swampmonster's reviews
53 reviews

Lumberjanes, Vol. 5: Band Together by Grace Ellis, ND Stevenson, Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

3.5

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Grace Ellis, ND Stevenson, Shannon Watters

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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? No

4.0

The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith

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hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

A very gorgeous and masterful work of illustration. Story-wise, I must admit I didn't quite "get it", but I liked looking at the pretty pictures anyway. 
The Worm and the Bird by Coralie Bickford-Smith

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hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

A thoughtful, gorgeously illustrated little book. I kind of took it to be about a suicidal worm, though? Melancholy and odd, but very beautiful.
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Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
I really wanted to like this book - the setting is great! Scifi dragons, hell yeah! But the best way I can describe this book is that it just had a negative attitude. Was it misogynistic? Very. But the loathing present in the text towards women (or, at least, all other women, not the protagonist, she's different) wasn't even the end of it. I felt like the author just generally hated people. Most characters were written as shitheads, and all the characters agreed that each other character was a shithead, and they hated each other. The male love interest self-describes as a rapist, I mean, Jesus Christ! However, I was fully prepared to gut it out and finish this book, until time travel came into it. That was the last straw.
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The Tea Dragon Society by K. O'Neill

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lighthearted relaxing medium-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

3.5

This book was very light on both plot and character development. Instead, it focused on character illumination, worldbuilding, and atmosphere. It was a very quick and cozy read, and felt like curling up under a warm blanket. A sweet, magical slice of life story.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Getting through this book was a slog for me, only because the writing style wasn't to my personal taste - it feels kind of formal and distant. But the last quarter of the book really grabbed me, and now I want to read more of the series. Even though I didn't love the prose, the worldbuilding and storytelling was really compelling.
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Picture This: How Pictures Work by Molly Bang

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funny informative fast-paced

5.0

Through the Woods by E.M. Carroll

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

4.0