sebrittainclark's reviews
1834 reviews

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.

Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill

adventurous 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

4.0

Jenny Greenteeth is the monster in the village lake, but when a witch, Temperance, is thrown in and doesn't even bother to try to save herself, Jenny gets curious about what's going on outside her lake. Temperance and Jenny must work together, along with the goblin Backus, to root out the evil that's infected the village and could be coming for Jenny's lake and all of Britain next.

I really loved the beginning of this novel as Jenny and Temperance make sense of what's happening in the village. I thought the quests were a little slow in the middle, but the ending brought it all back together in a way I really enjoyed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for an early copy.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death

Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

dark lighthearted tense fast-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

4.0

Half vampire Mina has no powers and is therefore useless to her father. It's not great shock that she's sent to be sacrificed to the thirst of a powerful vampire her father would love to control. But Malachi doesn't want to use Mina. As Mina gets pulled into a relationship with Malachi, as well as his own complicated relationships with Wolf and Ryland, she learns she isn't as powerless as she though.

This is three novellas combined into a single volume. There's are a few time when that's very apparent with time jumps or summaries of earlier events, but overall I think this collection works really seamlessly, and I loved getting to read all three books one after the other. It's a very fun and very steamy book that ties into some of Robert's other paranormal novels.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an early copy.

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

adventurous 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

3.5

Will's father, George, and grandfather made the journey from Louisiana to Texas after they were freed from slavery to find their own place to be free, but years of sharecropping have take their toll, and now Will and George have the opportunity to travel north to Oklahoma to participate in the land rush and own their own land. Of course, a journey like that will be treacherous and provide opportunities for adventure.

I had some trouble getting into the book. The narrator does a strong accent, which I think is good for helping young readers engage with the story, but I found a little difficult to listen to, and the book is packed full of history that made the beginning feel like a lot of information was being given. But I enjoyed Will's adventures, and I thought it did a great job of bringing a small piece of history to life, as well as tying into the larger historical picture in the afterword.

Thanks to netgalley and Little, Brown Young Readers for an early copy.

Hazardous to a Dukes Heart by Sabrina Jeffries

informative lighthearted 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

3.0

The Napoleonic war is over and Jon has returned home from the French prison he's been in to find that rather than being a Duke's third son, he is a duke, and his sister's governess, Tory, is the daughter of his mentor who died in France. Jon is committed to finding Tory a suitable husband, even if she doesn't want to wed and he finds himself drawn to her.

I've never read a book about detenus before. I thought the history of this book was really interesting about Jon experience in France and his adjustment back into English society. There was so much going on with that, as well as Tory's backstory, that sometimes the characters and their romance felt a little flat to me, but overall I really enjoyed learning about this part of history, and I appreciated the author's note at the end with more resources to learn about detenus.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for an early copy.

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

On the interstellar ship, the Fairweather, death is temporary when a new body can be created and your memories restored from a copy in the library, But when detective Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn't hers and to news that there's just been a murder, it's clear that someone's figured out how to make a murder stick, and this new body might have something to do with it.

The was such a fun sci-fi mystery. I loved the concept of people storing their memories as a way to survive a long journey through space. I thought the world was so interesting, and I cannot wait to read more about Dorothy and the Fairweather.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an early copy.

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti

funny 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

Lydia has decided that the best course of action is to save her long time pen pal, the Earl of Strathrannoch, from his financial woes is to offer him a marriage of convenience. However, when she shows up at his castle, she quickly realizes that her pen pal is Davis, the younger brother of Arthur, the actual Earl of Strathrannoch, and Davis is missing. Lydia and Arthur embark on a quest to find Davis and prevent him from committing a crime before it's too late.

I loved this sequel just as much as I loved Ne'er Duke Well. I loved Lydia and Arthur and the way their relationship developed despite their insecurities about themselves. There were so many wonderful side characters, and I would have happily read even more. I really enjoyed that the epilogue was told entirely through letters.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an early copy.

The Way of Play: Using Little Moments of Big Connection to Raise Calm and Confident Kids by Tina Payne Bryson, Georgie Wisen-Vincent

informative medium-paced

4.5

This was a fantastic book about different techniques parents (and anyone who works with kids) can pull into play time to create more connection with your kids as well as help them work on understanding their emotions and co-regulation. It's full of examples and illustrations on how to put the techniques into use. I was able to immediately use a couple of the ideas in playtime with my kids, and I think the techniques will continue to be a good tool for playtime. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Rodale Books for an early copy.

Double Dutch Queen by DeAnn Wiley

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

I thought it was a cute story about trying new things even if you're worried you might not be good at it. I really enjoyed the descriptions and audio effects around the jump rope.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Young Listeners for an early copy.

Tell Me About Juneteenth by Kortney Nash

informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

I thought this was a good introduction of the history of how Juneteenth has been celebrated from today to the first Juneteenth for children. I thought the framing of a child asking questions to those around her kept the story very engaging for young listeners.

Thanks to Netgalley and  Macmillan Young Listeners for an early copy.