tacoshark's reviews
833 reviews

One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

I really liked this, as implausible as it was. The main relationship was a great slow burn and both MCs were so charming and sweet. 

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? No

4.5

Reading this in 2024, when it begins in July of this year, is a wild experience. It’s not us but it’s us - or an all too plausible near-term version of us. It’s not an easy read but it’s vivid and compelling enough that it’s impossible to look away either. Really fascinating. It’s a bit dated in some ways but none that really dilute the message or the foresight, and that’s disturbing as hell. 

(This edition was rather poorly edited, a disservice to Ms. Butler and occasionally distracting.)

Only and Forever by Chloe Liese

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a solid and satisfying wrap on the series. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t like this bc I’ve always found Viggo a bit obnoxious in the other books, but I was thoroughly charmed by him. I found Tallulah’s arc a bit less plausible (mostly in timeline), but it was still well put together and satisfying. The author had a lot to juggle to wrap this up and did a pretty solid job. 

A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

This was a mixed bag for me - the whole thing felt a bit undercooked. The world building was pretty lackadaisical but to the extent it existed, it was interesting - the same for the magic system, which seemed to be of the why not everything school of thought. The romance was also quite undeveloped, though I did find both characters fairly charming. What kept me interested was the deal making, which was the strongest part of the book, I’d say, and the anti capitalist underpinnings. Overall, not a thoroughly successful book but I’ll keep an eye on what this author does in the future. 

A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

I really liked the resolution in this but it was only okay otherwise - trying to do too much I think. 

True Biz by Sara Nović

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? No

4.5

This was excellent - beautifully written, fascinating, compelling. I liked the shifting perspectives, though the one first person out of nowhere was a bit weird and confusing. Overall, though, I thought this was really good. 

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

adventurous hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.75

This was a fun, satisfying little romance - a nice twist on historical romance, which is not always my favorite sub genre. 

A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

4.25

This was a satisfying conclusion. I liked the broader setting and the exploration of the west. Well structured and paced and while the twists and turns were a little predictable, they still worked. A very solid duology. 

The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

This was a charming little romance, nothing earth shaking but very enjoyable. 

There There by Tommy Orange

challenging dark emotional informative sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

There were aspects of this that really moved me but I found that it didn’t hold together as one unified story. It reminded me a lot of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, and my issue with that book was the same as my issue with this one. It was so fragmented and while individual pieces were fascinating and compelling and incredibly affecting, it was very uneven and didn’t come together for me in the end. I found myself confused, at times, about whether a particular character was one I’d heard from before or not (I found it particularly confusing to keep track of what was happening in the Calvin/Daniel/Octavio storyline). I wanted more of some stories but there was ultimately too much going on for it to hold together as a single narrative. And then the end felt really confusing and unresolved and disappointing. There was so much here that had potential that I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed at the end.