jellichor's reviews
280 reviews

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

3.5

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

3.5

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.5

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I’m glad I finally read this, if only for my teenage self who would have LOVED IT. My 36 year old self however found the writing intermittently jarring 🥴 Some word choices were disruptive to the ‘flow’ and bizarre phrases grated on me - ‘my bowels turned watery’ and ‘I loosed my breath’ being top of the offenders list 🫠

I was however quickly invested in the story and appreciated the effort in world building. It’s cheesy and predictable, juvenile and shallow at times, and it’s got the standard teenage angsty escapism I come to expect from a YA book, but it definitely held my attention until the somewhat intense and dramatic climax (ha).

As with the likes of the true blood and twilight series which I read many moons ago as a young adult, you’re there for the compulsive fantasy read, not necessarily the writing - so not ruling out continuing the series at some point! 🙌🏽

The Wrong Suitcase by Laura Jane Williams

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings