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takarakeireads's reviews
548 reviews
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
emotional
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
There were multiple points while reading this book when I was actually screaming out loud, on the edge of my seat, and crying. This is only my second 5 star book of 2024 so far.
Honor is dead... but I'll see what I can do
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Slavery
animal death/cruelty: A mc's horse dies during war. Besides that all animals are made-up species: there is an animal fighting ring, a zoo visited by characters, and other animals killed.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
funny
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
4.0
I was going through something when I read this that might have affected my feelings towards it. Despite being in a bad place, it did make me laugh out loud which her books always can. But I think it's maybe my least fav Em Hen book?? only because compared to her other books (I've read all but PWMOV) it was more rom-com focused without any other plot going on. There was Daphne befriending her co-worker, but idk something didn't hit quite the same. I just compare everything to Happy Place which is my favorite (a god tier book)...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity
In The Weeds by B.K. Borison
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
This just wasn’t for me on a basic trope level - one night stand turned into romance. I rarely like that trope cause I feel like since they've already slept together you don't get any build up of tension. Particularly this couple only have a physical attraction and have barely spent time together and are constantly mentioning looks. I don't understand personality wise like what they see in each other? Which is a bummer cause I really enjoyed book 1. I might read others in the series eventually
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
adventurous
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
3.5
Unfortunately a slightly lackluster ending to this series. I just felt like there wasn't quite enough plot things going on - too much of a continuation of Maddoc just being annoying without it staying interesting. Also, I didn't understand why we should be so quick to forgive Taryn? Sure I guess she married an asshole (that's on her!), but did she really earn Jude's forgiveness? Imo no!
The ending curse twist was interesting I guess but also easily resolved. Idk I guess I just expected to have a little more devastation in this series in general?
A friend send me Cardan's letters and WHY were those not included in every edition?! Gods that was the best part and it wasn't even included!
The ending curse twist was interesting I guess but also easily resolved. Idk I guess I just expected to have a little more devastation in this series in general?
A friend send me Cardan's letters and WHY were those not included in every edition?! Gods that was the best part and it wasn't even included!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, and War
Minor: Cannibalism, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou
The I guess you’d call it “magic system” is cool, there are “other-born” people who are descendants of the Greek Fates (gods) who have special powers. Io and her sisters are Moira-born, descendants of Moirae the goddess of Fate, and can see/manipulate threads that tie every person to the things/people/places they love.
I found the world building beyond the descriptions of the other-born powers to be a little confusing or incomplete. I didn’t really get a sense for time period and there was no map or great description of the city this story takes place in. There were other cities or countries(?) that were mentioned, but it was had to understand how they all related in the larger world. And as there are some political things going on, it would’ve been helpful to understand that context. I think that’s the main struggle I had with this book.
It’s not necessarily slow to start, but I didn’t really get fully engaged in the story until the second half. It did have a strong ending and I will likely listen to the sequel.
I did do combination audio and physical. The audio was fine - nothing spectacular but not bad.
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.5
- Descendants of lost gods
- Mythology elements
- Fated mates
- A prophecy
- Mystery
- Sister dynamics
- Non-binary & queer side characters
The I guess you’d call it “magic system” is cool, there are “other-born” people who are descendants of the Greek Fates (gods) who have special powers. Io and her sisters are Moira-born, descendants of Moirae the goddess of Fate, and can see/manipulate threads that tie every person to the things/people/places they love.
I found the world building beyond the descriptions of the other-born powers to be a little confusing or incomplete. I didn’t really get a sense for time period and there was no map or great description of the city this story takes place in. There were other cities or countries(?) that were mentioned, but it was had to understand how they all related in the larger world. And as there are some political things going on, it would’ve been helpful to understand that context. I think that’s the main struggle I had with this book.
It’s not necessarily slow to start, but I didn’t really get fully engaged in the story until the second half. It did have a strong ending and I will likely listen to the sequel.
I did do combination audio and physical. The audio was fine - nothing spectacular but not bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion and Death of parent
Animal cruelty/death: there is an animal fighting ring of some world specific character called chimerini. It’s about 1-2 pages and I just skipped over it
The Wicked King by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Girlie pop really can't trust anyone.
Some pacing issues in this one that made parts a bit slow. But there were some iconic scenes between Cardan and Jude. This shit truly is real enemies to lovers, and I ate that up.
Some pacing issues in this one that made parts a bit slow. But there were some iconic scenes between Cardan and Jude. This shit truly is real enemies to lovers, and I ate that up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
The Cruel Prince: Collector's Edition by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm gonna echo what my friend Kat said: that I wasn't sure how I was going to get past the bullying at first, then we realized that they can just BOTH be horrible and manipulate each other !!! This is true enemies to lovers (but v slow burn and romance is not the focus).
The one downside to this series is it feels like prior knowledge of fey/fae culture is needed, because the worldbuilding doesn't do a great job of explaining some dynamics particularly between fey and humans.
The one downside to this series is it feels like prior knowledge of fey/fae culture is needed, because the worldbuilding doesn't do a great job of explaining some dynamics particularly between fey and humans.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
adventurous
slow-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
3.5
Unfortunately this didn’t really live up to how much I enjoyed the first book. Besides adding in new POVs with Kora and Nova chapters, I found the first 300 pages to be extremely slow moving. I also felt a bit like I would’ve benefitted from reading the author’s other series, even though they are separate. From what I understand it’s kind of a whole universe that’s been created. Felt a tad bit like I was missing some link while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Colonisation
Kinda spicy for a YA novel 😅 like I’m fine with it, but I was surprised