Take a photo of a barcode or cover
fullybookedpenguin's reviews
139 reviews
Runaway Bride and Prejudice by Emma St. Clair
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Unfortunately this was my least favourite in the Appies series. I found I didn't care for the main couple and I didn't even care for the scenes involving the rest of the team either.
The last 3rd, the final conflict, was so utterly annoying and nonsensical that I couldn't even cheer them on, Van had so little backbone, instead of trying to clear the misunderstanding right away he sulked, was spiteful, and waited for the girl to apologise first.
Our FMC had no fight in her at all either, and her 'people pleasing' seemed to disappear around the one guy she wanted to be pleasing, so I guess they're a perfect match?
I ended up wanting to skim through scenes and the whole book ended up pretty meh.
The last 3rd, the final conflict, was so utterly annoying and nonsensical that I couldn't even cheer them on, Van had so little backbone, instead of trying to clear the misunderstanding right away he sulked, was spiteful, and waited for the girl to apologise first.
Our FMC had no fight in her at all either, and her 'people pleasing' seemed to disappear around the one guy she wanted to be pleasing, so I guess they're a perfect match?
I ended up wanting to skim through scenes and the whole book ended up pretty meh.
Crown of Moonlight by K.M. Shea
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
I had such a fun time with Leila, Rigel and all the critters.
Leila has to deal with weakened powers, cruel and unreasonable fey court rulers, new fey fiends, and a wall of toxin making a path through her recently acquired realm. Through it all she makes friends, drinks coffee while avoiding any fey cuisine, and slowly begins to admit the attachable features of her fey side.
Some of the plot points could be seen coming miles away, the hints were about as blatant as the nose on your face but our girl's stressed so sometimes the braincells don't braincell.
Will be interested to see how our story concludes in the final book!
Leila has to deal with weakened powers, cruel and unreasonable fey court rulers, new fey fiends, and a wall of toxin making a path through her recently acquired realm. Through it all she makes friends, drinks coffee while avoiding any fey cuisine, and slowly begins to admit the attachable features of her fey side.
Some of the plot points could be seen coming miles away, the hints were about as blatant as the nose on your face but our girl's stressed so sometimes the braincells don't braincell.
Will be interested to see how our story concludes in the final book!
Drake Hall by Christina Baehr
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? N/A
4.5
I really enjoyed this book, though it did take me a second to remember where we were, but that may have been because I didn't jump from book 1 into this one.
The dragons and the mystery around them was fun, though I definitely loved the daily moments with current ones rather than the history lessons. 🤣
I'm glad Edith stuck to her guns and allowed the other characters to make their own decisions, based on their own convictions. She set her boundaries as to where she would go up to but also where that level of compromise had to be met.
Despite the annoying interference (cloaked as words of advice) from many of the other female characters, Simon also grew on me after I was meh about him in Book 1.
I'm intrigued to keep following Edith's journey to discovering the secrets of all these dragons~
The dragons and the mystery around them was fun, though I definitely loved the daily moments with current ones rather than the history lessons. 🤣
I'm glad Edith stuck to her guns and allowed the other characters to make their own decisions, based on their own convictions. She set her boundaries as to where she would go up to but also where that level of compromise had to be met.
Despite the annoying interference (cloaked as words of advice) from many of the other female characters, Simon also grew on me after I was meh about him in Book 1.
I'm intrigued to keep following Edith's journey to discovering the secrets of all these dragons~
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is technically a re-read but I read it so long ago I only remember the basic plot points.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I remember I did last time.
Anne is now a young adult and off to college, where she interacts with friends, lives with them at a quaint house and deals with a passing parade of male callers.
I feel like the charm of Anne was kind of lost in this. I liked her moments at home at Green Gables, but when she was away her whimsy and status of Kindred spirit got put aside for social interactions and courtships.
Also we barely hear about Anne and Gils relationship except with some "They were good chums" "They were distant" etc.
