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724 reviews
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
funny
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
4.5
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.5
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Haunting, bleak, and beautifully written. I'm so glad I've finally read this because it checks a lot of boxes for what I enjoy in a dystopian novel. The narrator's journey was heartbreaking yet compelling and I felt the hope, despair and loneliness alongside her. This book is a fantastic exploration of what it means to be human and I'll be thinking about it forever.
The City in Glass by Nghi Vo
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Such a beautiful, lyrical, and unique novella. I found the reading experience of this to be similar to This Is How You Lose the Time War,though I personally connected with the story/world/characters of this novella more. It's a slow, melancholy, and occasionally vague story that may not work for everyone (it's a weird little book, but I mean that affectionately). When I started, I wasn't sure how I felt about it and then after a few chapters I felt like a switch flipped and I was hooked.
It's a love story about a demon and an angel but first and foremost it's a love story about a demon and the city she cares for. The writing is evocative and I was impressed with how invested I became in this story with such a short page count. I loved the stories about the city of Azril and its people and I loved Vitrine and her complicated relationship with the angel who destroyed her beloved city. I also feel that this novella has one of the best depictions of immortal supernatural beings I've read in a while. I loved the contrast between the quick lives of the humans of Azril and the slow, centuries-long evolution of the relationship between Vitrine and the angel.
In the acknowledgements, Nghi Vo calls this her "pandemic book" and that is clear in the themes of this book. This is a story about isolation and grief amidst catastrophe and how to keep going when your world has been irrevocably changed. It's a story that really worked for me and I think it will also work for a lot of readers (particularly if they enjoy literary fantasy).
It's a love story about a demon and an angel but first and foremost it's a love story about a demon and the city she cares for. The writing is evocative and I was impressed with how invested I became in this story with such a short page count. I loved the stories about the city of Azril and its people and I loved Vitrine and her complicated relationship with the angel who destroyed her beloved city. I also feel that this novella has one of the best depictions of immortal supernatural beings I've read in a while. I loved the contrast between the quick lives of the humans of Azril and the slow, centuries-long evolution of the relationship between Vitrine and the angel.
In the acknowledgements, Nghi Vo calls this her "pandemic book" and that is clear in the themes of this book. This is a story about isolation and grief amidst catastrophe and how to keep going when your world has been irrevocably changed. It's a story that really worked for me and I think it will also work for a lot of readers (particularly if they enjoy literary fantasy).
The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Excellent ending to this trilogy! The pacing was excellent, all of the plot threads were tied up, and I appreciated the focus on the friendship between Winnie, Erica, and Jay (the WTF triangle). The stakes were high, the plot twists were great, and there was a good balance between fast-paced action and quieter character moments. Caitlin Davies' narration is also fantastic - she's the perfect voice for Winnie.
Now that this trilogy is complete I can confidently say that this trilogy is perfect for YA readers looking for a quick and fun contemporary fantasy series to binge read (particularly in the fall).
Now that this trilogy is complete I can confidently say that this trilogy is perfect for YA readers looking for a quick and fun contemporary fantasy series to binge read (particularly in the fall).
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I think some readers may go into this book with wrong expectations because it's less a straightforward nonfiction book about "How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music" and more a collection of essays about Taylor Swift, her songwriting, and the impact her music has had on the author's life. This may not work for some readers but it worked for me - a longtime Taylor Swift fan who enjoys delving into her lyrics, making connections between songs, and hearing stories from people who have felt the impact of her music.
I've always loved reading Rob Sheffield's writing about Taylor Swift because he really does get it. I don't always agree with his opinions - both in this book and outside of it (he ranks "The Last Time" at 265 in his ranking of "All 274 Taylor Swift Songs" which is wild to me) - but I appreciate his reflections and analysis all the same. I felt particularly seen by his essay on "The Archer" - I also consider "Lover" to be a grief album due to what was happening in my own life when that album was released.
