jamgrl's reviews
179 reviews

Lobizona by Romina Garber

adventurous emotional 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? No

3.5

First off, I want to say: it is awesome to read/listen to a fantasy book so imbedded into a Latin American country’s culture: despite taking place entirely in Florida (when they aren’t in a magical realm), Argentina is very present in this story.

On the book: This book is not very subtle, but it is pretty interesting! I enjoyed the parallels of the fantasy world and the real world, the conversations about identity and belonging, the commentary on why categorizing people is bad (is this a response to the Hogwarts house system?? Because Garber is right.) and about immigration (being an immigrant and the immigration system and what it means to be an outsider). I just adore the fun of teenagers being together and doing fantasy stuff while also plotting plots. Also, all the Spanish! The fantasy world itself is lush and interesting and I love that everything in both the fantasy and real world societies has a dark political undertone. The romantic subplot was generally uninteresting to me, but I am aware I am not the target audience for adolescent lust/romance 😅.* 

Warning: There is a large amount of Harry Potter references (named references by the protagonist) in addition to other books, like Pride and Prejudice and 100 Years of Solitude. This is something I don’t love in general/find awkward (think Bella Swan talking about Wuthering Heights and Romeo and Juliet all the time), but the amount of Harry Potter specifically was a bit uncomfortable-  be warned if reminders of Harry Potter are upsetting.

*

Though, I did in fact whoop audibly when Manu walked in on Saysa and Cata 😂.

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

3.0

This book is packed with adventure and has an interesting/expansive world. I enjoyed the Latina protagonist and her crew. I like the dynamics between Eva and Vakar and Eva and Pink, I just wish there had been more. A lot of the emotional stakes are built on Eva telling us she cares about people instead of us getting to really see her relationships, which is a shame because when the relationships are there, they are really good! It makes the adventures feel less important- I kind of came away thinking that too much happened, even though there are breadcrumbs dropped along for an interesting underlying plot/mystery which will clearly be revealed in future books… I just think we needed more upfront character time to care a bit more. The cats were also way underutilized (there might as well have only been one cat, which would have been fine and maybe better considering that only one was important.) That being said, I think there is something interesting going on here and I am curious about where it is going.

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

adventurous mysterious fast-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

4.0

This is kind of like a special episode of murderbot! It takes place before network effect, which is a bit disconcerting, it is very short  after network effect, and it is sort of just unrelated to the rest of the continuity, BUT we get a little murder mystery with our favorite bot construct during its time on Preservation. Some people have said this one was predictable, but I was pleasantly surprised when the mystery unraveled.

Network Effect by Martha Wells

adventurous emotional funny 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

I always love Murderbot, but it is important to note that this one is different from the rest of the series in being a full length novel. I wasn’t sure how that would go since these are usually such quick reads/listens. Basically, you get a longer and more complex plot with a lot more focus on relationships and boy oh boy, the relationships are fantastic! We get to see Murderbot go full protective parent on Amena (Dr. Mensah’s daughter), we get to see our favorite transport (and Murderbot grappling with its feelings and what it means to have a *relationship* with someone, ugh!), we get to meet *another sec-unit*, and we get a Murderbot typical mystery and problem solving adventure. 

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

I don’t know, y’all, I loved this book and I’m angry with this book and I have had many questions answered and many new questions formed and I just want my girls to be happy, but here we are. Brilliant, again, of course.

Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This did not go at all the way I expected! And the new information in it had me skeptical when it was first introduced, but Marie Brennan really pulled it off. This was a fun series!

The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex by Tamsyn Muir

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was a really cute story with some good insight into Camilla and Palamedes!

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Upon this reread, I still find this book excellent! I am bumping it down to a 4.5 because it remains very slow  for like the first 400 pages. I was overwhelmed with the amazing-ness of the reveals at the end the first time that I forgave the slog of earlier in the book and, although it was more enjoyable the second time through after knowing what was going on, it was still too slow. First time readers: be advised that it could be hard to read a lot of the book, but if you loved book 1, finishing this book is so worth it because the pay off is even better than that of book 1.

Martita, I Remember You =: Martita, Te Recuerdo by Sandra Cisneros, Liliana Valenzuela

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0