I remember Gilbert being a swoony character but you see none of that and when things don't go his way he takes on a ghosty flittering of presence.
Anne also is very unwise and not in the cute, innocent way her childhood self did. She's got a bit of an ego and is a little ditsy.
There is a random chapter where animal abuse or animal euthanasia is featured so that was just weird and distasteful.
There were fun moments with characters that weren't Anne, and overall I still like the writing, there was just a lost joy and spark in the writing.
Will be interested if now we are past the mistakes of young romance and ideas, we get to return some of the previous charm in Windy Poplars, but we shall see.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I remember I did last time.
Anne is now a young adult and off to college, where she interacts with friends, lives with them at a quaint house and deals with a passing parade of male callers.
I feel like the charm of Anne was kind of lost in this. I liked her moments at home at Green Gables, but when she was away her whimsy and status of Kindred spirit got put aside for social interactions and courtships.
Also we barely hear about Anne and Gils relationship except with some "They were good chums" "They were distant" etc.
I remember Gilbert being a swoony character but you see none of that and when things don't go his way he takes on a ghosty flittering of presence.
Anne also is very unwise and not in the cute, innocent way her childhood self did. She's got a bit of an ego and is a little ditsy.
There is a random chapter where animal abuse or animal euthanasia is featured so that was just weird and distasteful.
There were fun moments with characters that weren't Anne, and overall I still like the writing, there was just a lost joy and spark in the writing.
Will be interested if now we are past the mistakes of young romance and ideas, we get to return some of the previous charm in Windy Poplars, but we shall see.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, and Terminal illness
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Emily and Wendell start the process of taking back his crown and dealing with pesky court problems.
Out of the trilogy, this book feels the most formulaic, mainly because of the tale->current events cross-over. Due to this plot device nothing that happened was surprising and a big moment felt more like, "Okay, of course that happened, how we gonna solve it" rather than pulling at any emotional heartstrings.
Also despite all Wendells grand gestures in this, (I mean he clearly beloves his Queen) he and Emily worked pretty much separately this whole book, so I would have liked more interaction and adventure between them.
It's still a cosy fun time, but it's predictable and other than our scenes with Shadow, there was nothing really to d'aww at or kick your feet over.
Out of the trilogy, this book feels the most formulaic, mainly because of the tale->current events cross-over. Due to this plot device nothing that happened was surprising and a big moment felt more like, "Okay, of course that happened, how we gonna solve it" rather than pulling at any emotional heartstrings.
Also despite all Wendells grand gestures in this, (I mean he clearly beloves his Queen) he and Emily worked pretty much separately this whole book, so I would have liked more interaction and adventure between them.
It's still a cosy fun time, but it's predictable and other than our scenes with Shadow, there was nothing really to d'aww at or kick your feet over.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Suicide
Down to the Bonny Glen by Renée Graef, Melissa Wiley
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
We're following Martha, now 8.5 years old and high time to grow out of childish things, according to her parents and new governess at least. Yet Martha still longs for the moors and is inquisitive about life outside of copywork and stitching.
I took a star off for Grisie. She's annoyingly snooty in this book too and only gets called out one time. She's almost as bad as governess number one, only I think she does love Martha deep down still, she just seems to hate the land and people of her upbringing. It's fine to have different goals or likes but there's no need to bag out where your currently at when there's nothing seriously wrong with it, it's just not her taste.
Love our Martha as always, just want to protect her youthful, kind and appreciative heart!
I took a star off for Grisie. She's annoyingly snooty in this book too and only gets called out one time. She's almost as bad as governess number one, only I think she does love Martha deep down still, she just seems to hate the land and people of her upbringing. It's fine to have different goals or likes but there's no need to bag out where your currently at when there's nothing seriously wrong with it, it's just not her taste.
Love our Martha as always, just want to protect her youthful, kind and appreciative heart!
Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 2 by Gwon Gyeoeul, SUOL
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Penelope continues meeting the male leads, this time with a slave turned knight and a bunny🐰 guild sorcerer, and decides whether avoiding them all is a feasible option or to pursue a target or two.
