stardust_heidi's reviews
505 reviews

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Between by L.L. Starling

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

A solid 4+ stars for me. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. I’m really attached to all the characters, and I enjoyed the POV flip midway through the book. I enjoyed the perspective of Lore and is life in Between.  I also liked that his POV wasn’t a straight copy of Sasha’s perspective — it was almost a separate story that connected to hers. (At this point, Sasha’s story feels distant enough like a whole other book.)

It is very long, and occasionally that’s a detriment to the story. I felt like it was one of those situations where if the author wanted a scene, it stayed, whether or not it was really relevant to the progression of the story. Which…fair. But it makes it very long winded at times. 

The voice/style of the story is very unique. It’s not bad, but at times it’s quite heavy handed. Everything is delivered in a cheeky/sassy/snarky/etc way, which is occasionally a bit much. However, the author is pretty consistent in her voice, so that helps. 

“Many thanks.”

I’m definitely ready for the next book and look forward to whatever cleverly crafted chaos the author delivers. 

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This was SO fun! I only downgraded it, because I couldn’t stand the male narrator — the narration quality was awful and unpolished compared to Saskia Maarleveld's.

As far as the actual story goes, what a delight. The “I hate you” energy was excellent, as were the slow twinges of feelings. I actually liked the way the miscommunication trope was utilized in this story — it made sense within the context of their history. I like how trust and acceptance was gradually built. Even though the whole story took place over the course of a few days, it didn’t feel like insta-love. 

The mystery was also intriguing. Super fun. I’ll read again for sure!

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

This series 🥰🥰🥰

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a wild ride, that’s for sure. Overall I really enjoyed this. It was fast paced and super fun to listen to. I found the FMC pretty unlikable, but yet at the same time, it was super relatable. Admittedly, she did get on my nerves more than once, but I think part of it is that I saw a lot of things I dislike about myself in her behavior, and seeing that mirrored in the book was off-putting. I liked that things weren’t shiny and instantly perfect, especially after they changed. It was chaotically imperfect, which fits the mood haha. I read a few other reviews on here and definitely agree with the one individual who stated that they wished we had gotten to see more true/full character development from Sloan, but it was too early in her “transformation” to really experience that. It makes sense, given that the entire book takes place over the course of only 5 days or so. I’d love a second book, years down the road, with some new sort of hijinks that allow us to see how this Naomi and Sloan are doing. 

I liked the focus of friendship > romance, though I wouldn’t mind a Henry/Sloan novella. ;) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I can’t wait for StoryGraph to add their pause feature! I started this in October (immediately after the first two books), got bored and paused while I went on holiday for a month, and I forced myself to return to it several days ago (December). 

Anyway. I’m not even sure how to rate this book. This series. Maybe it’s because I listened to it vs read the physical book, and that particular format made it more difficult for me to follow at times? Who knows. Whatever it is, getting through this book/series was a massive struggle. I had a really difficult time connecting to the characters by the end, and a huge part of me just didn’t even care anymore. There were moments throughout that I really enjoyed the plot and story — I think Belam’s parts were the most disconnecting for me. Xiala’s storyline definitely moved me the most. 

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

5.0

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I first attempted this book earlier this year but wasn’t feeling it at the time. I’m glad I gave it another go, because honestly, this is a delight. I adored Shesheshen’s POV and how she attempts to understand human nature. The romance element is excellent and completely unique. I think it did drag at times (I kind of zoned out during some of the body morphs) and I’m still undecided if I enjoyed the narrator or not. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gore

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings

emotional funny lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0