hibsdontlie's reviews
26 reviews

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Loveable characters? Yes

2.0

i really wanted to like this book but i just finished it and i have already forgotten half the plot. for what it is it’s too long and lacks substance. idk maybe it would’ve worked better as a short story.
i did like the characters and there were definitely little details i enjoyed (“boys” turning into dragons as well, the librarian, how the media avoided stories about dragoning, etc.). overall, the concept itself is fun, i just think it could have used another round of editing. felt like an overpriced salad at a fancy bistro like i def could’ve made this at home. :((

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

i had fun reading this book. characters are well written and i really liked most of them. i didn't like some of the dialogue and the pacing was kind of up and down (it took me 3 weeks to finish the last 60 pages 🤠), but overall a fun read. surprised myself and teared up towards the end.

also the way they got rid of raksh was borderline cartoonish but okay

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

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3.0

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

this took me 6 months to finish bc i have fomo and refuse to dnf books. there’s a lot i couldn’t care less about but more of the enby ifrit pls.

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

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adventurous 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

3.75

successful marriage counseling is when your wife nearly cuts your head off and you say thank you.

+ overall, it was a good book to lose yourself into.
+ i really liked our main cast of characters. tears were definitely shed because of them and it was so easy to hurt with them. they were well-written and they felt whole, even as they continued to develop throughout the book.
+ i could not put it down between around 35-60%
- i was not a huge fan of the world building.

if kwang chul-hee plays video games in his freetime... technology must be available and accessible? so why is the superior ranganese army fighting with cheap swords and not guns? or did i miss something? 😭

- i haaaaaaaated the use of real-life languages in this book. took me all the way out of the fantasy. at worst, it made me cringe. you want me to believe they're kaigenese why are they speaking real life japanese??? or

the soldier with the braid talking about you cut my hair in mandarin(?)

. i came here to escape i want my money back >:(
+ the author herself acknowledges that the world building has its problems. it's such a shame otherwise this definitely would have made a great first book in a series, hence the rating because it's not a 4 but it's not a 3 either ☹
- the writing for the most part was smooth but there were definitely moments where i remember reading something and feeling like okay that was kind of redundant. the last third especially was tedious to read. there were parts where i felt like i kept reading and reading but wasn't getting anywhere 🗿

i'm not proofreading this. send.

Content Warnings

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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slow-paced

3.0

Content Warnings

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

the most unlikeable protagonist to ever exist my god this whole book is just
coriolanus: they can’t have nice things only i can have nice things >:(
literally everyone: coryo you have had cabbage for dinner for four days now and your empty house is being held together by tape
coriolanus: but i’m a snow >:(

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

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slow-paced