This book feels like a love letter to Taylor Swift and her impact on the music industry - right down to the book's structure. Sheffield's spotlight on "All Too Well" is Chapter 5 (of course) and when you look at the table of contents you can see that all of the albums have a specific essay dedicated to them outside of "Taylor Swift", "Speak Now", and "Evermore" (disappointing but not at all surprising considering they're the three albums most often overlooked even by Taylor Swift herself). There are also many lyric references throughout which can feel heavy handed at times but work as fun easter eggs.
It's also just a bit strangely organized in general - roughly chronological by Era, but not quite. This bugged me until I realized my annoyance with the strange structuring of chapters echoes my own annoyance at the tracklist order for "Reputation" (which nearly tells a perfectly chronological story but not quite). I'm not sure if this was intentional of Sheffield's part, but it amused me all the same.
If you're a Taylor Swift fan, I do think this book is worth picking up. It's a quick read and will likely inspire you to reflect on how her music has impacted your own life.
I've always loved reading Rob Sheffield's writing about Taylor Swift because he really does get it. I don't always agree with his opinions - both in this book and outside of it (he ranks "The Last Time" at 265 in his ranking of "All 274 Taylor Swift Songs" which is wild to me) - but I appreciate his reflections and analysis all the same. I felt particularly seen by his essay on "The Archer" - I also consider "Lover" to be a grief album due to what was happening in my own life when that album was released.
This book feels like a love letter to Taylor Swift and her impact on the music industry - right down to the book's structure. Sheffield's spotlight on "All Too Well" is Chapter 5 (of course) and when you look at the table of contents you can see that all of the albums have a specific essay dedicated to them outside of "Taylor Swift", "Speak Now", and "Evermore" (disappointing but not at all surprising considering they're the three albums most often overlooked even by Taylor Swift herself). There are also many lyric references throughout which can feel heavy handed at times but work as fun easter eggs.
It's also just a bit strangely organized in general - roughly chronological by Era, but not quite. This bugged me until I realized my annoyance with the strange structuring of chapters echoes my own annoyance at the tracklist order for "Reputation" (which nearly tells a perfectly chronological story but not quite). I'm not sure if this was intentional of Sheffield's part, but it amused me all the same.
If you're a Taylor Swift fan, I do think this book is worth picking up. It's a quick read and will likely inspire you to reflect on how her music has impacted your own life.
Wisteria by Adalyn Grace
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's such a joy to read a series in which every book is better than the last. I had mixed feelings when I read Belladonna, Foxglove surprised me with how much I enjoyed it, and I loved Wisteria from beginning to end. The writing was beautiful, the pacing was excellent, the ending made me emotional, and the romance between Blythe/Aris is top tier.
This story was less of a gothic mystery when compared to the first two installments and felt more like a romantic fairy tale. For the majority of the book it's less plot focused and more romance heavy - which isn't my usual preference but it worked here. There are a lot of standard romance tropes involved (hate to love, arranged marriage, reincarnation, forced proximity, only one bed, etc.) and in many cases this is not enough to make a romance compelling for me outside of fanfiction. However, with Blythe having a significant role in both Belladonna and Foxglove and Aris being the antagonist of Foxglove, their characters were well enough established to allow this book to focus on the slowburn romance and all of the tropes that come with it. Honestly, it was everything I want in a fantasy romance.
Are there some unanswered questions? Yes. Did they bother me? No. I actually think this series is better when plot elements/worldbuilding has mystery to it. Ultimately, I'm satisfied with the conclusion of both Blythe and Signa's stories but I appreciate that there are elements that are left open for the future. For the first time, I'm actually excited to see that a series has a holiday novella on the way (though it pains me that I will have to wait until next year).
This story was less of a gothic mystery when compared to the first two installments and felt more like a romantic fairy tale. For the majority of the book it's less plot focused and more romance heavy - which isn't my usual preference but it worked here. There are a lot of standard romance tropes involved (hate to love, arranged marriage, reincarnation, forced proximity, only one bed, etc.) and in many cases this is not enough to make a romance compelling for me outside of fanfiction. However, with Blythe having a significant role in both Belladonna and Foxglove and Aris being the antagonist of Foxglove, their characters were well enough established to allow this book to focus on the slowburn romance and all of the tropes that come with it. Honestly, it was everything I want in a fantasy romance.
