jamie1498's reviews
33 reviews

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.0

Really enjoyed this one. The overarching plot beats felt well-paced and the setting/world-building was unique. It took some time to grasp everything that was happening, but this was definitely intentional. There were moments that felt somewhat forced or repetitive, but only a few. The romance felt a little sudden or out of place at first. I wish there’d been more space to let it play out slower. I cannot wait to read Book 2. 

Saga, Vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan

adventurous emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-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

4.0

Glad to be getting back into Saga. It feels timely and poignant despite being ~10 years old. 

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

The concept is interesting, but the pacing dragged. The world is really interesting and a lot of the side characters would have been great to see more of. I wish a good chunk of this book was not info-dumping and just spoon feeding things to the reader. It got repetitive and kept the pace too slow. If you focus on what the book does well, there’s rich magic and creatures, an interesting school setting, and diverse characters. Unfortunately, it’s just overshadowed by SO MUCH info dumping and a hard-to-love protagonist. 

Graceling (Graphic Novel) by Kristin Cashore

adventurous 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

3.5

A lovely adaptation of a beloved book I read in middle school. It was great to revisit this story in graphic novel form. I missed some of the detail from the original, but that’s to be expected for an adaption. All in all, I feel inspired to reread the series. 

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

My initial review disappeared, but I stand by the fact that I adored this book and it is one of my favorites. It makes me excited to go deeper into the Cosmere soon! 

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted slow-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? Yes

4.75

I loved this book! It covers years of time and the character development felt natural. I found Elliot at times so relatable, so funny, and so devastating. These are characters I wish I could follow further. Pacing was sometimes a little slow for my taste, but overall, this was a fantastic book that pulled me out of my reading slump and string of DNFs. 

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.

I thought starting with the very first disc world novel made sense, but I was wrong. It’s tough to follow, as much as I want to enjoy it. Pan to do a bit more research on reading order and revisit to hopefully enjoy more in the future. 

Magical Boy, Volume 1 by The Kao

adventurous funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.0

Very cute YA manga that has a really fun subversion of the magical girl trope to explore a trans boy’s experience. Not my usual genre but not bad!

Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

4.0

This book was so interesting. Well written, and the characters all felt so real. At times heavy, at times funny. I felt myself rooting for Gilda to be okay as she meandered through the story.