the_wendybirb's reviews
52 reviews

A Curse of Krakens by Kevin Hearne

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

I love this series. It's fantastic. I'll edit this to write a better review sometime soon.

This one was a little heavy on the exposition, but as the final book in a massive world-building endeavor it gets a pass. 

Greetings From Asbury Park by Daniel H. Turtel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

I was listening to it on CD and stopped after the second disc. I have no affinity for the characters, and the brothers keep mentioning how attractive their younger half sister is, which is feeling a little too weird to me.

Movements & Moments by Sonja Eismann, Maya Schöningh, Ingo Schöningh

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Beautiful graphics and inspiring stories of indigenous women from around the world. Some stories are "Modern" and some trace back to the 1930s.

This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan

funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

No complaints! This was an engaging and enjoyable read.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

This book was a whirlwind and I loved it! 
The paperback I started reading feel apart 2 chapters in. I highly recommend reading an eBook version to avoid the same fate.

Eartheater by Dolores Reyes

adventurous dark relaxing medium-paced

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

3.25

A very strange little book. It really felt like you were in the head of the main character, who's a little aimless and lost, just like the story. Overall I enjoyed it.

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

4.25

I really enjoyed this story! It was a little long for my taste, but the story itself was great.

The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez

dark emotional medium-paced

3.0

Informative, but it read like the narration of one of those gritty exploitative documentaries that I try to avoid. Also, it was very repetitive, and I feel that it could have been written differently or been 75 pages shorter.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, Child death, Trafficking, Gun violence, Rape, Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, and Kidnapping

Broken Places Outer Spaces: Finding Creativity in the Unexpected by Nnedi Okorafor

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this a lot, but it was difficult to parse what was happening. I think that's more a me thing than an issue with the poems. (And also is just kind of a part of the medium the story was told through.)