purplepenning's reviews
1654 reviews

James by Percival Everett

5.0

Just brilliant. Goes down fast but sticks to your ribs. Go ahead and take seconds — you know you missed something the first time around. 

I don't keep many of the books I buy, but this one is going on my shelf right next to Huckleberry Finn. Honestly, it should be packaged with every copy of Huck Finn sold, loaned, or taught from this day forward. 

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Frustrating. I might've enjoyed this story as a tighter duology, but definitely not as a paced out trilogy. 

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I have a couple of core issues with this one (like wtf,

Ravi

?!) — but boy what a ride! And it's pretty funny if you like flippantly snarky slacker humor. 

Kind of Hunger Games meets Gideon the Ninth via Agatha Christie and Aesop's fables as written by F.T. Lukens?

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness

Nevermore Bookstore by Cynthia St. Aubin, Kerrigan Byrne

Not my jam (and not paranormal romance, if that's the vibe the cover is serving up to you) but if you want a contemporary grumpy-sunshine romance between a bookstore owner with chronic illness and a tortured

ex-Ranger

with complex PTSD, in a Pacific Northwest small-town dramedy with a little mystery and more than a little steam ... well then — ignore what the cover is serving and dive right in! There's also a pretty good cast of friendly small town looney toons and a giant cat named Kevin Costner. 

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Well, this was far more charming than I expected! In trope lingo, you've got grumpy/sunshine, enemies to "it's complicated," with magically imposed forced proximity. In story lingo, you have nemesis sorcerer trainees having to work together to break an unintentional curse. There's questing into the deadly Wilderlands, an intriguing sorceress in a tower that's bigger on the inside, magical beasts galore, an interesting magic system that includes a bit of rogue magic woven into music, and a sweet thread of growing understanding and regard throughout. It's the first of a trilogy, which is really my only complaint — I would've preferred it as a standalone with a bit more development and conclusion. But it does stand on its own fairly well, with no horrible cliffhangers, and I will be looking for book two. 

A Gallery of Rogues by Beth Lincoln

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5