yarnchickenreads's reviews
69 reviews

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

adventurous challenging funny mysterious relaxing slow-paced

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

5.0

The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.75

Spy x Family, Vol. 6 by Tatsuya Endo

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Spy x Family, Vol. 5 by Tatsuya Endo

3.0

Wow, this one just did not hit for me.  The whole need to cook, clean, sew, and generally be a domestic goddess on the part of the women characters is getting pretty tired, even though they have jobs and lives of their own. I also find the school missions to be less interesting and they made up a large part of this volume.

I did like how the slow burn of the fake marriage continues and the way that Loid steps up to domestic chores without complaint.  Also need more Bond.

I am continuing with this series on the strength of the earlier volumes, but if the series had begun this way, I would have DNFed it

Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins

4.5

The ending was a little slow, but otherwise a fitting prequel to the Hunger Games.  Haymitch’s story was both triumphant and tragic.  I enjoyed this book.

Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense 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

5.0

This was a beautiful and nuanced ending to an exceptional trilogy.  The character growth was strong, the magic and gods interesting, and the antagonists powerful and frightening.  I loved the new characters that were introduced and was glad to see old friends returned.  The book is targeted at a YA audience, but the character and plot are sophisticated enough to satisfy adult readers as well, while explicit violent and sexual scenes remain age appropriate.  The fantasy and romantic elements remain well balanced.  This is an engaging and enjoyable series and gets a strong recommendation from me for anyone who enjoys fantasy romance. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an eARC for this book.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

3.75

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

Soft DNF.  Very slow and monotonous start, probably by design since this is from the robot’s perspective.  Not in the right headspace 

This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad 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

4.75

The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

This was an engrossing read.  I didn’t give it 5⭐️ because it took me a bit to get into, but by the end I was completely hooked.  Historical fantasy is probably not my subgenre of choice, but this was a wonderful surprise.  I am pleased and give this a strong recommendation to fantasy readers and those interested in the lore of historic Ireland.  I also enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook.  This has broken my TBR and I’m on to the sequel