ladylongshanks's reviews
138 reviews

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook For Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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

4.0

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss

adventurous dark funny inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

I had a lot of fun listening to this. I feel like it was so well done. Just a bit slow at times, but picked back up quickly. 

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Not Quite by the Book by Julie Hatcher

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

1.5

If you like family drama and books that explore grief, depression, and addiction, you may love this. If you wish Eeyore and Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh were the main characters, you may love this. 

What I liked: the pacing was ok after about 1/3 in. The author explores some hard topics, which I'm sure she put a lot of work into.

What I didn't like: the characters were petty and annoying throughout. You can have depression and not be petty. You can have addiction and not be petty. You can be rich and not be petty. It was very repetitive "I was the one who stayed" over and over. The characters don't grow...they are just magically different people after one experience. The 1999 flashbacks were too saturated. You dont need to fit every 90s reference into a few  conversations. The plot was predictable. I only questioned once or twice if I was wrong about the whodunnit. It was well thought out, but it was marketed as twisty and it was not twisty. I thought I was picking up mystery/thriller and I don't feel like that's what I read. 

Give it a chance, but if you think you don't like it early on...do yourself a favor and skip to the end or put it down.  I'm sure it's exactly what some people enjoy. I stayed up late to finish it. Slept on it before I wrote the review so I wouldn't be cruel. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Mental illness, Violence, Dementia, Murder, Alcohol

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

You Killed Me First by John Marrs

challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I found it predictable, but it was still good. I would be shouting for the rooftops about this one, but I don't regret reading (listening to) it.