readingthebacklist's reviews
319 reviews

Aurora's Angel by Emily Noon

adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

Liked the story but the dialogue was at times cringey. The fantasy elements were cool and I liked the protagonists’s connection and the ways in which Aurora’s traumatic past manifested felt realistic.

Open Throat by Henry Hoke

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.75

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

2.75

Three Holidays and a Wedding by Marissa Stapley, Uzma Jalaluddin

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

Very sweet. Enjoyed the various relationships we follow—grandpa, friendship, sisters. My fave is the budding friendship between Anna and Meryam. I also liked the setting, it gave me the vibes of a magical snow globe type of town. Read: mix print & audio, narrator was great!

A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

medium-paced

3.75

Loved Hannah: intelligent, strong, and self confident. Hannah’s and Rafe’s story is a bit insta love but I didn’t care because it was tempered by their sparring. 
To be fair, I didn’t have expectations about the leads in this novella, I picked it up because I wanted more Wallflowers in my life. Will miss the Wallflowers!

Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

Loved the focus on Daisy!

Reina Roja by Juan Gómez-Jurado

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Lots of twists and turns. Like the protagonists and the humor, though it did feel too long at times. 

Los peligros de fumar en la cama by Mariana Enríquez

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

Detached narration coupled with flat characters made it so I didn’t much care about who would die but I don’t know I’d that’s a convention of the genre.

That aside I eventually did get swept up in the mystery/reveal