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titalindaslibrary's reviews
470 reviews
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
I don't care that she "loved her", I want to fight Norma's/Ruthie's kidnapper.
This was a slow but tender reflection on intergenerational trauma and the different masks that racism can wear. Whether it's violent or subtle, the wounds it can create runs deep.
I did find it difficult at time to read Joe's perspective, as his walk down memory lane reveal a descent into alcoholism and an incident of domestic abuse. The depiction of Norma's complicated relationship with her mother was done with nuance, and at the end when the secret is revealed, I felt all the confused anger Norma felt as my own. My rage might have been a little more clearcut, but that's because I only experienced her life via a 300+ page book and not the decades she spent in a lie.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.25
This was a slow but tender reflection on intergenerational trauma and the different masks that racism can wear. Whether it's violent or subtle, the wounds it can create runs deep.
I did find it difficult at time to read Joe's perspective, as his walk down memory lane reveal a descent into alcoholism and an incident of domestic abuse. The depiction of Norma's complicated relationship with her mother was done with nuance, and at the end when the secret is revealed, I felt all the confused anger Norma felt as my own. My rage might have been a little more clearcut, but that's because I only experienced her life via a 300+ page book and not the decades she spent in a lie.
The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black
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? Yes
3.5
I do enjoy the way Holly writes contemporary fairy fantasies, and that skill is evident in this book. However I was dying for more Oak and Wren! Not enough interactions between them. The pacing dragged at times too, so this ended up in the mid range for me. Definitely loved seeing peeks of Cardan and Jude!!
Ghost Roast by Shawneé Gibbs, Shawnelle Gibbs
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
Absolutely loved this one!
Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.75
Oh this is 1000% for the ATLA fans that always wished Zutara actually happened - I firmly believe Ahn and Altan are them in an alternate universe!
There were a few things that knocked my rating down for this, the number one thing being pacing. How did so many pages go by and yet it felt like so little happened? Once I hit the halfway point, things started progressing much better! But then the conclusion hit and wrapped things up sooo quickly and conveniently. Turns out this was originally meant to be written as a trilogy, and knowing that I believe this story could’ve been told much better! I’m so sad we don’t get to see those books, because overall I did enjoy my time with this. It read like a C-drama version of ATLA, with predictable plot points but character relationship dynamics and tropes I’ll eat up every single time!
After reading Darker by Four and now Jade Fire Gold, June is clearly an author who appreciates and draws inspiration from the same media I enjoy, and I look forward to reading more of her books!
There were a few things that knocked my rating down for this, the number one thing being pacing. How did so many pages go by and yet it felt like so little happened? Once I hit the halfway point, things started progressing much better! But then the conclusion hit and wrapped things up sooo quickly and conveniently. Turns out this was originally meant to be written as a trilogy, and knowing that I believe this story could’ve been told much better! I’m so sad we don’t get to see those books, because overall I did enjoy my time with this. It read like a C-drama version of ATLA, with predictable plot points but character relationship dynamics and tropes I’ll eat up every single time!
After reading Darker by Four and now Jade Fire Gold, June is clearly an author who appreciates and draws inspiration from the same media I enjoy, and I look forward to reading more of her books!
You're That Bitch by Bretman Rock
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Definitely one of the most entertaining and Filipino AF memoirs I’ve read! Highly recommend reading this via audiobook - Bretman narrates it himself and obviously nobody else could do it better!
Letters to a Writer of Color by Taymour Soomro, Deepa Anappara
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Had to return to library.
A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley
funny
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
3.25
I knew from the previous book I’d like Calladia, and after reading her story I’d like to update that I LOVE her!
This was a delightful bit of escapism, still full of the silly, self-aware prose of the last book. But this worked so much better for me! Calladia is a warrior queen and I love how Astaroth admires and supports her brash strength. Not only that but helps her grow strong in new ways!
My big complaint is with the ending...it's just such a wildly disjointed section compared to the rest of the book. Also the political plot points are so clearly written from an aggressively white, liberal viewpoint. 🥴
The majority of this book was a fun experience though, and I recommend this for fans of Kimberly Lemming - the writing style is very similar!
This was a delightful bit of escapism, still full of the silly, self-aware prose of the last book. But this worked so much better for me! Calladia is a warrior queen and I love how Astaroth admires and supports her brash strength. Not only that but helps her grow strong in new ways!
My big complaint is with the ending...it's just such a wildly disjointed section compared to the rest of the book. Also the political plot points are so clearly written from an aggressively white, liberal viewpoint. 🥴
The majority of this book was a fun experience though, and I recommend this for fans of Kimberly Lemming - the writing style is very similar!
A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
2.25
What a silly, funny book. I'm not going to lie, I did have a good time with this. But there are also so many things that I cannot ignore. This reads like Jessica Day (yes, from New Girl) wrote a fantasy romcom. The swings from cute to cringe were wild, and while I enjoyed the first half of this book, I found myself lightly skimming towards the end.