Are there some unanswered questions? Yes. Did they bother me? No. I actually think this series is better when plot elements/worldbuilding has mystery to it. Ultimately, I'm satisfied with the conclusion of both Blythe and Signa's stories but I appreciate that there are elements that are left open for the future. For the first time, I'm actually excited to see that a series has a holiday novella on the way (though it pains me that I will have to wait until next year).
Grimoire Girl: Creating an Inheritance of Magic and Mischief by Hilarie Burton Morgan
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Compared to The Rural Diaries, this is less of a memoir and more of a self-help book (with occasional memoir elements) and therefore this isn't the kind of book I typically enjoy. Content-wise this is a mixed bag for me - some chapters were fascinating and inspiring, others I didn't care about. I connected with a lot of her reflections on life - we share a love of magical stories, history, houses with character, and old things. While I don't think I'll integrate every idea in this book to my own life, this book did inspire me to once again attempt journaling.
Hilarie Burton Morgan has a compelling voice and her writing is full of warmth. This warmth is especially present in the audiobook which makes it feel as if you're getting advice from a friend. I wasn't invested in every chapter, but I was invested in her narration. She's a natural storyteller and I love for her to write a fiction book one day - one full of all of the magical gothic vibes that she and I both love.
Witchcraft is an interesting topic that I haven't read a lot about outside of fictional settings. That is particularly because my feelings on it are a mix of contradictions - on one hand there's a part of me that is fascinated by magical/mystical things, on the other hand I'm also extremely skeptical about a lot of it. This isn't a "Witchcraft 101" kind of book and instead more of a "find magic in your everyday life" kind of book. While she talks about grimoires and spells, it's open ended and there is lots of room for you to reflect on what that means to you (and how literally you want to believe in it). It's accessible both to readers who may actually be interested into getting into aspects of witchcraft but also readers like me who don't consider themselves witches but have a tendency to view life through a magical lens anyway (I am a fantasy reader after all). I especially appreciated reading about intersections of witchcraft and Christianity - it's a topic I may have to look into further, especially since I've already found myself fascinating by the mystical elements of Christianity.
It was interesting to read this after reading Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz, Hilarie Burton Morgan's former OTH co-star. While different in structure and content (Dinner for Vampires is a straightforward memoir), each of these books has a significant focus on their respective faith journeys. Faith is an important part of both of their lives, despite their significantly different practices and it has been fascinating to read about. If you placed each of their approaches to religion on two ends of a spectrum, I feel as if my own relationship to faith and religion sits firmly in the middle. Both of their books have caused me to do quite a bit of reflecting!
Hilarie Burton Morgan has a compelling voice and her writing is full of warmth. This warmth is especially present in the audiobook which makes it feel as if you're getting advice from a friend. I wasn't invested in every chapter, but I was invested in her narration. She's a natural storyteller and I love for her to write a fiction book one day - one full of all of the magical gothic vibes that she and I both love.
Witchcraft is an interesting topic that I haven't read a lot about outside of fictional settings. That is particularly because my feelings on it are a mix of contradictions - on one hand there's a part of me that is fascinated by magical/mystical things, on the other hand I'm also extremely skeptical about a lot of it. This isn't a "Witchcraft 101" kind of book and instead more of a "find magic in your everyday life" kind of book. While she talks about grimoires and spells, it's open ended and there is lots of room for you to reflect on what that means to you (and how literally you want to believe in it). It's accessible both to readers who may actually be interested into getting into aspects of witchcraft but also readers like me who don't consider themselves witches but have a tendency to view life through a magical lens anyway (I am a fantasy reader after all). I especially appreciated reading about intersections of witchcraft and Christianity - it's a topic I may have to look into further, especially since I've already found myself fascinating by the mystical elements of Christianity.
