jamie1498's reviews
37 reviews

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. 

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

This story made me laugh, cry, and feel many emotions in between. It is a beautiful story that made me find beautiful and mystification in mathematics. I so invested in the relationships explored in this book and loved the depiction of friendship. This book was so easy to love and the writing/translation itself was phenomenal too. There is nothing I’d change about this book. 

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Unique story structure and wonderfully written. While some characters intrigued me more than others, it was an engaging read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

adventurous emotional 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

Flew through this book because I was enjoying it so much. However, there was a bit of a pacing issue at points and some choices  didn’t feel satisfying to me. 

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Took a few chapters to get into it, but after that I was swept away by the story. Sometimes predictable, but that didn’t take away from enjoying the read. 

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was my first Brandon Sanderson novel and I was immediately taken by the rich world-building, unique voice/narration, and how quickly I came to care for these characters. It felt like the Princess Bride (as the novel’s explicit inspiration), but I also felt a nostalgia for something in the Narnia series as well. An excellent read. 

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

A very sweet, sapphic college romance. I was very surprised that it moved me to tears at one point.