spellbindingtomes's reviews
354 reviews

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows, Mary Ann Shaffer

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emotional lighthearted 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? No

4.0


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Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

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emotional reflective 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


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Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young

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emotional funny hopeful 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


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Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

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

3.5


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The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙧.

I was absolutely spellbound from the very first chapter. As someone who gravitates toward anything witchy (Charmed was my childhood obsession), this book was perfect for me. So if that's the same for you, then read no further & pick this up!

But if you need a little bit more convincing, The Invocations follows 3 young women whose lives become intertwined through magic & mystery: Zara, desperate to resurrect her murdered sister; Jude, a billionaire's daughter whose soul is slowly rotting after a demonic deal gone wrong; & Emer, an orphaned witch with a deadly power who offers magical invocations to women in desperate situations.

This is a darkly enchanting book that combines witchcraft, grief, & female rage. I was incredibly fascinated with the magic system & how language is key in creating the invocations. The 3 women at the heart of this story really stand out. They are each so different & broken in her own way, but when they form their unlikely alliance they just fit each other so well. I do think they could've been a little bit older considering how dark this story is & how trusting their cop contact was in bringing them into the crime scenes.

This book confronts darkness head-on, not just the supernatural, but the real-world struggles women face. Zara, Jude, & Emer have all suffered from men who look to control & diminish women. Their story becomes one of resistance as they join forces against those who target vulnerable women. There's genuine anger here - justified & powerful - as they fight not just for themselves but for others who've been victimized.

𝘔𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘔𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘬𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺.

The Invocations is a spellbinding tale of witchcraft, sisterhood, & vengeance. If you're looking for a last minute book for Women's History Month, then The Invocations is an absolute must-read.

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Babylonia by Costanza Casati

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dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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Split or Swallow by Lindsay Straube

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Yea, this was not for me. 

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Dictator by Robert Harris

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

4.0


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James by Percival Everett

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

3.75


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