It was interesting to read this after reading Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz, Hilarie Burton Morgan's former OTH co-star. While different in structure and content (Dinner for Vampires is a straightforward memoir), each of these books has a significant focus on their respective faith journeys. Faith is an important part of both of their lives, despite their significantly different practices and it has been fascinating to read about. If you placed each of their approaches to religion on two ends of a spectrum, I feel as if my own relationship to faith and religion sits firmly in the middle. Both of their books have caused me to do quite a bit of reflecting!
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
As a fan of both One Tree Hill and the Drama Queens podcast I was intrigued to learn more about Bethany Joy Lenz's story of being part of a cult. This memoir is well-written, engaging, and an overall excellent celebrity memoir. It's easy to understand how she got sucked into the cult in her early 20s. That age is a vulnerable time for everyone and she had the perfect combination of qualities to make her the "perfect target" - devout, talented, and lonely. There were many points in which my heart broke for her - especially learning that she sacrificed her dream of Broadway TWICE.
This may not be the most wild cult story but it's probably one more people, particularly anyone with any sort of connection to American Christianity (especially nondenominational Evangelical Christianity) can understand. Not all Christian churches/bible study groups are cults but this book depicts how easily faith can be used and twisted by narcissistic, power hungry people into something that manipulates and harms others. As Bethany Joy Lenz shows in this book, a lot of the reason why she didn't question things in the beginning was because a lot of it wasn't any different than things she was taught in church growing up - covenants, complementary gender roles, making sacrifices to prove one's faith, talk about "The Enemy", etc. This manipulation of faith is insidious and unfortunately more common in American Christian Culture than I think people realize (with varying degrees of severity). As with any cult, it's hard for people to question - especially because there are a lot of sects that will tell people who question things that they're being manipulated by The Enemy and will lose their salvation because of it. It always saddens me to see Christianity being used as a weapon in this way and I hope her story will help save a lot of people from spiritual abuse.
I respect Bethany Joy Lenz a lot for not losing her faith completely through all of this as it would be very easy to do. There's a beautiful scene in one of the last few chapters of her pleading with God and then subsequently feeling His presence which was particularly moving. My own Christian faith and hers don't quite align (my own views contrast quite a bit with the Reformed Christianity of Tim Keller who she mentions in this book many times) but I always enjoy reading about people's individual faith journeys.
I also highly recommend the audiobook! Bethany Joy Lenz's narration is excellent, full of emotion, and she's capable of doing many distinct voices in telling her story. I'd love for her to get more into audiobook narration in the future.
This may not be the most wild cult story but it's probably one more people, particularly anyone with any sort of connection to American Christianity (especially nondenominational Evangelical Christianity) can understand. Not all Christian churches/bible study groups are cults but this book depicts how easily faith can be used and twisted by narcissistic, power hungry people into something that manipulates and harms others. As Bethany Joy Lenz shows in this book, a lot of the reason why she didn't question things in the beginning was because a lot of it wasn't any different than things she was taught in church growing up - covenants, complementary gender roles, making sacrifices to prove one's faith, talk about "The Enemy", etc. This manipulation of faith is insidious and unfortunately more common in American Christian Culture than I think people realize (with varying degrees of severity). As with any cult, it's hard for people to question - especially because there are a lot of sects that will tell people who question things that they're being manipulated by The Enemy and will lose their salvation because of it. It always saddens me to see Christianity being used as a weapon in this way and I hope her story will help save a lot of people from spiritual abuse.
I respect Bethany Joy Lenz a lot for not losing her faith completely through all of this as it would be very easy to do. There's a beautiful scene in one of the last few chapters of her pleading with God and then subsequently feeling His presence which was particularly moving. My own Christian faith and hers don't quite align (my own views contrast quite a bit with the Reformed Christianity of Tim Keller who she mentions in this book many times) but I always enjoy reading about people's individual faith journeys.
I also highly recommend the audiobook! Bethany Joy Lenz's narration is excellent, full of emotion, and she's capable of doing many distinct voices in telling her story. I'd love for her to get more into audiobook narration in the future.