niaamore's reviews
236 reviews

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

3.5

 | Favorite Quote | Jainan felt a sudden intense gratitude for Kiem’s existence: for his easy-going manner, for his ability to take everything in his stride, for how he seemed to think Jainan’s opinion was important.

| My Review | r/Fantasy 2024 Book Bingo Challenge | Romantasy

A Sci-Fi world with empire ruled planets and their conflicting politics, where a sudden political marriage blossoms into a heart-warming love story. I’ll admit, I was hoping for more romance in this epic Sci-Fi mystery, and my rating reflects that. If space politics is more your thing, this can easily be a 4 or 5 star book!

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

| Favorite Quote | Language is pitiable when weighed against experience.

| My Review | A unique look at humanity through the eyes of an Alien. While I understand how this book can be advertised under the genre of Sci-Fi, I feel it is more fitting to label this as poetic fiction. So many of the prose are quotable, often deeply reflective with unique and playful language. This is truly a think-piece, one I find myself thinking back to often. It’s a love-story written to humanity, the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all. 

Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

 | Genres | Graphic Novel, Romance, LGBTQ+

| Favorite Quote | I love Nick. I love Nick so, so much. But what I’ve realised through all of this is that we need other people too. Siblings. Parents. Friends. More friends. A therapist. Even teachers, sometimes. That doesn’t mean our relationship isn’t strong. If anything… I think we’re stronger now.

| My Review | Oof, my heart :’)

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

adventurous challenging hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

| Favorite Quote | The shapless medicine of a dragon’s breath is change.

| My Review | r/Fantasy 2024 Book Bingo Challenge | Entitled Animals

I was drawn into the world Moniquill Blackgoose artfully created, with it’s soul-linked dragons and a Native own-voice narrative. It’s rich with cultures, Dragon lore, and science! This book is jam-packed with vibrant details and a complex magic system.

Anequs is a strong main character. We see her challenge colonial imperialism head-on with great courage. I would have liked to see her grow as a character through her experiences, and the almost stoic responses seemed a bit unrealistic for a fifteen-year-old. Nevertheless, I enjoy her strong will and unwavering loyalty.

While this book is Fantasy, I would also recommend it to Sci-Fi readers as well! Give it a try, the dragons alone are worth the read. 

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

challenging emotional mysterious 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

3.0

| Favorite Quote | “Losing you,” she said, her dark eyes searching his face. “To you, Nena died. To her, you left. Those are two very different griefs.”

| My Review | I love a good forbidden romance! Extra points for Néstor being head-over-heels in love with Nena. I think this book should have been marketed as a Romance rather than a Horror. While the Vampires were fun to read, they didn’t hold as much weight or impact on the story as advertised.

I definitely recommend you read this if you're in the mood for a spooky love story! 

Poor Artists by Gabrielle de la Puente, Zarina Muhammad, The White Pube

informative reflective fast-paced

3.75

An insider take on the lives of those brave enough to venture into the world of art.

With such vivid snapshots from a torn artist's perspective, one can’t help but to admire the unifying experience of creative self expression. It goes beyond class and status. In a way, this is a love letter to all the artists, big and small.

Thank you to Netgalley and Prestel for this ARC. 

Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

5.0

| Favorite Quote | There's this idea that if you're not straight, you HAVE to tell all your family and friends immediately, like you owe it to them. But you don't. You don't have to do anything until you're ready.

| My Review | So cute! :’) 

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

| Favorite Quote | You will find out who you are when your choices test you. In the end, we are what we do and what we allow to be done.

| My Review | r/Fantasy 2024 Book Bingo Challenge | Under the Surface

I would give this 6 stars if I could…

I found this book by chance. I needed to fill a spot on the Fantasy bingo card for “Under the Surface”, read the first suggestion, and added Deeplight to my TBR. I didn’t even glance at the synopsis. A pretty cover and a mystical title was all I knew going in.

I don’t have the words to describe just how much this book means to me. The captivating story, the breath-taking imagery, and the heart-wrenching dialogue. I would read until my eyes ached, or I was hit with a quote so beautiful, I had to put the book down and stare off into space. I still repeat those lines to myself from time to time. Deeplight now sits at the top of my list of my favorite books of all time.

This isn’t a recommendation or a review. I simply want to thank Frances Hardinge for writing this masterpiece. I hope this book gets all the love it deserves. I’ll do my part by sharing it with anyone who will listen to my lovesick ramblings. 

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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

| Favorite Quote | Every book is a little mirror, and sometimes you look into it and see someone else looking back.

| My Review |  r/Fantasy 2024 Book Bingo Challenge | Orcs, Trolls, & Goblins, Oh My! 

I’ve always struggled to write reviews for books I adore. I just have so much to say! Yet, I always end up saying a whole lot of nothing. Oh well, I’ll give it a try…

Baldree’s writing feels like snuggling under a warm blanket on a cold rainy afternoon, a warm cup of something in hand, with only the sound of raindrops, a furry friend, and the words on the page to keep you company. I savored every line and hated saying goodbye.

Give this book a read, I highly recommend it! And, if you haven’t already, I recommend giving Legends and Lattes a read as well!

This review was still a whole lot of nothing…Oops. 

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

| Favorite Quote | My mother had never known me either, though it wasn't because I hadn't given her a chance. I'd given her a lot of chances. What was saddest was that she didn't seem to want to know me, not as I was on the inside. I wasn't even sure if she could grasp that I had an inside, that I was real. Sometimes it seemed impossible that she had ever given birth to me at all. Other times, it made perfect sense that I had lived inside her for so long. It explained why she could only see me as an extension of herself.

| My Review | Skimmed. It’s weird, sad, a bit off-putting, and ends in disappointment. Very polarizing, you either love or hate this book!

Trigger Warning: ED and Body Image.