spinstah's reviews
1405 reviews

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

This was so cute and cozy, with some surprisingly poignant themes woven through. 

The Most Famous Girl in the World: A Novel by Iman Hariri-Kia

fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

This was really entertaining, but in the last 15% or so, right as it starts to wrap up the mystery, it went to go off the rails for me.

Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly

emotional funny hopeful medium-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

4.5

It took me a bit to settle into this,  it the further in I got the more I enjoyed it. The main characters feel very real and I enjoyed the chaotic scenes with their family. 

The Night Parade: A Speculative Memoir by Jami Nakamura Lin

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

This is a lovely blend of memoir and mythology/folklore. The affection the author has for her family shines through. 

Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

3.5

The writing is great and there were sections that were really compelling. But I could t follow the thread of narrative from one part to the next, and I’m not sure if it’s due to the complexity of the narrative or due to gaps in my own cultural knowledge. 

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

One of the things I like about novellas is how they drop you into the middle of an established world, and you only learn as much as is necessary. There’s a key element of this one that is never explicitly explained, though it’s not hard to guess. 

Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar

fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

I would have liked a little more resolution in the ending, but overall this was entertaining. The podcast hosts were caricatures but I think it’d be hard to do more character development without having those sections take up more time than necessary   

Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter

hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This was an interesting story about someone who can make extra space. The structure contributes a lot, helping to expand certain portions and POVs in a natural way. 

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

3.5

This was ok. I figured out what was going on by about halfway through. 

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths

fast-paced

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

5.0

I’m still enjoying this series and the characters. In this one we briefly get a POV of someone new which was very interesting.