cedence's reviews
77 reviews

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Torture, and Transphobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

Picking it up, I wasn't sure if the links to superheros was going to put me off as strongly as it has for years. Having found myself loving other series by Schwab I finally decided to give it a try. 

I really liked it in the beginning. I found the backstory and learning about the characters interesting, but towards the middle and past it started feeling a bit too slow and uneventful. I clearly finished it so it wasn't bad, but a part of me wished it had more going for it. I think it stayed true to the characters and themes, so this read might just not have been for me. 

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.75

- The beginning of this book made both main characters incredibly unlikable. Yet, I took a break and finished it. As I grew to know the characters, I enjoyed more of their depth and their growing relations to each other. Yet, it was not the romance or the backdrop of the magical fox hunt that most strongly caught my attention, but rather its clear discussion around abandonment by parental figures. 

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I picked up this book without knowing where it fit into the Caraval universe. I just knew that my favorite character from the Caraval trilogy, Jacks, was in it.

Once Upon A Broken Heart did not disappoint me. It was as infused with magic and stories as I hoped, and I found myself enjoying Evangeline's story.  This book is filled with curses, mysteries and suspens, and, not to forget, lovr. It reads swiftly with a fast-paced plot that never left me bored. Thus, I am also distraught by the cliffhanger which leaves a lot of questions to be answered. 

Go Gently: Actionable Steps to Nurture Yourself and the Planet by Bonnie Wright

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

Gallant by V.E. Schwab
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.

My audiobook subscription ran out. Might continue it at a undecided later point, but I wouldn't bet on it. 

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Clothing Poverty: The Hidden World of Fast Fashion and Second-hand Clothes by Andrew Brooks

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

 I'm going to rate it on how much I learned because the entertainment value is not the same as with fiction. tldr: I learned a lot. I don't really have the skills to question it, but I think it did a good discussion on "ethical consumption" as well as an immense deep-dive into how poverty is interlinked with donated clothes in the North, and how it can affect development in the South. I agree that systematic changes are needed, and I was more surprised that 'ethical consumption (as I'm sure many of us have heard about over the last years) can perfectly uphold the injustices of capitalism, among others because we need large-scale change and it doesn't necessarily fix the need for development in developing countries.

This is not a book that will take you through the environmental impacts of the clothing industry so it was a fresh breath to learn more about the impact on people globally and historically.

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

Loveless by Alice Oseman

emotional informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.5