leslie1187's reviews
746 reviews

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

This was an enjoyable lyrical fantasy. If you enjoyed The Book of Doors, then give this read a chance. 

Hanna is trying to find her dad and discovers something surprising with who her dad is with once she finds him. She is joined by another character and as they try to find her dad without getting caught, the feelings between them grow. 

Hanna’s family owns this tea shop in a world sister from the real world that allows to people to find they have a regret they wish to forget. But a choice at the end leads Hanna to decide the fate of the tea shop, as well as where she ends up.

I found it intriguing how Hanna’s skin is mapped with invisible ink that shows her destiny/fate, yet there is a twist at the end at allows her to make a choice for once in her life.

The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Whoa. This was a stand out book to start the year reading. It is about an orphan girl who is cared for by nuns in this music cathedral with other orphan girls. This girl’s name was Anna Maria Della Pieta and she was a talented Violinist who grew up to become a Mistress of Music at the place that took her in and raised her, teaching her music. She lived in the same place up until she died at 86 years.

 The story follows the height of her musical journey from the time she started training to play the violin at 8 years to when she went on to perform concerts with other orphan girls. Right up to becoming the Master of Music when the Maestro she learned from leaves to tour around to showcase his work. The Maestro is the famous musician, Vivaldi. The dynamic between Anna Maria and Vivaldi was fraught with tension. Anna Maria tried to ease by collaborating on compositions with Vivaldi to help him create pieces the orphans performed. 

There is an interesting concept about Anna Maria, though I am not sure if this is true about her when she lived, but the book showed how she sees colors when she hears music and sound. A very small percentage of people experiences this. Anna Maria associates each color with a musical note so that when she reads or hears music, she sees she colors that the notes make. The descriptions and characters leap off the page and really immerses you into the setting. 

It takes you to Italy in the 18th century and shows you what it was like for these girls who were gifted a chance to learn music and a place to sleep and food to eat. They had each other.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves music and/or histories about key figures. The writing style was lyrical and rich, and it was Harriet Constable’s debut novel. She wrote it so well that it feels like she had written other books. The writing was transformative in essence. It allowed you to feel like you were there experiencing with the characters.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

This was a fun read, though I would say that Meg Shaffer’s debut The Wishing Game was better; I liked it more and thought its story line was more engaging with more adventure/action.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

4.5

I liked the complexity of the characters and the growth as decisions were made that revealed how their actions led to the changes they each made in their lives for the better. It was about learning to love yourself and understanding that it’s okay to be honest with yourself.

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

This book was eerie and had me intrigued with the turning of each page, especially the more learned of Gallant and what lays beyond the wall. If you like dark twisty paranormal tales, then give this a try.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.75

This was a fantastic read. I loved the theme of forgiveness; how it shaped the characters with their hurt and unwillingness to forget and forgive. Particularly Yung-sook’s unwillingness because of all she had lost because of Mi-ja’s decision one day that changed the course of their lives and friendship. The history was informative and really made you feel like you were there experiencing it with these characters.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was fast paced and addicting. Phenomenal thriller that will have put sitting on the edge of your seat, flipping the pages until the very end. So many twists and turns that will have you gasping in shock. The major twist I didn’t see coming at all.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0