justkrissy's reviews
64 reviews

funny lighthearted tense medium-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

4.0

I would also like a man who is so desperately in love with me. This book was really fun; a little cringe and cliché at times, but fun nonetheless. However, if I have to hear how big this man is one more time...

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

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adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

Wonderfully magical!

The majority of us are well versed in Studio Ghibli's version of Howl's Moving Castle, so it's really neat picking apart the two mediums. While the film has a more romantic, whimsical feeling to it, the novel is a smidge more gritty while keeping it's magical flare. It's nice to see the bones which made up my favorite movie of all time.

If you can believe it, Howl is even more of a snarky drama queen. Sophie is as hardheaded as ever. Now the Witch of the Waste was a shock. She seems so docile in the film compared to how she is on paper; truly an evil woman.

I'd really recommend reading the novel if you love the movie. It's great to make connections and see what was taken from the story to build what felt like a new one. Incredibly funny, and of course, magical in many ways. Adding this to the "cozy fantasy" pile, for sure!

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

"I knew little else, but I always knew you."

Have y'all ever finished a series you've grown to fall in love with and just... cried after it's done? From such interesting politics and a fight for the throne, to the blossom of romance between Jude and Cardan, I was hooked the whole time.

Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar, you will always be famous to me!!!!!!!!!!!! Those two stepping up into their roles was such an amazing thing to witness. The character development is real and I just love them so much. Both characters have shown such tough skin and ruthlessness throughout the series, and while they still remain hardened to the world that formed them, there is a sort of softness we get to see throughout. They've both come such long ways from where they started.

I know that there's still other novels based in this world with many of the characters I've fallen in love with, but I'm really gonna miss it when it's all over with. This main story was ended beautifully (and maybe a little cheesy, but I will never pass on a happy ending!) This is definitely a 5 star series and has taken the place as my favorite series of all time.

The Wicked King by Holly Black

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adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.75

The Wicked King blends seamlessly from where The Cruel Prince left off. Here were begin to see the rule of Elfhame from new sets of hands and the slow unravelling of feelings Cardan and Jude have for one another.

Holly Black continues to make everything feel so magical and dire at the same time, which keeps me hooked all the way through. While I absolutely devoured this, I do think the ending felt rushed and I wish there was more body to the story. I'm looking forward to seeing what Jude does next, given the circumstances.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin by Jaleigh Johnson

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-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

4.75

This was exactly what I needed to pull me out of the book slump I've been in!

A fast-paced, adventurous tale with a rag-tag party of newbie adventurers seeking to make a name for themselves + an otyugh that takes the tendencies of a golden retriever.

Honestly, it gave me the same feeling The Fellowship of the Ring gave me: cozy fantasy. A singular ancient, evil item that needs to be destroyed, a group from different walks of life formed for the task. Similar to the The Fellowship, there's a found family element that pulls the group together and you just simply can't help but love them; yes, even the otyugh (undoubtedly my favorite character.)
The stakes are high enough that you know the dangers of failure, but low enough that it won't send you into a complete whirl of panic lol.
There's a flow to the different POVs that I found easy to differentiate, not a single member of the party was left out.

Now as someone who is extremely into D&D and especially Baldur's Gate 3 as of recently, this was SUCH a joy in reading about familiarities. I really do think this perfect for BG3 fans who, like myself, got introduced to D&D through the game. Note: there's no romance here, but the companionship between the party will give you that same warm feeling you get from befriending companions in your BG3 campaigns!

This was truly so fun and did leave me craving for another book featuring this group, as there's still more to their story to be told and more adventures for them to go on! I need to know more about Baldric and his... predicament. 5 stars all around!

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

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adventurous dark funny tense slow-paced