thoughtsontomes's reviews
794 reviews

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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dark hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

An engaging story interweaving the history of cancer, it’s treatment, patients, and doctors. 
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Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright

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dark informative fast-paced

4.0

An interesting compilation of plants that have historically been used as poisons or seen as harmful in some way and the folklore surrounding them. 
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The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

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adventurous mysterious 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

5.0

Perfect for fans of the Winternight trilogy - this follows Baba Yaga as our protagonist and weaves in both history and Russian folklore. The writing and story are both beautiful. 
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Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey

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adventurous mysterious 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

4.25

This installment of the series had members of the Rocinante crew as the POVs which made it much more enjoyable than past installments. It flushed out all of their backstories quite a bit and still managed to tie a lot of things together. 
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Badass Ancestors: Finding Your Power with Ancestral Guides by Patti Wigington

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informative fast-paced

3.0

This book is heavily focused on genealogy- about half that and half the magical side of ancestor work. I would have preferred more of the magical things instead of the detailed genealogy info as I feel I could access other books for that info. 
House of Frank by Kay Synclaire

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emotional reflective 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

4.0

This was a sweet story about grief. I would have liked a bit more fleshing out of the characters but the bits that were fleshed out were fantastic. 
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The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi

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adventurous dark tense 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? Yes

3.0

This ending fell a little flat for me. Too much was introduced in such a short amount of time and I cared less as the series went on. I found the ending to be unsatisfying for the buildup as well. 
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When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

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adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

4.25

This was fast paced story featuring some of my favorite things: Eastern European folklore, urban fantasy, Chicago, and BABA YAGA (she falls in the first category but is important enough to mention twice). The only downside was the length led to some plot points being less believable - I would have liked it to be a full sized novel. But I’m hopeful the author will return to the world! 
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Projections by S.E. Porter

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is incredibly slow but also has an extremely interesting premise and setting and I find the undertaking to be noteworthy. The characters are unlikeable, intentionally, and there are parts that are confusing. I do think this could have been edited down a bit, as the ending feels lackluster after such a long book. 
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Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. Rosenberg

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hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

A quick read with a great communication framework. The first half was really good, but the second dropped off a bit and seemed a little redundant.