mbmartin42's reviews
326 reviews

Home by Nnedi Okorafor

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

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hopeful mysterious tense 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

4.0

Guard in the Garden by Z.S. Diamanti

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hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Felton huffed a laugh. “I don’t even know who I am if I’m not a warrior …”

Guard in the Garden is the story of dwarven garvawk warrior Felton Holdum whose whole world comes crashing down around him when his leg is wounded in battle and is sent to the quiet Garome district on guard duty to take the time to properly heal.

We follow Felton as he struggles with his inner turmoil of being out of active duty, feeling useless in the every day civilian life and the nightmares plaguing his dreams & keeping him awake at night. Through the seasons he gets to know his neighbors, finds new true friends and has his heart melted & tended to by the Marigold girls and their garden.

“I want you to see as much good in yourself as you see in those around you. I want you to see what the rest of us see in you.”

I love that this is a cozy slice of life nestled into Finlestia, the world created in the Stone & Sky trilogy. If you’ve read those you may recognize some world events mentioned and a few side characters (Tobin 🩷). If you haven’t, no worries, they aren’t necessary to fully enjoy this story (but if you enjoy high fantasy with that classic feel, multiple povs, and found family I’d highly recommend checking them out).

From the very beginning, you can tell that this is a very personal story for Diamanti (even more so after reading his author’s note at the end) and even without being an ex-veteran there’s something here that will resonate with every reader.

It’s an exploration of grief, trauma, mental health, self-care & healing, self-discovery, love & found family. Within these pages is joy found in the smaller, quieter moments. It’s a whisper in your ear from a friend that everything will be alright.

This is such a delightfully cozy & heartwarming novel with an entertaining cast of colorful, well rounded characters (Tem the tortoise 💚). This wholesome tale will leave you smiling and your mouth watering for some fresh baked goodies.

“Everyone has loads to be thankful for if they have the eyes to see it.”

Thank you so much to #zsdiamanti for the privilege to read this as an arc and happy book birthday!

Flowers from the Void by Gianni Washington

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense

4.25

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

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dark sad tense medium-paced