elaine707's reviews
517 reviews

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The past always comes back to haunt, even witches, even on an island, even those who didn't run away. 
Secrets don't make friends. Secrets don't stop murder. 

I loved the writing style, the mystery, just everything. I was on the edge of my seat. 

Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

On a quest for a golden grain to save his lands, a young lad who has never left his hometown finds himself learning the intricacies of the world -- the good, the bad, the banal. 

Classic themes of environmentalism, nature, friend vs foe, young and innocent love. 

Crush by Richard Siken

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Such gorgeous prose. The use of blank space and the words themselves was breathtaking. I read the intro after reading the poems, and the concept of anxiety is bleeding through the pages. I was wholly captivated. 

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

This was such a fun intro to the Discworld! Every time I thought we were following one character, it would switch in the best way possible. The person you think is the Hero is just stereotypically heroic in everything but the end. The person you think is a side character, not super important, has the makings of the Hero that even they didn't know until the end. I love that characters are complex and unpredictable.

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

adventurous reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This short story follows a young girl who trains and grows with a beast of legend. Ester only has this for her future, she loves the rocs and sees nothing else. 

A lifetime passes in the span of a couple hundred pages. I was glued to the book. I want to see more of the world. I wonder if this is connected to another story.

Disoriental by Négar Djavadi

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense 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

The story of a girl born in Iran to parents who are larger than life in more ways than one, who searches for herself in the rubble of her childhood and the fog of her future. A story of identity, war, and survival. 

I love everything about this book. 

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

A woman with agoraphobia finds herself at the center of a maybe murder that she witnesses from her window. 

I did not like this book at all. It felt very cliche. I saw every twist and turn except for one only because I had more faith in the author to be more creative. I had many logistical questions, too; regardless, I was unimpressed. 

I will say that I really enjoyed the descriptive prose the author chose to use. 

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.75

In a world of time agents who can move along the time stream to correct and shift timelines according to a greater plan per each organization, these two unlikely forces find solace in a letter. 

I loved everything about this. I had never read a concept like this, so I was enthralled. I loved reading through the letters, which kept us, as readers, shrouded in mystery. The ending was the only thing that could have happened, yet I was still surprised. 

The Choices We Make by Stacygenesis

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

This ending left me wanting. Ning is on her journey to understand the magic in herself in the hope of stopping the end of the world as she knows it, but her existence is a point of contention. 


I had high expectations for this book, but the narration felt flat and boring to read at times. I liked that the story ended without too many open-ended questions. I also loved the female friendships and Asian representation!