Liked:
- the plant magic! Reading those parts made me look over at my own houseplants with heart eyes. Mariel's love for nature and plants was so relatable to me
- the self aware goofiness throughout. This book is SO not serious, and it knows it. I'll admit I laughed out loud quite a few times throughout. It's unabashedly chockful of Millennial pop culture and slang (but thankfully no HP references!)
Disliked:
- the main characters fell in love in three days. THREE DAYS. This book is almost 400 pages and yet somehow the pacing felt rushed because of how quickly things developed. The character growth feels so unbelievable because of this as well.Mariel only learns to stand up to her mom because she gets some good demon dick?? We seriously go from one Sunday family dinner where she gets walked all over (again) to the next week brandishing her power fluently and having an entire monologue shutting down her mom. After HER ENTIRE LIFE of experiencing emotional abuse and manipulation?? It's such a wild swing in a short timeframe.
- the cartoon villainish moms, omg. They're so blatantly awful with no other characteristics at all.
- the smut??? AGH, some seriously cringey moments during these scenes, I couldn't do it. Albeit I did laugh outloud at the exchange over knotting lmao
Okay...I think that's it. So while this started off promising, I found myself rolling my eyes a bit too much at the end.
HOWEVER I am very curious to give Calladia's book a try - the moments she appeared on page were some of my favorites and I love that she's a muscle mommy witch!
Liked:
- the plant magic! Reading those parts made me look over at my own houseplants with heart eyes. Mariel's love for nature and plants was so relatable to me
- the self aware goofiness throughout. This book is SO not serious, and it knows it. I'll admit I laughed out loud quite a few times throughout. It's unabashedly chockful of Millennial pop culture and slang (but thankfully no HP references!)
Disliked:
- the main characters fell in love in three days. THREE DAYS. This book is almost 400 pages and yet somehow the pacing felt rushed because of how quickly things developed. The character growth feels so unbelievable because of this as well.
- the cartoon villainish moms, omg. They're so blatantly awful with no other characteristics at all.
- the smut??? AGH, some seriously cringey moments during these scenes, I couldn't do it. Albeit I did laugh outloud at the exchange over knotting lmao
Okay...I think that's it. So while this started off promising, I found myself rolling my eyes a bit too much at the end.
HOWEVER I am very curious to give Calladia's book a try - the moments she appeared on page were some of my favorites and I love that she's a muscle mommy witch!
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
challenging
dark
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? Yes
3.75
Excuse me, that ending???
I feel like I need to sit with this a bit longer, but it read like Netflix’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch directly challenging JKR.
Trigger warning for transphobia, we get a POV of a TERF witch in this book. It’s very explicitly challenged and shown to be wrong, but still. I can see how triggering that could be to read.
I have some mixed feelings about some minor parts of this (excuse me, why did Elle’s “friends” not just tell her that her husband is cheating on her?? What kind of sisterhood hides that!? ), but I think ultimately this is a welcome addition to witchy novels that address issues of our time.
I feel like I need to sit with this a bit longer, but it read like Netflix’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch directly challenging JKR.
Trigger warning for transphobia, we get a POV of a TERF witch in this book. It’s very explicitly challenged and shown to be wrong, but still. I can see how triggering that could be to read.
I have some mixed feelings about some minor parts of this (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Racism and War
Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Wow, this is one of those books where I reached the end and immediately wanted to turn back and return to this world!
I do think there might be some mismarketing in presenting this as a romance. The romance is such a minor subplot, easy to blink and miss in this seafaring, adventurous tale! It’s just not the focus at all, providing some cute tension here and there but not much else. Dragonfruit felt more like Moana meets Pirates of the Caribbean meets How to Train Your Dragon.
I loved the Pacific Island mythology and setting, and was fully immersed in this world. Also, the tattoos that came to life and were their animal companions was such a cool detail!??
I adored fierce-but-tender Hanalei, and enjoyed the slowly developed friendship with Rosamie. It could’ve so easily veered into a rivalry and seemed set up to go that way, but thank goodness female friendships prevailed!
Sam’s tension with his cousin was also resolved nicely, and I love the way this book treated family relationships overall.
I could easily read an entire series set in this world and am hopeful we get future books with these characters!
I do think there might be some mismarketing in presenting this as a romance. The romance is such a minor subplot, easy to blink and miss in this seafaring, adventurous tale! It’s just not the focus at all, providing some cute tension here and there but not much else. Dragonfruit felt more like Moana meets Pirates of the Caribbean meets How to Train Your Dragon.
I loved the Pacific Island mythology and setting, and was fully immersed in this world. Also, the tattoos that came to life and were their animal companions was such a cool detail!??
I adored fierce-but-tender Hanalei, and enjoyed the slowly developed friendship with Rosamie. It could’ve so easily veered into a rivalry and seemed set up to go that way, but thank goodness female friendships prevailed!
Sam’s tension with his cousin was also resolved nicely, and I love the way this book treated family relationships overall.
I could easily read an entire series set in this world and am hopeful we get future books with these characters!