stardust_heidi's reviews
437 reviews

4.5

The audiobook is far better than experiencing the random stylistic quirks of the physical book. 😅

But as I slowly begin a ToG reread, I’m already forcing myself to resist that addicting urge to keep on reading. 😂

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson

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informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I read HCR’s newsletters almost everyday, and her writing has been immensely educational and informative over the last several years. She provides an incredible service to her readers. I finally got around to reading her book, and in the midst of the 2024 US election season, it’s even more important. I often get overwhelmed by the nitty gritty drudgery of politics and trying to stay educated; I find that HCR writes in such a way that makes her subject easy to understand and read. I enjoyed the audiobook format of this read; I own the physical book as well, but the audiobook served me well this time.

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

WOAH. Really loved this book! The friendships. The character development. The mystery and intrigue of Avalon’s curse. There was great tension with the survival aspect of doing everything to stay alive. The hint of romance was well done; I like how there was a good rivals to friends to something more development. The romance wasn’t the focus, though — it’s definitely more plot focused.

Without spoiling the ending…….. WHAT THE FAARK!?!?!?!?!?!??! 😮‍💨😭😱

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

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dark funny informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Read this book as part of the StoryGraph genre challenge. It was a ride, that’s for sure. The main character was wildly interesting with a sharp, blunt wit that made me cackle at times. There was lots of introspective meandering between major plot points, with endless astrology calculations and righteous animal rights messaging. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it dragged a bit at times and was occasionally hard to follow. I love the genre challenge because it definitely forces me out of my comfort zone at times. 😅

Content Warnings

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

God, the end gets me every time. Love EE’s narration!

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

Overall enjoyed the book. The ending didn't really do it for me (waahhh) but I can get over it. I really enjoyed all the different vampires and lore about them. I liked the gritty noir vibes.

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Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A few disclaimers to explain my rating. I listened to the audiobook while on a road trip over the course of a few weeks, with several long gaps between listens. I don’t think that helped my overall cohesive understanding of the book and all the different POV interactions. The narrators were excellent but different voices required different volumes, especially while in the car with loud road noises.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I found it a fascinating critique (excellently scathing) about the US incarceration/prison system, and I think the futuristic Hunger Games-like setting was interesting.

I found, at times, the multiple POVs really difficult to follow. I still don’t really understand the married couple’s purpose in the story, and I can’t figure out if their part had any resolution at the end.

I had to ask someone to explain the ending for me. The ending of the fight scene was kind of confusing, and even though I listened to that last chapter twice, I wasn’t sure who lived or died. Or whatever.

I liked all the footnotes throughout. Those added real context to events throughout.

Overall, an excellent book. But I think a physical read would be easier for me to process. Might pick up a copy.

Content Warnings