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indieandajean's reviews
408 reviews
Rose Wolves by Natalie Warner
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Rose Wolves is a beautiful story of friendship and finding the place you belong told through gorgeous illustrations and only a few environmental words. The friendship between the little girl and her wolf friend is beautiful and easily understood through the art. I love the inclusion of both the girl and the wolf's limb differences. It doesn't effect the plot, but the representation is always nice to see in middle grade!
Ultimately the pace of the story and the length of the story comes off as a little too fast and a little too short, but it is still enjoyable.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read with beautiful illustrations.
Ultimately the pace of the story and the length of the story comes off as a little too fast and a little too short, but it is still enjoyable.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read with beautiful illustrations.
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Alcohol
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Bride is, in a word, sensational! Ali Hazelwood's grasp of character and world building is unmatched, and there is no denying her skill in Bride which does not suffer for being her first book in the paranormal romance space.
I had long since given up on vampire novels as a reader (being the right age at the right time for the vampire YA craze of the late 00's and early 10's made me avoid vampires for a time) but Bride doesn't really come across as a vampire novel and it doesn't rely on the paranormal to give depth to the plot. This novel is, at its core, amazing enemies to lovers content with just the right amount of spice.
Lowe is magnetic and Hazelwood's decision to include his perspective in snippets at the start of each chapter not only added to his like-ability, but was a fresh take on the two POV romance. Misery is easy to feel a kinship with and her snappy one-liners and intelligence makes her a fun character to read.
I would highly recommend Bride to Hazelwood fans, and also to those who read paranormal romance.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the e-ARC of Bride by Ali Hazelwood in exchange for an honest review!
I had long since given up on vampire novels as a reader (being the right age at the right time for the vampire YA craze of the late 00's and early 10's made me avoid vampires for a time) but Bride doesn't really come across as a vampire novel and it doesn't rely on the paranormal to give depth to the plot. This novel is, at its core, amazing enemies to lovers content with just the right amount of spice.
Lowe is magnetic and Hazelwood's decision to include his perspective in snippets at the start of each chapter not only added to his like-ability, but was a fresh take on the two POV romance. Misery is easy to feel a kinship with and her snappy one-liners and intelligence makes her a fun character to read.
I would highly recommend Bride to Hazelwood fans, and also to those who read paranormal romance.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the e-ARC of Bride by Ali Hazelwood in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human by Kimberly Lemming
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Much like the rest of the Mead Mishaps books, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human is giving you exactly what it says it will (shifter romance and humor), no more, no less. It's an enjoyable, adventurous, saucy read giving just the right amount of character cameos from the previous books to keep the cozy/ familiar vibes coming (yay for Cherry being alive, yay for more Alexis content).
I will say for those that normally skip authors notes and launch themselves into a book, that early on there is a significant amount of dubious consent (relating to smelly drugged tea and misunderstandings) which is personally not my favorite thing. The content warnings supplied in the book were enough to prepare me to expect it, so it didn't ruin the book for me and that's why I personally love that all of Lemmigs books come with content warnings. The rest of the book does rely on Cherry and Dante's bond being formed in that moment of dub con, but the remainder of the book does include enthusiastic consent, so it is worth the read if you can get past that bit.
Overall the book is a great blend of humor, fantasy, and romance. If you enjoyed the other two books in this series, this will absolutely be your cup of (hopefully not smelly) tea.
I will say for those that normally skip authors notes and launch themselves into a book, that early on there is a significant amount of dubious consent (relating to smelly drugged tea and misunderstandings) which is personally not my favorite thing. The content warnings supplied in the book were enough to prepare me to expect it, so it didn't ruin the book for me and that's why I personally love that all of Lemmigs books come with content warnings. The rest of the book does rely on Cherry and Dante's bond being formed in that moment of dub con, but the remainder of the book does include enthusiastic consent, so it is worth the read if you can get past that bit.
Overall the book is a great blend of humor, fantasy, and romance. If you enjoyed the other two books in this series, this will absolutely be your cup of (hopefully not smelly) tea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
Check & Mate has all the charm, wit and feminism of Hazelwood's adult novels with a moderate reduction in spice.
Mallory and Nolan's relationship is both swoon-worthy and easy in a way that makes this book centered around competition feel welcoming and comfortable to read.
