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flybybooks's reviews
484 reviews
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.25
Nordsee Hass - Die Küsten-Kommissare by Anne Amrum
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
The Bookshop Sisterhood by Michelle Lindo-Rice
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
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? No
4.5
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
4.75
The miscommunication between the MCs became repetitive
A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford
adventurous
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
The Alchemy of Flowers: A Novel by Laura Resau
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
The Alchemy of Flowers is like a visit into an alternate reality. One in which the flowers speak to you and your every need is taken care of. Where you can focus on healing from hardship and learning to be happy with yourself and your situation. It brings you back to reality brutally, but the message is clear: take time for yourself, focus and heal, grow connections, but come back. Return. Do not ignore your troubles forever. Do the work, then trust yourself to be whole enough to weather the storm.
It is overall a powerful message.
Eloise and her journey made me laugh and cry and heal just a little along with her. Her character development, learning to trust again, acknowledging her own role in how her life had gone, what was her fault and what most definitely was not, were moving. It really made me think and I could barely put down the book for it. The other characters, Raphael, Mina and Bao, were just as loveable, with journeys just as tragic and powerful. The undercurrent of wrong (which resulted in my first note on this book being "this sounds like a literal cult" and the second one, "Girl, run", all within the first 15 pages) created a layer of suspense and Eloise's empathy and curiosity made her especially relateable and loveable. These story elements were well done and enjoyable.
There was a lot of talk about child loss and general child-related trauma, especially in regards to Eloise's earlier line of work, which was very powerful and a main theme of the story. However, I personally felt the part of the conversation regarding the foster system and adoption somewhat lacking. Not because of the related heartbreak, but because it seemed critical of reunification efforts in fostering while mentioning none of the hardships adoption, especially cross-culture adoption, could have for a child. This is not in line with what people who have been through adoption and the foster system in the US generally say. I think the author's criticism is valid, in that as a worker in the foster care system, it must be heartbreaking to see reunification efforts fail, but because the author chose to focus only on that pain without mentioning how attempts at reunification are also important for the child. I do think that the importance of the connection of a child to their culture, the culture of the biological parents, was shown nicely, both when the parent of that culture is gone, and during cross-culture adoption.
The prose was nice to read and made speeding through the pages easy, though it was missing a bit of a whimsical tone in some places that I personally feel would have made the appeal of Paradise more apparent. But honestly, I would pay so much money for a single night in Eloise's treehouse so you know, it's whatever. It obviously worked on me.
I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
It is overall a powerful message.
Eloise and her journey made me laugh and cry and heal just a little along with her. Her character development, learning to trust again, acknowledging her own role in how her life had gone, what was her fault and what most definitely was not, were moving. It really made me think and I could barely put down the book for it. The other characters, Raphael, Mina and Bao, were just as loveable, with journeys just as tragic and powerful. The undercurrent of wrong (which resulted in my first note on this book being "this sounds like a literal cult" and the second one, "Girl, run", all within the first 15 pages) created a layer of suspense and Eloise's empathy and curiosity made her especially relateable and loveable. These story elements were well done and enjoyable.
There was a lot of talk about child loss and general child-related trauma, especially in regards to Eloise's earlier line of work, which was very powerful and a main theme of the story. However, I personally felt the part of the conversation regarding the foster system and adoption somewhat lacking. Not because of the related heartbreak, but because it seemed critical of reunification efforts in fostering while mentioning none of the hardships adoption, especially cross-culture adoption, could have for a child. This is not in line with what people who have been through adoption and the foster system in the US generally say. I think the author's criticism is valid, in that as a worker in the foster care system, it must be heartbreaking to see reunification efforts fail, but because the author chose to focus only on that pain without mentioning how attempts at reunification are also important for the child. I do think that the importance of the connection of a child to their culture, the culture of the biological parents, was shown nicely, both when the parent of that culture is gone, and during cross-culture adoption.
The prose was nice to read and made speeding through the pages easy, though it was missing a bit of a whimsical tone in some places that I personally feel would have made the appeal of Paradise more apparent. But honestly, I would pay so much money for a single night in Eloise's treehouse so you know, it's whatever. It obviously worked on me.
I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
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
5.0