jennaniho's reviews
86 reviews

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-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 is not just about self-discovery, is also about self-acceptance. And have the bravery to fight for what you want.
 
This book felt like a love letter to our planet Earth in the most magical way possible. Rachel’s writing style feels fresh and easygoing, but still capable of projecting deep emotions and thoughts through her characters. I identified with Clara in many ways and I loved how the author connected different areas of all the characters’ personalities with what their season represents, making you understand even some of the unlikeable ones. Yet, Clara’s self-isolation and insecurity were a bit of a stereotype. However, her overall nature is an archetype for women who are deemed too emotional, too much, or too dangerous. She represents those who are struggling with their personal power, but learn that the only way to be happy and free is to show and embrace all sides of themselves. 

This leads us to Sang, Clara’s mentor and romantic interest. Sang was probably my favorite character in the book. His quiet and calming personality clashed against Clara’s stubbornness and self-loathing and he was the perfect mirror for her to look at herself and face her fears. Sang reminded me a lot of my grandfather and how his gentle love soothes my abuela’s fiery and passionate personality. And just like my grandparents, Clara and Sang’s romance was not rushed or forced, but it was very present from the beginning.  Furthermore, I liked how the author gently treated Clara and Paige’s love story breakup without eliminating Paige from Clara’s life. 

Though the details of the magical system in the book are a bit vague, it still shows you how it works and how it is deeply connected with everything in the story. So much so that one of the characters researches how to take out harmful plants without the witch or the plant feeling pain. Or how clouds have a mind of their own when manifesting rain and thunder. Likewise, I love how the author has the witches loyal to the Sun rather than the traditional Moon veneration without demonizing the latter; as well as, referencing the Sun as a she (probably honoring sun goddesses hardly mentioned in modern witchcraft and paganism). 

Finally, my favorite element of this story is how it tackles climate change by cleverly linking it to the essence of a witch. Throughout history, witches have been deeply connected to the earth, acting as stewards of the planet and utilizing its resources for healing and sustainability. This said, the book also highlights the pressing issue of how human greed is deeply detrimental to our environment. The term "shaders" is used in the book to describe non-magical people; which, I think is fitting because it can symbolize how this greed has cast a dark cloud over our world's climate and our lives. Despite this, the book offers a sense of hope by emphasizing the importance of working together as the only way to make a positive difference in restoring balance to our environment and our lives. 
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Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

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A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair

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dark emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

If the song My Boo by Usher feat. Alicia Keys could be a book, it would be this one. It reminded me a lot of how Latine people also experience love, heartbreak, societal expectations and, more specifically, grief. Which is what this book focuses on and excels at.  

Yasmen and Josiah, confront emotional repression, grief, and resilience, as well as the positive effects of therapy and mindfulness. Kennedy Ryan humanizes these characters to the point of making you identify them in people in your life. In Yasmen I saw my mother, my friends, while in Josiah I saw my father, my husband, and my uncle. 

Is a truly inspiring story and a must read!
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Dance of a Burning Sea by E.J. Mellow

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I keep loving this series more and more, and this book is no exception. Dance of a Burning Sea is an almost perfect enemies-to-lovers story. It is is adventurous, challenging, deeply emotional, sometimes funny, and a bit mysterious. Yet, it is darker than the first book, having some scenes that are really gruesome, keeping the element of horror in the story of the Mousai. 

I personally identified with Niya through, both her fiery nature and the way that she loves and protects those that mean the world to her. Niya is a free spirit, and it is obvious that her and Alōs are strangely attracted to each other; with their obsession for power and sexual tension being incredibly annoying throughout the story, but equally satisfying in the end. 

The only thing I didn’t like of this book was Niya’s older sister, Arabessa. She was so unfairly mean to Niya’s feelings, that I thought for a moment she was jealous of her. I do hope the third and final installment of this series explains why is Arabessa so stuck up because I really, really disliked her in this book. 

Overall, Dance of a Burning Sea shows that sometimes our torture can be our remedy, what we consider weakness can be our biggest strengths, and that we can have more than one family no matter how close or how far we are from them.  
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All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie

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

2.0

It was hard to understand and the story didn’t make sense.
Circe by Madeline Miller

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I knew I was going to like this book, but I didn’t know I was going to absolutely love it. Miller’s writing style and prose made it hard for me to put this book down, though I had to from time to time; some chapters were deeply emotional, triggering, and brutally honest. 

Being the eldest daughter, I felt an instant connection with Circe. Her unwavering resilience, the way she slowly embraced her inner fire and untamed spirit, her determination to persist in the face of adversity, her inevitable mistakes, her worries, her fears, and her love —all contribute to making Circe a heroine defined by herself. Also, anyone who is bold enough to stand up against the Olympian gods and the Titans on their own, will always have a special place in my heart. 

With Circe, Madeline Miller shows us that women have been their self-made heroes since the beginning of time, and it is our divine right and power to create our lives under our rules alone. 
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Song of the Forever Rains by E.J. Mellow

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The biggest takeaway I had from this story was the dynamic perspective offered through the eyes of both Darius and Larkyra, while still keeping the latter as the main focus. Most importantly, E.J. Mellow's narrative beautifully captures the weight of their concealed emotions and makes them remarkably relatable, underscoring the profound lesson that, we can often be our own adversaries or we can decide to be our own saviors. Likewise, the world building is not too specific but not too vague; just right to keep your imagination going and still retain a bit of mystery of "what will come next".

Yet, the biggest focus "Song of Forever Rains" has is towards the lesson that our voice is our biggest weapon and ally; revealing that mastering when and how to use it empowers us to be not only assertive and potent but ultimately, happy and capable of facing even the hardest of challenges.
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The Midnight Sea by Kat Ross

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.0

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A Game of Gods by Scarlett St. Clair

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0