faefaesauce's reviews
318 reviews

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

This is so fun! You can definitely feel the legends and lattes influence but this manages to be a story wholely it's own. Having the sapphic relationship established from the beginning was refreshing and watching them grow into a mature adult relationship was sheer perfection. Magical Elements habe just the right amount of depth where you don't feel overexplained to but you also aren't lost. Cozy fantasy at its finest.

Dear Mothman by Robin Gow

emotional 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

5.0

Absolutely beautiful. Noah's letters to mothman showcase a depth of grief that is relatable and digestible. I highly recommend reading this one in print or ebook as opposed to audio because the way things are structured in the verse is a big part of the storytelling. The illustrations are adorable! You spend so much of the book being wrapped up in Noah's world but also struggling as a person of reason to reconcile what Noah sees as happening with what is probably actually happening. The push/pull is done exceedingly well. 

Beautiful imagery. Nothing feels trite. Several poignant quotes that will stick with you forever. 10/10 I will be making everyone in my life read this. 

Paying the Land by Joe Sacco

3.25

Glisser by Jane Washington

dark emotional funny 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

4.5

Diving into our Alphas traumas is DARK so please check your trigger warnings! But Isobel continues to have s very naturally blossoming relationship with all of her mates despite all sorts of chaos being thrown at them from all sides. I didn't remember much from the previous books but I didn't feel lost, they do a good job of feeding you hints if you don't remember. 

The Heart of Betrayal: The Remnant Chronicles, Book Two by Mary E. Pearson

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

sWitch: a dark sapphic rom-com by Kat Blackthorne

funny fast-paced

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

2.5

In a 200 page novel, the resolution of the big central problem comes 50 pages from the end. Do with that what you will, but I was very confused. 

There is a LOT of repetitive language here. I swear both main characters say the exact same thing every second chapter. We get it. 

Spicy scenes are impeccably well written, even if the timing is sometimes a little fast. 

All of the kittens live

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Mind-blowingly beautiful. This novel is so inventive, imaginative, and rich. The imagery, the blend of mythology and folklore and superhero tales with satirical caricatures and scathing criticisms is genius. I never once knew where this was going. The multiple POVs is not just the main characters, but side characters who only appear for short times as well. It gives the novel a truly atmospheric feel that compliments the real-world way this was written. Despite being outlandish material, this is presented as ordinary or real. It reads like a movie without a soundtrack, that level of what would this really be like to live it, if it were completely undramatized. 

I've never read anything like this novel and I doubt I ever will again. I wanted it to be like the movie Arrival and it was all of that and more. Fans of stories that make you go "what did I just read/watch" will adore this. Absolutely no notes. 100% holds up over a decade later. 

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson

adventurous emotional medium-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

5.0

Fair warning: this is NOT a standalone! The first in a series! Don't be surprised like I was! 

Pearson continues to produce deep, brilliant, engaging, beautiful books. The world has depth that is never overexplained and yet easy to follow. Tension is done SO WELL in this book. Bristol's journey as a mortal into a fae land is believable and relatable, and the slow burn with Tyghan is perfectly written. No one is black and white and everyone's shades of grey come out more and more as you get further in. Not every side character has a happy ending. This feels real in every way you want a fantasy novel to feel real and none of they ways you don't. Genius is the word I keep coming back to. The next book can't come out soon enough.

The Alice Curse by Megan Van Dyke

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

A truly unique retelling of Alice! Traditional Alice Fans will love the nods to the original side characters and storylines Disney left out. Disney Alice Fans will recognize the headstrong woman from the live action movie as well as some beasties along the way. Yet none of the Alice references are a noxiously trite or annoying, it all blends seamlessly with this inventive version of wonderland and the call of Alice to it. What doesn't feel as seamless is the transition from story to spicy/erotic scene and back. The spicy scenes could very well be from a different book with how jarring the tone shift is back and forth. This blanace is done well in the beginning and then completely goes away after their first kiss. 

All in all I, a die hard Alice fan, loved this retelling and how it was fiercely its own story while being respectful and inclusive of the original source material.