liked that the main character had a spirit familiar/multiple aspects to their soul, and then the whole forest and meeting strangers situation;
•  "chameleon trick" by ilgaksu: it's a heist! (or it has heist vibes) and the trickles of the relationship between main characters were chef's kiss;
•  "N(ae)ghbours" by Scarlett Gale: it's really cosy and delightful, the countryside to city transition really resonated as well as the countryside DIY mentality, the agricultural technologies, fabric making technologies! and 
• "Mixed Dough" by Mikki Madison: a cute story about allowing yourself to experiment with yourself, your identity and expression of.

Honorable mentions go to "Cadillac's Bus" by Em Rowntree for Janelle Monáe's "Pynk" music video/"Nevermind" novella (The Memory Librarian) vibes, "True" by Kelas Loyd for queer camp experience and the quote I liked best in the collection, "Razzmatazz" by S. J. Ralston for the union perspective, "Flower and Rot" by Zel Howland for the noir elements.

The only thing they'll miss is the cake. It's good cake, and the bakers don't know what non-binary means, so each year there's tiny toy dinosaurs in little fabric bows all over it. Eva's partial to those dinosaurs. They live on Eva's desk in their bedroom and all have names.
— "True" by Kelas Lloyd

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous dark hopeful fast-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

4.5

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous challenging hopeful medium-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

5.0