You experience the exhaustive roller coaster of juggling threats and trying to win over affection that in reality, if exiting the game didn't rely on it, she'd avoid all of them!
Looking forward to following Penelopes further adventures.
You experience the exhaustive roller coaster of juggling threats and trying to win over affection that in reality, if exiting the game didn't rely on it, she'd avoid all of them!
Looking forward to following Penelopes further adventures.
Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 28 by Mizuho Kusanagi
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This series is such a mix of humour, tense moments, darkness and found family, that it truly holds a unique place in Fantasy Manga world for me.
To be honest I feel on edge about the future of Yona, Hak, the dragons, Yun and all their allies. With war and battles and creepy obsessed cult leader interference, I'm dreading seeing any of our crew get hurt!
To be honest I feel on edge about the future of Yona, Hak, the dragons, Yun and all their allies. With war and battles and creepy obsessed cult leader interference, I'm dreading seeing any of our crew get hurt!
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
Minor: Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Lout of Count's Family (Novel) Vol. 2 by Yu Ryeo-Han
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Cale is back to his conceited, yet ultimately caring and protective ways.
With a war approaching, Cale is gathering strength, money, and resources, while unwillingly winning over and collecting allies along the way.
We actually follow 4 or so segments in this one, which keeps the story moving pretty fast and while we meet a ton of new people at no point does it feel overwhelming or like I'll never remember who any of the folks are when they reappear. While so fantasy books feel like a bombardment of names and positions that there's no hope of telling apart or remembering, this light novel series really introduces the extensive cast well.
With a war approaching, Cale is gathering strength, money, and resources, while unwillingly winning over and collecting allies along the way.
We actually follow 4 or so segments in this one, which keeps the story moving pretty fast and while we meet a ton of new people at no point does it feel overwhelming or like I'll never remember who any of the folks are when they reappear. While so fantasy books feel like a bombardment of names and positions that there's no hope of telling apart or remembering, this light novel series really introduces the extensive cast well.
Beauty and the Beast by K.M. Shea
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
So I have mixed feelings about this book, because I did enjoy it but there are also a few points I would have liked to see proceed differently than they did.
I enjoyed Elle and the household interactions and I liked the 'beauty and beasts' interactions...up to a point,and that point is when the curse was broken. The household and Beasts ostracising Elle (other than our boy, our lad, Oliver) and were cruel and so dumb. The misunderstanding as it were showed a cruel nature, which I hated. And then when Elle is brought back its all happy families. Lets just say I am not as forgiving as Elle. I would have liked Elle to call them out for their hypocrisy but shes all sweet and accepting. Atleast point out that they all were happy no matter who she was as long as the curse was lifted and the fact she tried to leave them but they pretty much forced her to stay. For all her biting intelligence, she never had a good comeback for all the shenanigans.
I've decided I preferred our main couple as friends rather than romantic partners, and would have preferred an ending where Elle drew a protective line and accepted a friendship with the Chateaux peoples but nothing more, but that would hardly be a Beauty and the Beast style ending.
I figured out the mystery of Elle's identity pretty quickly, but still had some back and forthing as to the why.
The ending really messed with my rating and I ended up liking only our lad, our boi, Oliver and Elle, though she folded too soon so I guess I didn't love her either. 🤣
I enjoyed Elle and the household interactions and I liked the 'beauty and beasts' interactions...up to a point,
I've decided I preferred our main couple as friends rather than romantic partners, and would have preferred an ending where Elle drew a protective line and accepted a friendship with the Chateaux peoples but nothing more, but that would hardly be a Beauty and the Beast style ending.
I figured out the mystery of Elle's identity pretty quickly, but still had some back and forthing as to the why.
The ending really messed with my rating and I ended up liking only our lad, our boi, Oliver and Elle, though she folded too soon so I guess I didn't love her either. 🤣