killerpancake's reviews
704 reviews

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Another banger in the series. It starts a little slow but builds to something really intense and epic.

The grief over losing even new characters is devastating!

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

So surprised by this one! Starts of slow but the writing is really haunting and beautiful. I loved all the folklore in this. Once I got into the story it was really gripping. I’ll def check out the next one.

Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody, Joanne Rendell

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I found this book totally by chance and am so glad I picked it up. The pacing is fantastic, the tension is well done, and overall I just didn't want to put I down. I will definitely be getting the sequels because I have to know how this all shakes out. I am aware of Les Miserbles but I don't know the story at all so I can't speak to the adaptation. 

I will say, at first the franco-ization of words was a little weird but I settled into it after a while.

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.

I just lost momentum with it. It was pretty chill to listen to but I got to the point where I wasn't connecting a ton with the story.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

I’m a sucker for an intergenerational family epic and this one delivers even without a massive page count. I also realized while reading this that I love getting a ghost or spirit pov which this does REALLY well in my opinion.

The story follows three women, a grandmother, mother, and daughter, and the story starts just as the grandmother passes. Each woman gets equal time to tell her story and the themes are secrets, motherhood, and relationship drama. This could almost be short stories of each woman but they are woven together with excellent but not overly flowery prose. Thai really nails a balance between beautiful passages that don't get lost in navel gazing. So people who are worried about it being character driven might want to give it a try because there's a lot of interesting plot there as well. Learning about each woman's background, what they are keeping from each other, and what happens to the men they love, was really engaging.

This is a book I will recommend to friends who love stories with complex family dynamics but don't want a super bummer story. Don't get me wrong, there are dark elements to this book but the overall tone is one of hope and survival. I was rooting for each of these women, flaws and all.

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

funny hopeful 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

5.0

Obsessed. This book is hilarious as well as stressful haha. Margo navigates things in a way that feels effortless even though... it is not. 

Maame by Jessica George

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.5

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

mysterious reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

This was an interesting one. I do find it a bit overlong but the story was really beautiful and captivating. I loved the little asides about foxes…

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

emotional hopeful relaxing 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? It's complicated

3.75

I enjoy Center's books generally but I'm starting to wonder if The Bodyguard is my favorite and I'm spending time chasing what I loved about that book in all the others. The Bodyguard had me laughing out loud the whole way through and was absolutely delightful. Rom-commers just didn't do the same thing. 

My biggest issue with this book was the love interest. He felt pretty flat and by the end while I enjoyed the conclusion I still didn't really get why she was interested in him. Because of that, I didn't get the good vibes that you want out of the finale. He was just... grumpy guy who isn't grumpy now. 

I will say, I had a moment where I got extremely emotional while reading this book and that was

when she's at the airport in the climax of the book. When the plane is held for her and she sees the pilot... oy. I don't even care that it would literally never happen haha. IT just got me right in the feels.

I do think though overall this was a bit of miss for me. I don' t think Center is the auto-purchase that I thought she was and I need to reevaluate where I source her books moving forward.