maggies's reviews
678 reviews

Murdle by G.T. Karber

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5.0

Ember Spark and the Frost Phoenix by Abi Elphinstone

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adventurous hopeful 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? No

5.0

Another fun and funny Abi Elphinstone adventure. Inspiring for adults and children alike.
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North by Blair Braverman

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adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

4.0

Braverman is a wonderful storyteller. I knew her first from her tweet threads about her dogsled team, usually both humorous and poignant, and then from her thrilling novel Small Game. Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube is somewhere between the two and yet not what I expected. I'll admit I was taken aback by her forthrightness in sharing her emotional life, but it was never gratuitous. I appreciated the structure of the memoir, bouncing between her youth and young adulthood, her trips to Norway and her summers in Alaska.
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Ember Spark and the Thunder of Dragons by Abi Elphinstone

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adventurous emotional 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

Abi Elphinstone is a master of uplifting middle grade fantasy, and this is no exception. The characters are colorful and layered, the world-building is just right, and the adventure is exciting but not perilous. Lovely narration to the audiobook by Paula Masterton as well (although the mispronunciation of "chimera" was annoying).
Vince & Joy by Lisa Jewell

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emotional hopeful 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

3.0

Very early 2000s perspectives (on, for example, women's weight and appearance, LGBTQ+ people, depression and mental illness, and race) made it difficult for me to really love this book, but I did enjoy how the story unraveled. Vince's relationship with his siblings was the cutest part imo.
Not in My Book by Katie Holt

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

2.0

Middle-of-the-road romance, pretty repetitive, spicy scenes came off cheesy, too long, and predictable. Not for me.
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The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton

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

3.0

I really wanted to like this book more, but I really didn't like Kit. She's a good candidate for my evergreen complaint that most protagonists need to go to therapy and that would go a long way to solving a lot of their problems. Obviously that's not possible for Kit because of her family's money problems, but I found that to be jarring too because of how lighthearted the rest of the book was trying to be. I loved the setting though—as a Medieval Times enthusiast in my youth, it was right up my alley! 
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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

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adventurous funny mysterious 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

5.0

Wow oh wow. I was thoroughly gripped by this sci-fi/romance/thriller. A perfect blend of lighthearted humor and existential questions. Would love to see it adapted to the screen.
Forward: Stories of Tomorrow by N.K. Jemisin, Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, Paul Tremblay, Amor Towles, Veronica Roth

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

A great collection from current sci-fi greats. Individual ratings:
  1. Ark by Veronica Roth - 4⭐️
  2. Summer Frost by Blake Crouch - 3⭐️
  3. Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin - 4⭐️
  4. You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles - 4⭐️
  5. The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay - 3⭐️
  6. Randomize by Andy Weir - 4⭐️

Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America by Alec MacGillis, Stefan Alexander MacGillis

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informative medium-paced

4.0

Data and stories to back up what I already believed, but well-packaged imo