stargoddess's reviews
283 reviews

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

My biggest complaint about this book was that I couldn’t tell who the audience was supposed to be. With a 12 year old lead, it seemed like it would be directed at a younger audience but other parts were jarringly adult. Also, characters were more caricatures and didn’t feel like they had life when they weren’t on the page. In general, I didn’t have a sense of what anyone really wanted in a sense greater than the individual encounter that was playing out.

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

This short story was a cute Valentine’s Day treat. I really loved the first half, which was entirely epistolary and gave a lot of space to imagine the characters. When the story became more traditional, it was still fun but less exciting as some of the possibility was taken away.

Fairest of All by Serena Valentino

dark fast-paced

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

2.75

There were some interesting ideas here, but ultimately nothing was developed enough and it became a lot of telling rather than showing. Overall, I found the writing style stilted and the lack of character motivation frustrating.

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

dark mysterious 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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book and felt that the author did a very effective job of building up the sense of isolation and dread the main character feels. The quiet romance between Beatriz and Andrés was effectively understated. I also found it interesting to learn more about this time period and the political/religious/class situation the characters found themselves in. The only thing I did not like was the flashbacks - I felt like they took me out of the flow of the present day, but there weren’t quite enough of them to effectively build the story of the past and the characters that only exist there. Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

The Two Week Roommate by Roxie Noir

emotional funny 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

4.75

I received an Advance Listener Copy of this book, and I absolutely loved it. I’ve enjoyed several of Roxie’s other books, but this one was special in its approach to the complexity of reconnecting with someone who hurt you in the past and healing together from a lot of childhood trauma. I appreciated the very frank discussions of the need for therapy, as well as the way it paid off in the romantic leads being able to talk through things when times get hard (shout out to the lack of third act break up!). Also, while the core relationship is M/F, they are significantly influenced by the LGBTQIA+ folx in their lives, and it was nice to see that increased diversity in the universe of these books. 
Of course, Roxie always brings the heat and this time was no exception. The male lead starts out a virgin, but things get rolling quickly and boy do they get steamy! Although I also loved that not every encounter was perfect and some realistic awkwardness was also included. 
Both voice actors were excellent and really brought the vibes of the characters. I don’t always like listening to romance novels as opposed to reading for myself, but I think this one was great as an audiobook.

The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

Moreno-Garcia works so effectively with dread, even in the short story format. She developed a whole world in just a few pages, filled with cutting details. Characters were interesting even as their choices were frustrating. Story was pretty standard but the language used to tell it was beautiful.

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha

challenging dark emotional reflective

Highly evocative poetry on the Palestinian experience. 

Defiant by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.0

The use of language in this book is great and features some real laugh out loud moments as well as some deeply touching ones. However, the pacing felt a bit off, with the first part of the book being rather stagnant and even a bit of a regression for the character and the final third charging forward with almost no time for reflection. It was also a bit jarring when the perspectives suddenly started shifting among characters after being solely focused on one character for the majority of the novel.

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

The writing was beautiful but I found the novel overall difficult to get into. The narrative jumps around a lot, and none of the characters felt like people I wanted to connect with. Interesting to read, but ultimately a bit unsatisfying.

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

I find it hard to believe this is a book being published in 2024 - it reads like it was written in 1930. I believe this is partially intentional and partially unintentional. I haven’t read anything else by this author, so I don’t know if the writing style is typical for her, but to me it read as a bit stilted. I think it was going for atmospheric, but as a result, the story was very slow to get started and in general I found it difficult to connect with the characters. I did enjoy Hecate’s love of her bicycle, her clothing choices which were described in great detail, and her general rejection of certain social norms. Her relationship with her father was also great, but really are we not past the dad is the only one who gets me and mom just wants me married trope? 
Even worse in the dated tropes category is the use of persons of color as shorthand for “mystical,” both in the “evil cannibals” who kick off the plot and the “mysterious helpers” who guide the main character on her quest. This is so deeply unnecessary and totally took me out of enjoying the book.
Finally, the book’s conclusion is definitely unsatisfying, clearly meant to set up future installments in the series, but I doubt I’ll be reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.