justabookishreader's reviews
157 reviews

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

TL; DR: very sapphic, very twisty, very lyrical, very human condition.



I need more stories told like this. Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone's writing style clearly work together brilliantly, beautifully. It is one that only becomes more poetic as Red and Blue write to one another. And not just in the letters, but also in the third person narrative. As their story proceeds, they both begin to observe and think about the world in love and wonder - seeming to seep into their experiences of the world around them - both of them. 

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This is How You Lose the Time War is one of the most uniquely told stories I've ever read - and not just in the writing style, but also simply the plot revolving around a sapphic romance developing between people who should be enemies, as they travel through time and write to one another. While there were a couple of plot points or events that I predicted, and went "oh dang saw that one coming," it never stayed that way for long, as by the end of the scene, the result was shocking and unexpected enough that I was still excited and eager to flip through the book. 

This is yet another short (under 300 pages) novel(la) that explores humanity through a very different lens. Questions of wonder and love and awe, the feeling of falling in love, the urge to protect each other even if it meant tearing themselves apart (for one of them nearly literally) through the braids of time to do so. This book is absolutely heartbreaking. Even the "addressing" to one another alters - and in fun and unique ways. 

Despite the twist in the last twenty-ish pages - I still sobbed when I finished this book. I loved it and I'm so glad I finally picked it up.

Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

Holy shit. As soon as I have money I'm buying a physical copy of this book. I- this book was simply a masterpiece and it  belongs on my favorites shelf. Anyway, the premise was so interesting, and the execution was brilliant and stunning and so atmospheric and well paced... I cannot believe that I ever stopped reading/listening to this. I know I used an audible credit I think spring of 2022, and "tried" to listen to it but couldn't get into it and I don't understand why. I literally finished it in three days at work. That's all it took. And when I was finishing the last ten or so minutes, I was on the front desk and trying so hard not to cry, literally blinking back tears, and as soon as it was over I went to my friend (you know who you are) and demanded she add it to her "want to read." 

Mind you, this wasn't my first Alix E. Harrow, I had listened to The Once and Future Witches before this, which I believe also made it onto my favorites goodreads shelf. I now painfully and impatiently await The Starling House. (Side note - I messaged the author on instagram about the new book and asked about a cover reveal and physical advanced reader copies, and she said hopefully sometime early 2023) Whenever I get my hands on this I will be immediately re-reading and highlighting the fuck out of it and I will update this review with those lines as well.

The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future by Veronica Roth

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

um, ok, wow. This was really really really good. It got a little crazy at the end there with all the twists and turns but I genuinely loved that I was kept guessing the entire time. I listened to this book on Audible (as I've been doing for all of Leigh Bardugo's books). Also, JEWISH REPRESENTATION?! (coming from a half jewish woman, I about shrieked when I found out that not only was this contemporary/urban fantasy but also featured a Jewish main character, you could not get me to shut up about it for like. The first 3-5 days). I am eagerly waiting for Alex Stern #2, as impatiently as I usually am of course. Also I feel so bad for my dorm neighbors, I shouted "WHAT" between 6-10 times in the last hour of the book and they probably couldn't actually hear the book so that makes it even funnier.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This book was so fast paced and my theories were in the right area just not fully and this was a Holly Black book. That's all. Five stars. Oh and I cried. and laughed. I needed this cuz finals week is already kicking my ass.