keepcalmblogon's reviews
177 reviews

The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs

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adventurous funny mysterious 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

5.0

You know when you open a book and you’re immediately drawn into a new magical world? That’s not how Sunderworld begins. This book takes place in Los Angeles—magic as LA may be, it is not the kind of magical place I’m talking about. But by the end of the opening paragraph, we know this isn’t any kind of LA anyone is familiar with! 

Anyone who loves to read about the hidden magical world within our own will fall in love with this book! Think about the first time you read [insert hidden magical world within our world book here] and how following the heretofore mundane who discovers they are actually more part of that world than the one in which they were raised made you feel how easily that could be you—tomorrow you could walk through a wall or descend into what you thought was the sewer or cross a border that was actually a magical boundary. Sunderworld reawakened those magical feelings in me that I mostly only felt as a child, and that now only really special books ignite.

Following Leopold Berry on his unconventional hero’s journey was such a joy and pleasure, it was hard for me to put this book down! I can’t recommend this book enough to those seeking that magical feeling as if for the first time. I cannot wait to find out what’s in store for Leopold next!
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

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dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth initially drew me in because of the cover, it’s absolutely stunning and it’s not even a special edition!  I had seen it around here and there, but I’m not always drawn to books with references to ghosts and hauntings, personally I have a fine line between paranormal gothic-type reads and straight horror.  I enjoy horror movies, but not so much books.  But having read that this was about an autistic, trans boy and not overtly a horror story but more like a story with horror elements, I couldn’t bring myself to stop thinking about it, so I put a hold on the audiobook and the moment it came through I absolutely devoured this book.

Immediately, I related to Silas’ experiences with autism–it’s not called this in the book, but it is what it is.  He is overcome with his own emotions sometimes, nearly prisoner to them when he can feel and watch himself be lost to too many feelings.  He has touch and sound sensitivities that I share, as well as a hyperfocus on his passion to the point of overlooking his own safety.

CW pregnancy:  The other thing I related so viscerally with was Silas’ feelings/fears/disgust about his body’s ability to become pregnant.  As a woman who very staunchly chooses not to have children, a large part of my reasoning is my body.  It’s hard to describe without sounding superficial, but Silas put so many of my own feelings into words and I felt so validated.

As much as most of this story is heavy, haunting, gory, and nearly hopeless, there are beautiful moments of resistance, self-identity, hope, and connection that made this my favorite read of the month and definitely one of my faves of the year. Five stars!
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The Book of Purrs by Luís Coelho

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I follow this artist on Instagram, so I was so excited to read this now! I love cats, so these comics always make me smile. This book is the purrfect collection of uplifting, heartwarming, and laugh-inducing art for any cat lover--or anyone who just needs a smile. I laughed out loud for most of this book, and when I wasn't laughing, I was introspectively reading the more daily-affirmation-type messages. I will definitely buy a physical copy of this to keep around and open when I need a pick-me-up!
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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dark mysterious 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

5.0

I picked Where Sleeping Girls Lie for Bailey’s Shelf This! Book Club. This book first came on my radar when Macmillan sent me some promo material featuring character art and bios by an author who had recently come on my radar from some other authors I follow (which is something I love about being on Booksta!). I read Faridah’s collab with Adiba, Four Eids and a Funeral, and enjoyed that a lot, but Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a totally different vibe, so it was actually the promo material with the character bios that hooked me—I had to know more about the beautiful and intriguing students of ANA!

I’m not usually a mystery reader, but Sade had me hooked from the start because the mystery of her personality and motivations tugged at me more than any mystery plot could. This book was like Mean Girls as the Weird Sisters from Sabrina meets Pretty Little Liars at Sunnydale High. Basil was everything I want in a quirky sidekick, and Persephone broke so many “mean girl” molds I couldn’t help but fall for her as well. The entire cast of characters was engaging and entertaining.

On the surface this book is a boarding school dark academia mystery, but beneath the depths it spoke of privilege (both white and moneyed) and feminism. It also spoke of abuse, survival, and mental health. I always really enjoy stories that reflect deeper meanings on a mirror of entertainment, so this book was five stars for me!
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The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

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

4.0

Somehow I managed to pick another friends-to-lovers book from Macmillan Audio—many of you may know this is not a preferred trope of mine, but The Breakup Pact is a little different in that June and Levi are ex-friends who then fake date, so that is thoroughly in my wheelhouse! I also really appreciated that June is a demisexual character, as I’m glad that is getting more representation in books that I read.

This story had a lot going on for a romance, and I really liked that since I’m not the biggest romance book fan. There are subplots of grief, small business troubles and success, a wedding, and comeuppance on an ex. I think a lot of subplots tend to be too much in many books, but Emma Lord wove each one into the main plot very cleanly and thoroughly so that it all felt natural instead of clunky. I was rooting for June and Levi from the moment I heard what each of their exes did to them!

As I mentioned above, June’s demisexuality was a favorite aspect of her character and seeing her redevelop old feelings for Levi and become attracted to him with an eventual bedroom scene was really lovely. My most favorite aspect of June’s is her grief though. I know that sounds rough, but grief is a common theme in my life, and I enjoy characters who experience that and find ways to keep going when their heart is broken. Unfortunately, death is a fact of life, so I appreciate when it’s written in as something normal in a romance, or any book that isn’t solely about grief and loss.

In the end, I give this book four stars and I think any romance reader will enjoy it, especially those who enjoy fake dating, friends to lovers, even enemies to lovers, and bad exes getting what they deserve.
That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee

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inspiring 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? No

4.0

That Prince is Mine was a Macmillan Audio pick and I really enjoyed it! First of all, Emma is a  Korean royal court cuisine instructor, so the book was filled with descriptions of food that made me super interested in trying more Korean foods! Secondly, it was cute that Emma thought she wouldn’t fall for someone who wasn’t “perfect on paper!” 

