mamaorgana80's reviews
1656 reviews

Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson

dark mysterious slow-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

3.5

Loved the recognizable references. The story fell flat with the supernatural elements.

Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings by Emily Brightwell

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

Plugging along reading these chocolate chip cookie-esque books.

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

dark mysterious sad slow-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

3.75

I enjoyed the story, but the plot was thin.

Mrs. Jeffries in the Nick of Time by Emily Brightwell

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

Another quick, fun read.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

Fun!

Bones in the Begonias by Dale Mayer

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

2.5

Loosely constructed fluff.

Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum

informative fast-paced

5.0

I am the Venn diagram of people who live reality TV and people who love to read. This is an American story, good/bad/ugly. Fascinating!

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

dark informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I read this one for book club, and I’m wrestling with how to rate it. It’s well-written, but the construction felt a little wonky? Given the accolades, I was expecting something altogether original, but it felt familiar instead. It was good. I didn’t feel invested in the story.

My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

emotional funny 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? It's complicated

3.5

This one was odd for me. Something rings true about this world populated by terribly flawed adults, but it felt chaotic.

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

dark tense fast-paced

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

1.5

I read this because I have so many romance readers in my life, and I thought maybe adding murder would make it better for me, but it turns out it made it worse. The combination of ruthless, cold murderer and does this boy like me was annoying , and I snorted at the sex scenes. I remain not a fan, even with the addition of people dying. I finished because I am not a quitter.