wanderonwards's reviews
1128 reviews

My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

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funny lighthearted 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

4.0

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves

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

2.5

Thank you to Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of this title. I received this copy for free and this review contains my honest opinions. 
 
From the synopsis on the copy I received I definitely thought this story was going to focus more on geocaching, and I was really looking forward to a story about exploration, hiking, and geocaching in a state with hikes I’m very familiar with. I did really enjoy the first part of this novel, which was exactly what the synopsis had set my expectations up for, but geocaching was really only included as a way for the two main characters to meet and not as a backbone of the plot. 
 
The story focuses on healing from trauma and moving forward with your life, which could have blended beautifully with the geocaching part I was so excited for, but instead the story quickly moves away and the second half of this novel contains several of my least favorite tropes in fiction. I would encourage other readers take note of content warnings: I would have never picked this up if I knew some of the plot points (and character decisions) in the second half of the book. 
 
Even though this turned out to not be my favorite title, thank you again to the publisher for sending me a free ARC. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Water Day by Margarita Engle

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informative medium-paced

4.0

Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.5

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

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adventurous hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

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funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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