elsecallerreads's reviews
462 reviews

Enticed By The Corsair by Ruby Dixon

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adventurous dark fast-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 is my favorite one yet!
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

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

5.0

Gravity Lost by L.M. Sagas

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adventurous emotional 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

5.0

I think I liked this one even better than the first! Just everything about this story is so perfect to me. 
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

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

5.0

Considering pretty much every character in this is insufferable, I don't know why I loved it as much as I did. Robin Hobb just has this way of making very realistic feeling characters in a fantasy world. 
Kyle might have taken up the mantle from Regal to be my most hated fictional character. 
My only real complaint is I definitely think this could have been edited down 100 pages 
Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

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lighthearted relaxing fast-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

Cute and fluffy like the last one. Still a little rushed and heavy handed on the pop culture references 
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense 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

5.0

Sworn to the Shadow God by Ruby Dixon

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

I liked this but not as much as the first one. It was mainly because I felt like the main character was a little too stupid and naive. Like she has a computer science degree but she can't put together shit. 
Still a really fun story and I just love this world. 
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

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

4.0

I liked this a lot more than I expected. A little rushed in places and I would have to seen the friendships between the other characters and the main ones more but overall this was a fun read with well written spice 
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

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adventurous emotional 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

4.0

This might be one of the most heart breakingly beautiful love stories I've ever read. You're pulled through the story as Red and Blue are pulled through time. The prose is beautiful but at the same time it felt forced at times. I also felt it took a little bit for the characters to feel distinct to me. 
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

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emotional funny fast-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

I enjoyed this a lot. I think Elizabeth Zott is an utterly endearing character. I laughed out loud, I felt rage for her, I teared up at the end. 
Do I think this book is very realistic? No, it's exaggerated a lot at times and a lot of things that happen I don't think could have happened in the sixties. Could it stand to be a bit more intersectional? Absolutely. But much like the Barbie movie this book feels a little like feminism 101 which is unfortunately still very needed today. 
What I liked most about this story though is how it focused on family. The clearly autistic woman taking on misogyny via a cooking show was great but what really stuck out to me was the way the book kept coming back to family. What makes a family? That's really what this book is about.