Of course, a prince in disguise is a fun trope, so that aspect of the drama was a good time! The budding romance, especially him falling first, was super sweet. I loved that Emma brought Michel to do all sorts of “firsts,” and when Michel found a first for Emma, I added the Magic Castle to places I hope to visit one day—hopefully royalty somewhere can help me with an invite!

I give this book four stars! I recommend it to anyone who loves hidden royal romance and a resistant FLI and/or “he falls first.”

As for the audiobook, I enjoyed the narration by Olivia Song!
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

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adventurous funny hopeful reflective 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

4.0

This book was so very queer and tasty! This was a Macmillan Audio pick and I honestly have never read a Casey McQuiston book before, so that’s part of why I picked it; they are such a popular author from what I’ve seen on Booksta, I wanted to try them out!

The overarching tone of this book is bittersweet as it’s a story of second chance romance between former best friends to lovers—mind you, these are two of my least favorite tropes, but I like to go out of my comfort zone sometimes! But there is an air of positivity throughout the story, because how can anyone be too down during a European food tour?! Plus, there is also a lot of sex positivity and flirting and sexing, so that was good fun!

My favorite parts of this book were the descriptions of the locales, foods, and wines. I am such a foodie, and I think this book needs to be paired with a cookbook (see what I did there?)! I added so many cities to my “want to visit” list!

In the end, Theo and Kit absolutely stole my heart, so I’m giving this book four stars!

I enjoyed the narration by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers; multiple narrators is always a good time!
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

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dark hopeful tense 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? No

5.0

A Sorceress Comes to Call was a Macmillan Audio pick and my first book by T. Kingfisher. While this book is described as a dark retelling of the Goose Girl, that wasn’t a fairytale with which I was familiar, so I was able to read this without any preconceived notions. This story is pretty dark, but there’s this underlying tone of hope that was really lovely. Cordelia is abused by her sorcerer mother and used in Evangeline’s schemes, but through the love and support she finds in a new household, Cordelia finds her own power and a family who respects her.

This book was interesting in that it had cozy fantasy vibes while dealing with really dark content, and while it wasn’t entirely high stakes, they were by no means low either. Ultimately, this story was really unique, and I think it will appeal to the tastes of many different readers.

This book really sat on my chest and curled up there like a cat; I’m still thinking about it days after finishing it—definitely a five star read for me, and a world I’d like to revisit. I recommend this to anyone who can stomach the heavy stuff while traveling toward the light.

As for the audiobook narration, I enjoyed that the narration was split between a mature-sounding woman’s voice and a girl-like voice, as the POVs are split between Cordelia and Hester.
The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken

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adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

I was so glad to get approved for The Mirror of Beasts, sequel to Silver in the Bone, as I was impatient to find out what happens next for Tamsin and friends!

Unfortunately, I do have to start off with a bit of a downer: since I had to wait over a year between the books, I didn’t remember all of the plot points, and when searching online for some sort of refresher, I was unlucky. So throughout the second book, there were events, characters, and references I simply did not recall, which overall didn’t prevent me from following the plot, but did make the story connect with me less. If I could have had some refresher of the split between priestesses and sorceresses and Avalon and the Otherlands and the overall magic system, etc., I think this story would have hit so much harder. 

But, I did get the overall gist and was able to follow the new plot and new twists fine enough to enjoy the story. I will say though, with so many connections and such a unique magic system, I was often left confused within the story of Mirror of Beasts itself, and I did go back and reread my review of Silver in the Bone and had the same notes on that book. So, overall this duology does have an issue with clarifying the lore. I also had to look up the pronunciation of so many names, I wish there had been a guide.

On to the good part! I still really enjoyed that instead of a retelling, this was a story in its own right using elements of Arthurian legend. I think if you enjoyed the show Merlin, you’d like this duology! I loved the found family connections and the action as well as the star-crossed lovers, so I’m giving this four stars!

I’m excited to find out if Neve gets her own book??
Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo

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funny inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve, by Drew Afualo, was a bonus audiobook from Macmillan Audio, and I’m so glad they sent me a widget! I had never heard of Drew before, I don’t really use TikTok, but based on the synopsis, I knew immediately that I would like her and this book. According to the synopsis: “Drew Afualo is best known as the internet’s 'Crusader for Women'” and “unofficial watchdog for misogyny.” 

“Loud is part manual, part manifesto, and part memoir. It is a summoning cry to rid the internet (and our hearts, minds, and lives) of 'terrible men' and create a space to fight outdated patriarchal ideals. Above all, it makes it clear that behind Drew’s fearsome laugh is a mission and a life philosophy, a strategy for self-confidence from the inside out, and a pathway to once and for all remove men from the centre of how women and fems think about themselves.”

I don’t usually include synopses in my reviews, but I really couldn’t say that better myself!

I was both entertained by and guided through feminist and anti-patriarchy ideology, and it felt validating, empowering, and freeing!

A particular highlight of the book for me was when Drew discussed how valid it is for women and femmes to not want kids/to be a mom. Her discussion goes a step further that the rhetoric around women having autonomy over their own bodies, as that usually centers around already being pregnant, but discusses how even outside of any pregnancy, people further have the right to choose to not reproduce/parent at all. As someone who has known for a very long time that reproduction is not for me, and yet has constantly faced patronizing remarks about it, it has always felt so empowering to meet other women who share that same conviction and have gone through the same frustrations at other people’s reactions.

Drew narrates the Loud audiobook herself, and I always appreciate that, especially in nonfiction, because I believe it lends more weight to the messages the author is sharing. I think it’s needless to say this book is five stars!