doogsley's reviews
140 reviews

Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella

challenging funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

ez, fun, cheeky, light-hearted lil book! featuring overarching social commentaries on the service industry (specifically restaurants), wealth distribution/classism, n tech bros gone white supremacists. it was somehow both relatable and irreverent - it def captures the queer 20-something slacker lifestyle. the simplicity of it all was refreshing; rly playful mundane palette cleanser. i DO wish it were More Gay tho.

darby and nik are WONDERFUL supporting roles. superstar characters! i, too, wish i were a traveling bard.

the ending opened up for a sequel, which i wasn't expecting, but will likely partake in. awoo!

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark emotional 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

3.25

ok so. the first ~30% of the book was indecipherable lmao. ry realized that she no longer wanted to write a trilogy, and she padded the exposition with a sloppy, intangible mess of new characters, old only-mentioned-once-two-books-ago extras (who suddenly Matter), and an unintuitive political storyline to thicken her world. so many names, so much boring war room chat. like, fine, i get it. it also could be a skill issue on my part. it felt kinda bad though.

my main example of this mid storytelling:

the conflict involving quest squad 1.0 re: going up north, when violet was getting really big Go South Vibes being resolved by xaden saying “i got this kitten ❤️” when she brought up her concerns was wild. the illusion of tension is real. “omg this is being framed as a big issue! … oh ok they solved it with zero sweat 5ch later.”

this storytelling dynamic happened a few times (esp early in the book) and felt lazy. it left me skeptical.

nonetheless… i kinda liked the mundane politics at its core?? i just wish it weren’t so messy, writing-wise.

the vibes def pick up when they start their

irid journey.

the shounen anime energy that i LOVE was reignited; i enjoyed all of the

mini one piece-esque island adventures.

cool lil quest. i found myself more convinced here, brushing off the chaotic storytelling at the beginning n enjoying the ride.

this high was maintained til the end of the book, where i read with a familiar fervor i had in the first two books. and now, lots of theory rolls around my head. def immersed.

luv the idyllic levels of communication in this book lol. violet and xaden suddenly received therapy, despite being the aries power couple of all time. i want more tairn and sgaeyl across the board.

(loved violet and sgaeyl’s interaction in the final battle!!)

ridoc had his whole [redacted] out in this book; bro got Developed. quest squad 2.0 was fun, if not a lil forced (introducing: characters who act like they’ve been relevant forever but only gained sentience in this book!). and, most of all, andarna remains my favorite character. 

this is my favorite book thus far in the empyrean. this series is def not a masterpiece, but i’m havin a good, if not fun, time. 🐲

The Storm of Echoes by Christelle Dabos
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

i can't believe i made it 3/4 books into a series and i just. couldn't. finish it. i looked up the ending and i didn't hate it ... but i'm glad i checked out before some of those reveals. BLEH.

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

3.5

a solid 3.5⭐️, especially when compared to the first book (which was a subjective 3⭐️ in hindsight).

omg the yearning. it’s just so cute lmao. evie is giving tohru honda if she had snark and (blood)lust. the villain is so hopeless and desirous for her. all of her. the slow burn is BURNING and i just love it. it’s ao3 in the best ways.

this would’ve landed a higher rating if the last 25% didn’t feel so scattered and formless. it def lost the giddy lil flow that had me giggling and kicking my feet throughout the beginning/middle. it can’t decide whether it wants to be high stakes or not haha. i don’t really mind, ultimately, cuz the story is delightful n trope-y, so it stays in a safe “it’s clearly a passion project” status. but i def felt dragged around rather than immersed during those last few beats.

despite the meh pacing near the end, maehrer really leveled up her storytelling prowess in this one. there’s lots of fantasy whimsy to enjoy as we start to venture out of the manor and into the big, open world that’s slowly being layered. the atmosphere was bubbly and fun, if not a little scattered hehe.

what can i say? i had fun!! excited for the next book!! and the fact that this is no longer a trilogy omg. can they truly keep their hands off of each other for that long 😭❓

OH ALSO. this book genuinely had me laughing omg. this had waaay superior humor than book 1. i mean… it’s still silly af, characters choking back laughs behind their hands type nonsense lol. but at least it didn’t have an exorbitant amount of quippy “that’s gotta hurt!” type humor. except for kingsley, who gets a pass, because he’s a frog.

Sula by Toni Morrison

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

fun, moving, uncompromising grit-lit helmed by a jewel of a character. the pacing and storytelling is just… masterful. i will be rolling this tale (and its beautiful metaphors) around in my head for a long time.

Lore Olympus (Full Series) by Rachel Smythe (Comics artist)

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

loved it! greek mythology fantasy slow-burn soap opera! some arcs were better than others, but i overall had a fun time. everyone on tumblr was using the term “cinnamon roll” back in 2009 to describe their favorite woobie characters… but persephone truly is THE cinnamon roll of all time. adore her sm. she also gets certified badass moments which is dope. i also luv ares, hecate, and HERA!!! 💕💕💕

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

adventurous challenging funny inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

a thoughtful piece of media. the writing is simple and accessible, a great bedtime story to share with your kids. i loved the emphasis put on communicating authentically and often with your local community, especially in the face of Big Bads. sometimes the robot-logic faltered, but i think that’ll be explored in the next book… which i will be yoinking off the library shelf asap. 🤖

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

“we live in hope - that life will get better, and more importantly that it will go on, that love will survive even if we will not. and between now and then, we are here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here.”

i give the anthropocene reviewed by john green four stars.

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

luv luv luv this. the kindest n magical-est ragtag roadtrip ever. rtc. 🥠

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

3.0

interwoven, down-on-their-luck character vignettes, soothed by talking cats who offer them the wisdom for Celestial Soul Searching and astrologically-relevant, decadent cafe feasts. like most cozy japanese lit, it was a very quaint and gentle read; i finished it in one sitting during a lunar planetary hour, pleased to read a book spoken in one of my favorite magical languages.

to my fellow astrologers, i offer you good and bad news, respectively: the astrological logic (mostly) checks out! it leans into western astrology and placidus house system, making it super beginner-friendly for the curious astrology enjoyer. as a saturn 1H dominant, i found myself nodding along with akari's self-flagellation problem, as well as clocking the first character's astrodrama.

on the other hand... they kept calling it 'mercury in retrograde.' no!! mercury either *is* or *isn't* retrograde - "retrograde" is not a space to occupy, but a direction of flow!! this could be a translation error and not an issue in the source material, but nonetheless it discombobulated me every time. it's such a newbie astrology mistake to make over and over in a book that is entrenched in the very subject.

(i also think there was a publication blunder re: the first vignette's rising sign?? they mentioned her being a taurus rising despite being a cap rising? unless she was just musing about astrology in general? idk!)

ultimately, this lil story ended up feeling flat. definitely cute, for sure cozy, a dollop of camp, but distant. which i think is okay for what it is tbh. sometimes we just gotta ingest a fluff piece filled with sentient cats who serve luscious delicacies entrenched in planetary remediation to soothe the soul. this makes me wanna fill the space with my own thoughtful, whimsical, cat-filled astrolostory, with a bit more depth. and proper verbiage for astrological events.

"understand yourself, and you'll be able to care for yourself. as long as you do that, you'll shine like the star that you are." 💫