nerdybookster's reviews
678 reviews

Moon Rise by D.D. Line
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.

The plot was moving along much quicker than I feel like it should have. Struck me as a quickly thrown together American Harry Potter, which I'm not really interested in now. 

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

adventurous emotional funny tense fast-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

4.75

I am definitely rating this book a 4.5/5. I picked it for the Orilium Readathon prompt of what I think could be a slump breaker. And yeah, I think I did good. This one would do that. It was fast paced enough to keep me engaged and entertained the whole time without super deep content that I had to digest. It was like watching a supernatural rom-com. Wholly recommend. I loved the way Ozroth behaved and what happened between him and Astaroth. I am looking forward to the next book.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I adored this one. Easily the only 5/5 I've read in March. I loved how absolutely cynical Kissen was. She'd been let down by people and gods too many times and had trust in no one but herself, Yatho, and Telle. She didn't take anyone at face value and formed her own opinions. I liked how we watch her grow attached to people and learn what's really going on in the background. I loved her relationship with the noble heir and the god that is attached to them. I'm really curious to see if in the next book, he does get a shrine and we find out his memories. It's going to bother me until I know. I like men like Elogast, owning up to their mistakes and trying to rectify it, even at great cost. 

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This was an interesting read. I liked the take on magic and how it worked in the world. The connection people have to animals and how they used their magic really could tell you a lot about them. I liked getting the story from different perspectives, though I did keep thinking poor Sev was actually in his mid-late twenties instead of being eighteen. He kind of came off as much older than he was. I think I saw the hint of a romance to happen with him and another character in Heart of Flames that I cannot wait to see about. 

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

adventurous dark funny inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I'm entirely sure I wasn't supposed to be amused by this book, but I definitely was. As I reached each of the various trigger warning locations within the book, and guessing if they were the right thing and seeing how close I am (I must say, I did like the "questionable use of a mummified corpse"). I could have done without the gratuitous sex scenes, but that's just a me thing. Overall, it was pretty good. 

The Black Crow Flies by L.B. Perdan

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

One of the KU books I grabbed. I saw an ad on BookTok about the sequel to it, Rise of the White Owl, and I wanted to read that one. So I figured I should start with the first book in the series. It's rather good. I liked the way it was written and all the tension between Blaze and Catrice. She is a 'hero' to her people simply by being alive and he is falling for the enemy. 

It by Stephen King

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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? Yes

3.75

Four months! I think that's the quickest I've ever read a 1000+ page book. I have forgotten most of it now, and I have no idea why I highlighted a passage. The whole idea of what It actually was was really impressive. I think there's only one other book of his that has a similar idea of something coming from "outside" of our reality. I liked it. Now I can watch the movies. 

The Myth of June by A.B. Daniels-Annachi

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.5

I went into this book sort of blind, yes, pun entirely intended. I got an email from A.B. Daniels-Annachi thanking me for signing up for the ARC team. Which I have absolutely no recollection of doing. I downloaded the book to my Kindle and got to reading. 

I don't quite know how I feel about the history of the Greek pantheon being like, the primary deities of this alternate universe not being explored more. I would love to know why and how that universe evolved be pantheistic versus the majority monotheistic one we have in our current reality (I say this as a Hellenistic Pagan, I do see the irony). I want to know more. 

I couldn't tell what age-range this book was meant to be for. It's set in 1926 at the start, but it has what felt like anachronisms all throughout it. The writing was kind of juvenile for the themes that were going on. There was a lot that happened that made me wonder how dense the characters actually were. June is generally one of the most intelligently oblivious people I've ever read from the perspective of. I understand that this is a retelling of Medusa. I didn't care for it. It seemed forced in a lot of places where the plot kind of ran out before the scene was done. They would run into the wall of having the characters clearly needing to do more, but not really having anything to do. 

The initial part of the description apparently happens off-screen? We never even get to see it happen. It's talked about, kind of, but we never see it happen, which bugged the hell out of me. I don't think I'll ever reread this or really recommend it to anyone.... 

A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

 

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect going into this book. I was pleasantly surprised. We are introduced first to Gregor and Simon. They are a duo who have been living in this greenhouse for presumably a few years now. Long enough that the people are accustomed to their strange behavior. I loved the idea of them knowing each others' proclivities well enough to have set up places where they could explore those talents and curiosities in peace. 

Then the weirdness happens. Gregor gets this box from Sumatra. He knows what is supposed to be in the box. It's something he's ordered, but it goes all kinds of strange. I never once thought I'd be down to read about a mycellium that can think for itself. At least, in the most rudimentary of ways. The mycellium (a sort of squishy goo mushroom) was caring for a plant. It would make sure the thing was kept in the ideal conditions for its growth. I loved that. The mushroom knew what to do. 

Gregor gets the brilliant idea while watching this mycellium, to build a sort of mobile lattice. That's the best way I can think to describe it. He talks about it with Simon. I didn't like that Gregor weaponized their relationship to force Simon's hand. The way that he twisted his love for his actual boyfriend so that he could get what he wanted made me angry. No one should behave that way. You don't threaten someone that you'll divulge something that will get you both arrested and possibly killed just to get what you want. 

Past that grossness, it was an interesting story. I was hooked from page one. I loved how every time something traumatic would happen, Simon would make a physical representation of the emotional response so he wouldn't have to feel it himself. Something he didn't want to think about? A brain in a jar. Something he didn't want to remember seeing? A barber's cup full of preserved eyeballs. It was so bizarrely just....Simon, that I couldn't help enjoying it. 

I eventually gave this book a 4.5/5 stars. I took off the last half a star because I didn't care, again, for how Gregor treated Simon like a possession or how just absolutely batshit he went during the whole creation of Chloe, their Botanical Daughter. It was bad. I adored Chloe and Jenny and their relationship as things were discovered between them and things sort of progressed. That's the best I can describe it? 

The resolution was worth the read. I liked how they learned and grew throughout and what eventually became of everything as they did so. 

I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Noah Medlock!! 

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0