ect625's reviews
61 reviews

Weyward by Emilia Hart

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

Content Warnings

A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Ugh! I loved the book up until the lame ending and epilogue! The plot was enjoyable though, and I liked how it all shook out.

I thought Saffron and Lee were really a good team, and their working and more relationship was fun. It felt a bit like Brambleby and Emily in Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. (Or even Scully and Mulder from X-Files!)

Saffron completely overreacted in the end

to the offer from the government agency and its implied connection to her dad's potential work using poisonous plants to create weapons of war

. The situation and her response felt underdeveloped and disconnected to the main story. The mystery is strong enough to stand on its own and doesn't need contrived drama in an attempt to create tension.

Content Warnings

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Weird. Weird, weird, weird.

The concept of the plot is interesting but the execution was really confusing. It would have been better for me if the narrator explained what was going on instead of me stumbling along. There was also an unnecessary plot twist that changed the perspective on everything. If the same murder mystery story was told in a more traditional way, then I probably would have enjoyed it more. Can't wait to talk about it in my book club!

Content Warnings