morgan_is_reading's reviews
495 reviews

The Great School Rethink by Frederick M. Hess

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Solid thoughts on how to address issues in education while not getting entrenched in one political agenda or perspective. I loved the unique ideas and balanced approach to rethinking how we do public education, but also wonder how practical some of these approaches would be on broarder scales rather than just in individual buildings or small districts, which somewhat defeats the purpose of rethinking how we approach school. This is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in education policy and looking for new ways to support students, educators, and families.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Really enjoyed this, although I think I feel prey to the over hype a little bit. I was waiting for the "big twist" and that fell flat (maybe I was confusing it with the second book?). It's eery, haunting, and the magic system is very interesting. The world feels very small though, and I didn't ever get a sense of the size of the kingdom or actual population, which are really not big issues, but when trying to save a kingdom it does matter a bit. 

If you're someone who struggles with mental health issues like intrusive thoughts, schizophrenia, mood disorders, personality disorders, or something similar, this may not be the book for you, as the magic the character is dealing with in this book mimics some of these in a way that could be triggering.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Brothersong by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

What a fantastic conclusion to this series. Devastating, beautiful, heartwrenching, and ultimately satisfying, I wanted to start the series from the beginning again as soon as I read the last page. TJ Klune can write about and reflect back our most basic need for human connection, love, and understanding better than just about any contemporary author I've read.

Just going to go sit in a corner and cry as I process this book now.

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

Overall this is a really solid contemporary romance debut by Yulin Kuang. Her two main characters, Grant and Helen, are connected by a tragedy at the end of their senior year that forever alters both their lives. Years later, they find themselves working together, and slowly realizing they may have more in common than they thought.

The storytelling as a whole in this book was beautiful, and it explored challenging family dynamics, grief, trauma, and forgiveness in upfront ways. There were moments when the romantic progression felt a little haphazard and also when the jumping from once perspective to the other was too quick and the author's background as a screenwriter was showing through, but in general I think this is definitely a story worth reading

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Car accident

Heartsong by TJ Klune

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad 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

Ravensong by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

Made in Pluto by

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

This book was so sweet and really kept the plot moving with great supporting characters, well-developed main characters, and a believable friends to lovers romance that didn't rush the friendship to get to spice. This story has a lot of heart and I'm looking forward to another book by this author.

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

This book did a better job than the first in the series of providing a good mystery and expanded on the information from the first story, but the romance felt a bit forced and the book was longer than necessary.

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

This book was a nice debut that brought new things to the current romantasy genre, but also had some issues.

It was fantastic having an all BIPOC (primarily black) cast of characters in a fae/human book for a change. There was some unique world building and magical elements that gave this story its own special place in the genre to build upon and I'm interested to see where the story goes. Some solid twists at the end that were clearly well thought out and good discussion points for any book club groups wanting to talk about parallels to current societal issues or historical ones.

My main issues with the book were the pacing, dialogue, and level of depth. Dialogue, especially in the beginning, was a bit clunky, and the pacing of the book didn't allow for more depth of world building or character exploration, which I would have enjoyed. While most books in this genre err on the side of too long, this one could have added another 50 pages to give readers more depth and I would have really enjoyed it

Out On a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

This book was so heartwarming and sweet all the way through. Both characters were loveable and the surprise pregnancy bringing two people that were clearly meant for each other together was a different rom com than I'm used to. It was a beautiful look at the earliest stages of parenthood, both the joys and challenges, as well as how people with physical disabilities have to look at certain aspects of parenting in ways others don't.