booktalkcorner's reviews
268 reviews

The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

This book had so many elements that I absolutely loved—it was gothic, sapphic, mysterious, centred around con artist sisters—and I was prepared for this to be an easy 5 star read, but something felt like it was missing.

In general, the story was incredible; I liked that the author was able to surprise me with the direction the story went in, while still keeping the narrative believable, but I think we really needed more fleshed out relationships—especially the one between Charlotte and Sylvie. We were slowly introduced to more of their past and dynamic as the story progressed, but it just wasn’t enough information to make every interaction between them feel believable.

The relationship between Charlotte and Florence, however, was everything I could’ve hoped for (the yearning!!!), and I’m glad we got to see the full progression of it without too many time jumps.

I almost wish that the entire story had been told from Charlotte’s point of view (or even a regular dual POV) instead of the first half being told from Sylvie’s, but I understand why the author chose to shift the perspective like this; the first half of the story wouldn’t have had the same spooky, gothic vibe without it and the big reveal wouldn’t have been as impactful. I think I just wasn’t able to connect with Sylvie’s character as readily because she wasn’t as fleshed out as Charlotte, so this made the first half of the book feel quite slow.

Ultimately, this was an enjoyable read that I can see myself coming back to in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

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4.0

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

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4.25

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced