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lenareadsstuff's Reviews (89)
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
This book was so much fun to read and surprisingly emotional and political. It moves quite fast at times but also gives the characters rich backgrounds, which I loved. I'm gonna be honest, at times it was a bit too cheesy for me and I could've done with less explicit scenes. But the book does a great job in offering a way of political escapism for queer people, and that was quite lovely and heartwarming to read.
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
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
I've now read all of Adiba Jaigirdar's books and (as expected) I absolutely loved this one too. I literally devoured it. It touched on so many interesting topics and most importantly, it does the fake dating trope right! The relationship between Hani and Ishu developed naturally, there was no miscommunication - they just had chemistry and that was so sweet. Both struggled with different issues that come alonge with growing up: Hani had to reassess childhood friendships and Ishu was confronted with the aftermath of her parent's high expectations.
Something that really stuck with me was Hani's father talking about his relationship to the Muslim community and how immigrating affected his faith. I think Jaigirdar handles these emotional beats in a very honest and authentic way (as far as I can judge). And that's consistent in all her works thus far. This might be my favorite book of her just yet (aside from A Million to One).
Something that really stuck with me was Hani's father talking about his relationship to the Muslim community and how immigrating affected his faith. I think Jaigirdar handles these emotional beats in a very honest and authentic way (as far as I can judge). And that's consistent in all her works thus far. This might be my favorite book of her just yet (aside from A Million to One).
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
This book was created with the author's intention to write what she wished she had read in her teen years and that comes through on every single page. It's uplifting, understanding yet encouraging, and it's got a lot of puns which is the icing on the cake (see what I did there?). It was also great to have a fat main character who has a healthy and positive relationship to food. I'm a big fan of Jaigirdar's books so far and this one did not disappoint.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If you're a fan of 80s slashers, this is definitely for you! The book is oretty short but it was gripping from start to finish - bodies literally dropped left and right and it got graphic. The book felt like a homage to the slasher genre but also played with some of its conventions. As a horror fan, this was everything I wanted it to be. I really hope Bayron writes like 10 more of these.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This books dives much deeper into its Greek mythology themes, is a lot heavier emotionally, and less of a mystery than its predecessor. It works well as part of the duology but not so much as a standalone. I also think it's not as strong overall as the first one: The plot unfolds less organically and the main character sort of gets dragged along plot points. However, the last third is really strong again (it's where the action is). It's a good read and I thoroughly enjoyed the duology overall.
adventurous
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
The only reason this is not 5 five stars is because it's literally only half of the story (it's part of a duology). This is a big mystery novel with a lot of plants and witchcraft, and I loved it so, so much. The way the plot unfolded made it almost impossible for me to put down the book. I recommend having the second book nearby before you finish it because you will want to dive right into the next one (if you're anything like me).
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me a while to fully get into it but I ended up enjoying this book a lot! The story's moving super fast which works well for the overall unraveling mystery and the completion og various quests the characters have to deal with throughout this book. However, that fast pacing made for a rocky beginning (in my opinion) as the main character Elle seemed to be thrown from one situation into the next one – I think that's why I didn't get into the story world immediately. And it also made it feel as though the plot was cutting corners here and there, quickly diving into the next plot point and skipping over parts of traveling, for example. Next to the mystery aspect (which had me really excited) and the magic system, I think the characters are the greatest strength of this book. They're all flawed and not necessarily nice people on their own but they're so much fun. Going forward in this book series, I hope the story gets more room to breathe and the world gets more flashed out in detail.
So, if you're into mystery and/or fast-paced fantasy at all, this book's definitely worth picking up!
So, if you're into mystery and/or fast-paced fantasy at all, this book's definitely worth picking up!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
I cannot pinpoint why but I couldn't relate to this story or the main character as much. It also took me a while to get hooked on the premise of this book. Some aspects of the story felt a bit messy to me but that being said, it's still a good and fun read! I loved its found family aspect and the fact that it depicts queer love as something that quite literally defies time and space.