jasmyn9's reviews
1758 reviews

Galaxy's Edge, Part III by Nick Cole, Jason Anspach

adventurous dark tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

The storyline continues to come together, and it's getting a bit exciting. The battle for the universe is on with the republic vs the empire (still sounds a little familiar - but the Star Wars similarities are fewer in this one). An interesting turn of events with AI and the navigator Ravi, Prisma may be a lot more than a little girl looking for revenge, and Wraith joins up with his past squad - a very busy story, but it flowed well and kept me very engaged.

Light the Stars: A Romance Novel by RaeAnne Thayne

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-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

3.5

A pretty traditional rancher-style romance with some sort of forced proximity. Caroline was a little too good of a person, I  would have liked to see a little flaw in there somewhere. Wade was a great character - and I really enjoyed him and the brief look we get at his two brothers. This was a great novella set up for the rest of the series.

The Days When Birds Come Back by Deborah Reed

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

A slow and meandering tale of two people with tragic pasts that meet to bring an old bungalow back to life. I'm usually pretty dense with metaphors in the overall plot, but watching as two people healed from their past while the bungalow was being fixed wasn't lost on me. It was a beautiful story, but also very tragic and sad. 

At first I had a very hard time with the very descriptive and sometimes flowery language, but once I understood the flow and rhythm of the story, it seemed very natural.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death

The Colonel's Daughter by Amy Andrews

emotional fast-paced

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

3.0

I was really enjoying this forced proximity romance until the lie went too far. I understand keeping your cover and not revealing your identity to the person you're assigned to protect, but waiting until just after the right time (I don't want to spoil that point) is just wrong, and I don't think I could have forgiven him, even if he had saved my life. Ivy had every right to be mad and I really don't think she should given him another second of her time. So - first half of the book, fantastic, I loved it. Second half, I wanted to scream at Ivy to run away and not look back.

Imperator by Nick Cole, Jason Anspach

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

This was one of the easier to follow parts of the series so far. I could tell where in the timeline I was and why it was important to the story. Very nice. There are still soooo many ties to Star Wars though. The master speaks like Yoda, and Goth Sullis sounds a lot like Darth Sidius to me. But it was still unique enough in the search for this power (not called the force) that I really enjoyed this one. A mix of sci-fi space battle and a bit of mysticism.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

The Spell Shop is an amazing cozy fantasy with a touch of romance. Full of love for books, reading, friendship, magic, and taking care of your community. The talking spider plant is probably one of my favorite characters. This story of rebuilding and community coming together to do what's right was so much fun. The bursts of mage - that often go slightly awry - and the great characters really made this book a joy to read.

Home to Whiskey Creek by Brenda Novak

dark emotional sad tense slow-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? No

3.0

I'm calling it done with this series after this book. While I actually really liked the story and most of the characters, I'm finding the small town politics and personalities a little overdone. The ending of this book also really pissed me off - justice was not service, and the punishment was a bunch of crap. Also, I looked ahead a little and I don't think Baxter gets a book which is really sad.

Of Beasts and Vengeance by Robin D. Mahle, Elle Madison

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

My favorite character in the book is the Challix - the giant cat that is kept as a pet. It seems there is less internal rambling in book two than there was in book one - it is still hard to listen to. I was thrilled to find this book moved faster and had more of a steady pace through the plot than book one. It does not fall into the terrible twos category. While I read this book because it was part of a challenge, I look forward to book three hoping it will continue to get better as a series.

When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

This is a very heart-wrenching story, and it has given the Whiskey Creek series a little boost for me to keep reading. Callie was a little too perfect many times, but she really highlighted the differences between "good" people and "not good" people. Levi comes to town running from his past and is a little stereotypical bad boy. But they work really well together. I could also check in see how some of the other members of the friend group were doing, which really made the town feel more alive and real.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

adventurous emotional informative inspiring 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? No

4.75

I really enjoyed this story. A mix of colonialism - but what if it were Norse/Scandinavian steam punk instead? The author did a great job of highlighting how the native people were thought of "less than" just because they valued different things in life. Then throw dragons into the mix and you have a bit of chaos. Anequs does an amazing job of navigating all the new people and situations life throws her way - and I wish I had her way of thoughtful speaking when I was younger.