toadfairy's reviews
182 reviews

Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard

emotional 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

3.5

Raw & rough but also sweet. This story was different from your average queer YA. I did have to remind myself that it's nearly a decade old, but overall enjoyed this one. Butch lesbian rep, woo!

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

adventurous 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? No

5.0

Easy 5 stars for me. Absolutely adored this book, start to finish. The charm and magic poured from the pages, I felt like I was wrapped up in the spell right with the characters. I really hope we get a sequel to this! 

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This was equal parts informative as it was poetic. The writing was so beautiful while I learned so much about ecology & botany and indigenous teachings. It broke my heart reading about how we have mistreated our earth, while giving me hope that when we finally start listening to indigenous peoples, we can heal her in time. This was an easy 5 stars, this book had be sobbing consistently the whole way through. 

Loveless by Alice Oseman

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The ending fell flat for me, but overall really enjoyed this book. 

Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

You Are the Medicine: 13 Moons of Indigenous Wisdom, Ancestral Connection, and Animal Spirit Guidance by Asha Frost

hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Beautiful and informative read. Highly recommend to those looking for spiritual healing and fostering connection with the self. 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

3.5

Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight

dark slow-paced

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

0.0

I'll never get these 16 hours of my life back. This has gotta be one of the worst books I have ever had the displeasure of reading. The terrible accents & inflection by the narrators of the audiobook made it 100 times worse. I am so glad to have the option of 0 stars over here on storygraph because giving 1 star on Goodreads felt way too generous. The characters were not even a little bit likeable, the writing was awful, there was no flow and nothing made sense.

I kept hoping it would get better, to no avail. Would not recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Body horror, Blood, and Alcohol

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0