redhead_reader's Reviews (834)

Brewed in Magic

Jenna Wolfhart

3.75

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Goblins & Greatcoats

Travis Baldree

4.0

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

The Ice Dragon

George R.R. Martin

4.0

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Somehow I didn’t know this book existed but I have been dying to go back to Westeros and George R R Martin’s prose so this novella seemed like the perfect fit.

Unfortunately for me, it has only made me want to dive back into ASOIAF and the world GRRM has created around that series even more, but alas, I need to finish some other books before I can commit to a reread.

Anyway, this book is supposedly a children’s book, it’s about a 7 year old girl that was born in Winter and is truly a Winter Child (same, girl, same). It doesn’t really talk about Westeros or give any specifics about the politics of the time and you don’t really even know where in Westeros the book takes place (7 year olds aren’t concerned with things like that), but there’s a war going on with plenty of dragons on both sides so if you’re up on your history of Westeros you get a general idea of when the book takes place.

I don’t think it is a children’s book. It is a bit more violent and descriptive than I’d expect in a children’s book. It left me feeling a bit melancholy at times from the atmospheric writing.

But it is written in the style of a children’s book so do with that what you will.

Theres a lot of symbolism within this short story and a heartwarming lesson to be learned by the end.

Overall I really enjoyed this little novella regarding Adara and her ice dragon. I think it’s a must for GRRM and ASOIAF fans.

Birding with Benefits

Sarah T. Dubb

5.0

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

I’ll start off by saying I think fake dating is a really dumb trope. I’ve never had any interest in reading books based on fake dating BUT I loved this one?!
It’s so cute.
Yes, Celeste is a lot but I think any woman who has ever been told she’s a lot will appreciate Celeste and adore John’s reactions to her.
John is an absolute treasure; my new book boyfriend.

What else is really funny about me loving this book is that I hate birds. I’m kind of afraid of them and don’t really have any interest in them and yet, I couldn’t put this book down and enjoyed reading about the various birds they spotted throughout. I also loved the atmospheric setting and the mention of the beautiful desert flora. The whole book is just a treat that I recommend to rom-com lovers everywhere.

There is spice. Multiple chapters of spicy scenes (where “benefits” comes into play). So if you’re looking for closed door or fade to black romance, this ain’t it.

The book also covers a lot of bases like:
-LGBTQIA+ representation (not the FMC or MMC but multiple people in their lives are queer)
-divorce
-co-parenting
-single-mom
-FMC in her early 40s

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for the copy of this eARC.
This book is out now!

The Family Experience of PDA: An Illustrated Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance

Eliza Fricker

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons

J. Penner

4.75

emotional 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: Complicated

Bad Tourists

Caro Carver

5.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I couldn’t put this book down!
It’s such a good thriller for summer. The atmospheric beach vibes are *chef’s kiss*.
I loved that the FMCs were mostly in their 40s. I enjoyed reading about more mature characters and their life experiences that come with age (divorce, children of varying ages, perimenopause, etc.).
The twists this book took had me shook. I didn’t guess where it was going and I loved every minute of it.
It does get dark so you’ll definitely want to check out trigger warnings before you read the book if you need.

C.J. Cooke is my absolute favorite author and this new book by her pen name, Caro Carver, absolutely lived up to the standard I’ve come to expect and love from C. J. Cooke’s books. I can’t wait to see what Caro Carver does next 🤩

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the copy of this eARC.