As a woman in STEM I always find the shop talk in Hazelwood's novels enjoyable, but I have never been interested in chess. That was, of course, until this book made it sexy.
If you're like me and usually pass up YA Romance, don't skip this one. It reads more New Adult, and the book is overall fabulous.
Mallory and Nolan's relationship is both swoon-worthy and easy in a way that makes this book centered around competition feel welcoming and comfortable to read.
As a woman in STEM I always find the shop talk in Hazelwood's novels enjoyable, but I have never been interested in chess. That was, of course, until this book made it sexy.
If you're like me and usually pass up YA Romance, don't skip this one. It reads more New Adult, and the book is overall fabulous.
Vampire Breath by R.L. Stine
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5/5 Stars for me
I love a good enemies to lovers romance, and if you make it witchy, I'm probably sold! That said, this one had some hang ups for me that didn't allow for full marks.
The romance was spot on, I loved the magic system, but some of Reggie's resistance to believing in magic just felt forced.
Of course I think anyone would be surprised that magic suddenly exists in their lives, but the mental gymnastics were just a bit much for me and it didn't really do much for the plot after the first couple "they shouldn't encourage this poor old woman's delusions". This, in combination with the fact that she had to constantly be reminded by others not to believe her parents would ever change just made her seem really unlikeable and flat at times, which I don't think was the author's intention. I understand that a component of this comes from the fact that Reggie is inspired by Rey and that Rey wasn't nearly as well written as any of us would like in at least one of the three movies in which she appeared, but I think that this could have been remedied by being a bit more willing to move away from the canon/ head-canon sphere and more into the original space. This is remedied in the sequel where, even as a side character who only comes up a couple of times, Reggie feels more like her own character.
Otherwise I really enjoyed the plot, the other characters, the romance, and the humor of the story.
I'd recommend it to someone looking for a good witchy read, or to someone who likes Reylo and wants to read some pretty directly adapted fanfic.
I love a good enemies to lovers romance, and if you make it witchy, I'm probably sold! That said, this one had some hang ups for me that didn't allow for full marks.
The romance was spot on, I loved the magic system, but some of Reggie's resistance to believing in magic just felt forced.
Of course I think anyone would be surprised that magic suddenly exists in their lives, but the mental gymnastics were just a bit much for me and it didn't really do much for the plot after the first couple "they shouldn't encourage this poor old woman's delusions". This, in combination with the fact that she had to constantly be reminded by others not to believe her parents would ever change just made her seem really unlikeable and flat at times, which I don't think was the author's intention. I understand that a component of this comes from the fact that Reggie is inspired by Rey and that Rey wasn't nearly as well written as any of us would like in at least one of the three movies in which she appeared, but I think that this could have been remedied by being a bit more willing to move away from the canon/ head-canon sphere and more into the original space. This is remedied in the sequel where, even as a side character who only comes up a couple of times, Reggie feels more like her own character.
Otherwise I really enjoyed the plot, the other characters, the romance, and the humor of the story.
I'd recommend it to someone looking for a good witchy read, or to someone who likes Reylo and wants to read some pretty directly adapted fanfic.
Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn
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
2.5
One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This one was a fairly neutral read for me. Tessa Dare doesn't really "miss" for the regency romance reader, or at least she never misses for me, but this one wasn't my favorite of her books.
It reads as being pretty stock standard for a smutty regency, with the standout elements occurring mostly at the beginning of the book. I liked the characters fine, Amelia and Spencer were fun to read about, but I'd had about enough of Amelia's over-attached relationship with her brothers early on and it made it harder to enjoy the book on the whole.
There was almost too much going on and the plot turned into regency romance soup if not regency romance bingo between the murder, politics, financial hardships, potential social ruin, actual social ruin, etc. etc. etc.
At the end of the day it's a fine book, but nothing to write home about.
It reads as being pretty stock standard for a smutty regency, with the standout elements occurring mostly at the beginning of the book. I liked the characters fine, Amelia and Spencer were fun to read about, but I'd had about enough of Amelia's over-attached relationship with her brothers early on and it made it harder to enjoy the book on the whole.
There was almost too much going on and the plot turned into regency romance soup if not regency romance bingo between the murder, politics, financial hardships, potential social ruin, actual social ruin, etc. etc. etc.
At the end of the day it's a fine book, but nothing to write home about.