rebelkel's reviews
11 reviews

The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense 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

5.0

I had high expectations for this book and it exceeded every one of them! This was a 5 star read for me. The main characters are so likable despite their morally grey personalities. I found the supporting characters to be full of life and they certainly didn’t feel like fillers or unimportant to the story. I absolutely loved the plot and the romance (there is even a very mild amount of spice!). I’m new to Korean entertainment and I’ve never seen a k-drama, but now I really want to! I loved reading about all the different mythical creatures and gods from Korean mythology. It made the perfect setting for this fantasy/murder mystery who dunnit and I cannot wait for the next book! Don’t worry - the mystery is revealed in this book, but it does indeed end on a bittersweet cliffhanger leaving you ready for the next installment! Thank you Net Galley for providing this ebook for an honest review.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

challenging dark 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

5.0

Wandering Stars is incredible! Truly a masterpiece. Can be read on its own but I highly recommend reading There There first. Incredible story of addiction, recovery and navigating relationships within your family. As a white American, this story opened my eyes to experiences I could never really understand otherwise. Tommy Orange is a phenomenal author and I will auto buy anything he writes. I felt such a strong, emotional connection to each character and the family this book follows. Highly recommend for ANYONE and everyone to read. Everyone should read these books!

Thank you Net Galley for providing this ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Drug use

There There by Tommy Orange

challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

There There is an incredibly moving read. I had such a strong connection with almost every character. Which I found so impressive as the book is based on 12 characters and is less than 300 pages. 

I laughed, I cried, I will read this again and again. I think everyone should read this book and anything else Tommy Orange writes. 

Can’t wait to dig into Wandering Stars. 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

medium-paced

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

1.0

So the love interest is just made to wait around for our main character to complete his journey? No goals or thoughts of her own? This book is trash. I’m sorry. 

Trouble by Lex Croucher

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.75

Trouble is hilarious and witty! Such a lovely story of found family and romance (even if it is a little begrudging). I adore Emily but I wish she was less caught up in thinking she was so difficult to love.

The rest of the characters were likable as well! And the plot was entertaining and kept me interested. I couldn’t wait to come back and listen to more when I had to take a break. 

 It is a charming, queer historical romance but my favorite parts were the bits in between with the rest of the family. I would recommend this book and I can’t wait to read more from Lex Croucher. 

Thank you Net Galley for providing this book for an honest review. 

In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran

adventurous inspiring tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This epic fantasy novella was quite enjoyable! Incredible world building and I loved some of the characters Ashâke meets along the way. 

It was a little too much plot for the size of the novella so it felt rushed at times. 

Thank you Net Galley for providing this novella in exchange for an honest review. 

Asiri and the Amaru by Natalia Hernandez

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

5.0

Cozy Latin fantasy romance with a little bit of spice 

I absolutely loved it. 5 stars. Love the characters, love the storytelling - is cozy fantasy my new favorite genre? Maybe.

Asiri and the Amari is a hilarious hot and cold, slow burn romance and super lovely, cozy feel good fantasy. 

The story begins with Asiri working for her dad and most certainly being taken advantage of - her father is using her gift to make money. The story really takes off when Asiri flees their home and goes on an adventure for a better life.

In order to avoid a similar scenario where Asiri is being used again, she convinces herself she mustn’t tell anyone about her power. 

Keeping it a secret proves to be more difficult than she thought - especially when she’s around a super hot veterinarian named Dario who loves animals just as much as she does. 

Will Asiri avoid Dario to better hide her secret or follow her heart and give in to temptation? 

Wizard and Glass by Stephen King

adventurous dark emotional tense 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

5.0

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

adventurous emotional reflective 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

3.5

I enjoyed this story so much. There was romance, fantasy, an incredible magic system, political intrigue along with multilayered family dynamics. The voice actor who narrates the audiobook is amazing and really does a wonderful job portraying the characters individually and really felt like there were multiple people narrating at times. 

The main character was the shining star for me. Not only is she challenged by the death of her, issues within her personal life and among her family members, but she also has to navigate high level individuals weaponizing her against politicians to further their own goals. Even further, she has a sentient dark passenger (deviation) and is constantly having to resist its urges. 

There are also little excerpts from sources like Witcherpedia that provide information and extra detail for the plot and really assists with world building. 

The only real issue I had with the book was pacing. The story was very slow in the beginning, then as the story went on there was too much going on at once. It was hard to follow at times. 

That being said, I would absolutely read a sequel or another book from this author. And I would recommend it to my friends. Thank you NetGalley for providing this audiobook for my review. 

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring 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? No

4.5