coca_reads's reviews
454 reviews

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a lovely story. 

Its the fantasy story of a fortune teller who travels from small town to small town telling people small fortunes. Nothing big, just small things to make them happy. 

She makes some wonderful friends along the way and does some real good in her world while she and those around her figure out who they are and what they want in life. 

It's such a relaxing story about finding your real friends and acceptance and about knowing yourself. 

It's just a really nice feel-good story.

Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

This was adorable. 

Another cozy mystery novel. 
Lana Lee is trying to clear her name and her coworker's name after a local business owner was poisoned with shellfish, which everyone knew he was allergic to. 

These are so relaxing and calm. They center around the relationships we have with our family and friends and the little moments we share with those that matter to us. 

I've already ordered book 2.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This was an interesting scifi. 

On the eve of Earth's 1st major success to terraform a planet and introduce biologically enhanced primates to it to allow them to evolve, a civil war breaks out amongst humanity between the  fundamentalist group and the progressive scientists, pushing humanity back into the stone age and a dying planet. 

Thousands of years later humanity is taking to the stars again as Earth is no longer habitable. The Ark ships are carrying the last, living, humans and trying to follow the trail of dead technology left by their, more advanced, ancestors. What they find is that the terraforming did not go, entirely, as planned. 

I really adore scifi like this. Its so all encompassing, and the whatever direction the author decides to take the story, there's so much potential to allow those plot lines to play out in any number of reasoned ways.

The story digs deep into tribalism, and classism, and how our biology can help structure our society, even when it's being detrimental to continuation. 

As much as I am phobic about what the "Children" are, I thought it was a really creative twist and the author played it out well. 

I'll continue this series.

The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder by Sarah J. Harris

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

Read this last night and today. 

This was very interesting. It offered some fascinating insight into synesthesia and living a very "literal" life with autism. 

That being said, the plot wasn't difficult to see where it was going, but how they got there? A miscommunication trope, really? I really hate that plot device.

Unsouled by Will Wight

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This was wild.
Asian inspired fantasy with some scifi? Maybe? I don't really know lol.
In a world where everyone is tested to see where their magical talents lie, Lindon is known as "Unsouled", someone who's magic is so small he has no direction. 
That doesn't mean he doesn't have any ambition. 

The writing and characters in this are very fun. The plot moves at a decent pace and the lore/world building is done within the plot instead of info-dumping. 

I honestly don't know how to describe the plot other than someone with no natural talent or abilities has decided that it's his responsibility to save the world. 
I was instantly obsessed and am just waiting for book 2 now.

The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard

emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I read this as a pallet cleanser after a fantasy. 
It was a short, cute, story about the existence of a cat, living out the remainder of his 9 lives as a ghost.
The cat watches over the people and places he loved when he was alive while making very cat-like observations about humans and their world.

Ascendant by Michael R. Miller

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

Very good read.

Very much in the style of Eragon, where teenager manages to "acquire" a dragon egg, in a world where people are chosen to bond with dragons and fight the Scourge (undead bugs).

Adventure ensues! There is a food based magic system and the Scourge seems to be winning as they seem to be more coordinated than ever before and not just a mindless mass of insects spreading the Blight.

It wasn't a particularly original story, but it was told in a new way. There is some decent disability representation in this, the boy's dragon is blind, and the author has taken one of the meditation techniques for magic from his own experience in dealing with his cystic fibrosis.

It was well told and enjoyable and easy to binge. I look forward to book 2. 

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

This was wonderfully fun and adorable. 

In her 60s, Vera Wong still wakes up every day at 4:30 am, does her exercise, and opens her teahouse in San Francisco, Chinatown. Then one morning she finds a body in her shop. 

She is determined to let everyone know the best way to go about solving the crime, and when no one listens, she takes matters into her own hands. 

This was so cute and falls under one of my favorite sub-genres of books. Older, unqualified, amateur detective novels. 

It talks about the importance of family and friends and about the cost of letting life pass you by without making the effort to jump in. 

I really hope the author continues with these characters.

The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton

adventurous funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

3.75

After my last, emotionally distressing book, I picked this up as something a bit more soothing to read.

Beaton's Raisin books are quick, silly, and engaging. 

Only 35 of them to go.