spinstah's reviews
1405 reviews

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

What an absolute delight! This cozy fantasy has a lovely world with some great characters. There are a couple of moments of conflict but (since it's cozy) you know nothing too bad will happen. The romance is nice, and I appreciated the character development we see for the main character.

Projections by S.E. Porter
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

I’m just not into this so far. I like the alternating POVs but I think it’s getting in the way of setting the pace and drawing me in. 

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

This is a lovely book. I think the way the alternating POV chapters are structured adds a lot of nuance and interest. The ending was maybe a bit abrupt but I don’t think a “happily ever after” e ding would have been appropriate here. 

Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

As I saw someone else say, this was most successful in passages where it was inspired by Pride & Prejudice. Where it was more of a retelling it started to feel more awkward and forced. 

I listened to the audiobook. The narration was ok, but there were some parts that felt a little stilted. I think it was a mix of how things were written and the narrator’s approach. I also learned that I do not like spicy audiobooks, it’s much easier to skim over a scene than it is to fast forward through it. 

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

funny reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is a lovely and weird book. It’s beautifully written and has so many insights into the human condition sprinkled throughout. It’s also very sad, but somehow doesn’t bring that reader down with it. 

Mrs. March by Virginia Feito
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

I couldn't handle the main character's complete lack of confidence in herself. The main action of the plot hadn't really started yet, and I wasn't interested enough to keep reading until it did.

The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

dark sad medium-paced

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

3.5

There’s a lot going on here and I’m not sure it was entirely successful. Apparently this is a retelling of The Brothers Karamazov, which I haven’t read, so that may be where some of the extras came from. I did enjoy this, though I’m not sure it’ll stick with me. It’ll be interesting to see how much of a discussion we have about it at book club. 

Archangels of Funk by Andrea Hairston
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.

I wanted to love this - it’s a festive, hopeful dystopia with some cyberpunk and theatrical elements - but I’m struggling with how busy the prose is. On the one hand it’s setting a great vibe, but on the other hand it’s making it hard to follow. 

The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf by Isa Arsén
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.

This was moving kind of slowly for me and I was having a hard time keeping my attention on it. I paused it when I was going away for a week bc I didn’t want to bring it with me, and find I’m just not interested in picking it back up. 

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

This was really fun and immersive. The plot is kind of convoluted and is thin in spots (almost seems like the author wrote herself into a corner at one point) but it’s very entertaining and cinematic in some ways.