spiritmadeofstars's reviews
300 reviews

The Stalking Dead by Eva Chase

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

5.0

 The first book where a man calling a woman "baby" did not make me want to throw the book across the room and forged I can read. Eva must have put some spell on this book, really.

I devoured it in one sitting, because I could not put it down. I'm really interesting in the mystery and cannot wait to meet all the characters a lot more in the next books.

Also, as someone who has become a spicy addict in the last few years I feel very connected to our boy, Ruin. Our man, Ruin. 

Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

 I don't know what Ali puts in these books, but I can't get enough. 

Bound by Tiffany Roberts

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

Enthralled by Tiffany Roberts

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

4.25

I really enjoy this series so far. It's a fast read (for me) and very entertaining. The main focus is on the characters, which I enjoy, and the cultural/ political aspects are more on the background. I think that gave us time to connect with the characters without feeling super rushed. I love that we can enjoy just simple, quiet moments of connection.

Ensnared by Tiffany Roberts

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.25

I learn something new about myself every day. Today I discovered I like spider-alien-men. Make of that what you will.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

I did not really enjoy this one to be honest.

I wanted to like Bee, but there was something that kept me from doing so.

 

Also, it was SO obvious to us readers who Schmack and WWMD are, and I just could not feel excited about the reveal, because I knew things would go bad first.

And when Levi made it clear he liked Bee and took care of her, and she was like, "He's being a good friend." I swear I could feel my soul shrivel up from the eye roll.

 

It was a nice story, yes, but after I read Love, theoretical last week it was a big step down (though I know this came before). Still very much looking forward to all the other Ali books.

Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski

adventurous funny 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

5.0

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

 This was an unforgettable story. I was captured from the begging till the end. I am bad at reviews, but I do love this book and recommend it to anyone who is hungry for a beautiful folk tale.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

 I really enjoyed this story. I am interested in slavic mythology and enjoy fantasy with slavic elements. It was interesting to read about a Jewish family, as most slavic fantasies include Christianity (as a villian, which I approve). It was refreshing to read about other religion, though as someone of no faith I myself find following any religious rules as bothersome.

But that of course is only my opinion and view, so while I did find Miryem talking about some Jewish practices as not important to the story, it was a part of her character, which I fully respect. I really do need to read more fantasy stories with more religious undertones, to open my mind to other parts of the world and explore their beliefs. Because even though I do not hold any specific higher power close to my heart, I do want to learn about how other people express their faith.

The only thing I didn't like was jumping from one pov to another without stating which character it is that we're jumping to. It does not take long to realize through which character we're seeing the story unfold, but it did make me feel annoyed. Especially at the beginning, when we jumped from Miryem to Wanda and then like 70 pages in we're suddenly introduced to Irina... and then the other characters.

I am not a fan of the way Novik approached the povs, especially when she jumped to characters I could not care less about. I understand that she wanted us to see things "from the outside" and offer additional information, but I found myself skimming through those parts.

I do feel the ending was a little bit rushed. 

La Mémoire de Babel by Christelle Dabos
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.

 I really enjoyed the first two books and wanted to love this one, too. I really wanted to see Ophelia and Thorn interact and their relationship to grow. I was willing to wait until Ophelia found him, but the academy part doesn't interest me one bit. I can't get myself to care about what is happening there. It feels like all the other characters I cared about were just ripped away from the story and no one else, other than Ophelia, is present.

I might try to pick up this book again, but it's been far too long since I stopped reading and the story is not pulling me back. We'll see.

(I started reading it back in December 2021, make of it what you will.)