ladypalutena's reviews
602 reviews

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, Death of parent

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Slow Birding: The Art and Science of Enjoying the Birds in Your Own Backyard by Joan E. Strassmann
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.

I really, really tried to find this book interesting. The little activities at the end of each chapter were interesting, and a few of the birds were fun to read about, but the writing style is so dry it's hard to read more than a few pages at once. 

Toto by A.J. Hackwith

adventurous lighthearted fast-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

This is a weird little Wizard of Oz retelling. It was interesting, but the super modern, super 2024-related storyline was very jarring. 

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

lighthearted 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

3.5

It's a fun little story, but once again, I reserved this on Libby when there was no indication it was going to be a full series so now I have to wait for the other books to come out. Oops. 

It's a cozy little fantasy, there's some good communication between our main characters (no miscommunication trope here!), but maybe I was expecting...more? 

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous 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

4.0

Okay, now that I've finally finished Kingdom of Ash/the whole series, I have some (maybe controversial) thoughts.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR EVERYTHING.

SJM cannot kill a character. Every single one of our main character survives. (I define main character as someone who gets a POV section, so that's...everyone who's left. Yes, I was sad when the 13 died, but literally not another person in the whole series that I cared about died and stayed dead. Except Nehemia , and you could tell from the beginning she wasn't going to make it so I tried not to get too attached.

I read ACOTAR first, and was a little peeved that Feyre and Rhys both survived death, and even Amrylin came back, while the only good guy who actually died was Feyre's dad, who wasn't all that great to begin with. I did like the tiny vision of Feyre and Rhys standing on the mountain while Aelin fell through worlds, though.|


I was bracing myself for someone to die, especially Lysandra, because she's my favorite and I was super worried about her, and then...nobody did. Yes, they sacrificed a lot, but all of them got their happily ever after. I guess coming to this series after reading other fantasy series where several major characters meet their end was...a shock? Everyone claimed it would rip my heart out to finish the series and I'm just like, okay, they all lived?

Maybe I'm just jaded, and I'll take that, and I truly don't mean to be offensive in any way. I just felt that everyone getting to cheat death was a lot. And the number of times Aelin secretly does something behind everyone's back and magically reveals it later just to save everyone's behind was too many. Aelin was also the least interesting character, and I was only around for Manon/Lysandra/Chaol/Damien 🤣

It wasn't a groundbreaking series, and I may read it again a few years down the line, but it's not going to make it into my regular rotation.

Words now on my naughty list: prowl, snarl, kernel

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I got everything that I wanted and more. And this is going to be the first book in a series, supposedly. I am excited.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

dark 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Blood

Goblin Mode: How to Get Cozy, Embrace Imperfection, and Thrive in the Muck by McKayla Coyle
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

I tried. It sounded so cool, but the writing style is not what I wanted with this sort of book. 

The End by Lemony Snicket

dark hopeful 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? N/A

4.25