shannismcewen's reviews
1322 reviews

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

This was as fun and well written as most of the books in the series but I did find the mystery once solved a bit convoluted and some aspects of it pretty implausible. But I read these for the cast of characters and the good writing so in the end, I just didn’t care. It was a solid entry in the series.

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

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dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

I didn’t read this book when it came out despite my love of the series, because it felt too soon as a post-pandemic story while we were still in the midst of a pandemic. Glad I waited beaches it was so fun to have this to catch up on the world of Three Pines just as the newest book was released! The mystery in this one felt much more plausible than what went on the preceding book, and it was nice to just get back to all of the characters living in Three Pines.

Fatal Intrusion by Jeffery Deaver, Isabella Maldonado

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.

I absolutely did not care about a single person in this book by the time I was almost 1/4 of the way through it. Usually enjoy both of these authors but this cowriting attempt just didn’t do anything for me at all.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.0

I love Emily Henry so I’m quite biased. But this was so good. Really enjoyed the characters here and what drew them together. So enjoyable — much more fun than Happy Place!

Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Loved it. Started it and couldn’t put it down. Guardians of the Galaxy mixed with Charlie Jane Anders vibes.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

So fun! Definite cozy fantasy. Loved the story.

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I read this for a book club and never would have picked it up otherwise. It was so gripping, once I started it I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the read!

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