kaylovespurple's reviews
27 reviews

Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Blood

Minor: Child death

The Pursuit Of... by Courtney Milan

funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven

emotional hopeful inspiring

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Malorie by Josh Malerman

dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

Coincidences galore, plus it's quite disappointing how neatly things tie up at the end.

1. Gary is back?!? Apparently he has been checking on Malorie throughout the seventeen years, but why? And also how did he find her at the school for the blind and beyond?
1b. Also Malorie killing Gary with a perfect arrow shot and with Tom's help (even though for Tom Gary has been the first male figure in his life and the first person who cared about his inventions and encouraged them) didn't ring true at all.
2. Out of Malorie's two kids, one had a special ability that few people had, and the other one manages to discover (at sixteen!) a way to look at the creatures that nobody else thought of in the last seventeen years, even though it was a reasonably obvious idea, and a lot of people have tried a lot of things over time.
3. Gary just happened to live in the very place that Tom wanted to go to (I suppose this is somewhat plausible, given it was a community thriving on experiments. Although why is Gary even interested in experiments at all given that he thinks that people who go mad on seeing the creatures do so because they're mentally weak?)
4. And then Malorie's father also just happened to live in that very community, and has done so for the last three years? How, and why?

The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark medium-paced

4.5

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Blood

Her Accidental Boyfriend by Robin Bielman

lighthearted medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

dark mysterious tense

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Animal cruelty