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kari_marie's reviews
482 reviews

Small Magic: Short Fiction, 1977-2020 by Terry Brooks

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

 Small Magic by Terry Brooks is a collection of short stories. Terry Brooks created three wonderful worlds and this collection gave us a story from each. Brooks is a wonderful writer. My biggest complaint was that first short story was built off a story that was not written by Brooks. This should have been moved to later in the collection. Overall though the stories made me happy and I cannot recommend them enough. 

4 Stars for being very well written. I do not always know all of Brooks characters, but even so I get sucked in. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Terry Brooks for the ARC. This was an honest review. 

The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers: All the Know-How You Need to Plant and Tend Outdoor Areas Using Eco-Friendly Methods by Allison McManus, Sean McManus

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informative

4.0

 Sean and Allison McManus have written a very thorough guide to start gardening. This was very comprehensive and my biggest complaint was that it was an e-book. When it comes to gardening/ self-help books I prefer a hard copy where I can take notes and just generally build off of. I wish they had discussed the container aspects a little more thoroughly but overall there was some very good explanations to what to look for when gardening. 
 
4 stars for being a good guide with thorough information. Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group, Sean and Allison McManus. 
The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

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

2.0

Great premise. That is the only positive I have for this book. I found the main characters boring. One of the major plot twists was super predictable. The pacing was slow and there was a lot of fluff. I really cannot recommend this book.
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

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Did not finish book.
28 hour audiobook is ridiculous. I got a couple hours in and I just could not do it. Donnelly is really hit or miss for me and this was a super miss.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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

4.0

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I have heard of the movie and when I heard it was a book I jumped right in. I now definitely want to watch the movie.
Chalice by Robin McKinley

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hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I listened to this so I am more generous in my review. I really cannot recall anything from this book. Nothing really pulled me into this book. Honey magic was interesting but that is all I really remember. I listened to this less than a week ago.
Last Day by Luanne Rice

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

 
Last Day by Luanne Rice is a murder mystery. A woman is found brutally murdered and painting is missing. The woman, Beth was in similar situation as teen but it was her mother who was murdered. Beth's sister Kate is the one to find her and it brings back all the horrible memories from that night in the basement. Detective Conor Reid was one of the officers to find Beth and Kate originally and he has now been assigned to find Beth's murder. 
 
Last Day has… I really cannot think of one thing I liked about this book. I finished it. No this is not the worst book but I expected more from Luanne Rice so I am being more harsh. I figured out who did it as soon as I met them. None of the red herrings really worked for me because they were too obvious. Kate seemed bland she really didn't have any characteristics and the detective has been stalking Kate and Beth ever since the basement.  I expected more and I was disappointed. 
 
2.5 stars because I don’t think this was a bad book but I expected more and because of that I was bored. Thank you to NetGalley, Luanne Rice and Thomas & Mercer for the free copy.  This was an honest review. 
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

3.5

 
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec takes in the world of Norse mythology. Angrboda's story starts where she is in the woods alone healing. Loki comes to bring her heart back. He succeeds and actually gives her three children for who her heart over flows for.  From there her story continues which may lead to the end of the world and a lot of heartbreak. 
 
So many feelings about this book. It was beautiful in many ways but also aggravating. It was a dive into mythology I really do not know. Gornichec delves into many lores, some I knew of and some I did not. This book is a slow burn. The first two-thirds was really a story of domesticity. I really questioned finishing this book. The last third is where all the action takes place. Part of the reason this book was hard was because there is so little action in the beginning and no chapters. That’s right this book was broken into parts and that’s it. It really drags it out. 
 
I really struggled with characters in this book.  Angrboda was not my favorite because she was a very passive character. She never really makes a decision and just kind seems to exist. This woman is supposed to be the most powerful withch, the mother of monsters and I felt like I could come in knocker her out. She is also not very likable, but I did feel for her especially in the end. Skadi was a fun character but I did not like how Gornichec seemed to use her as a tool to make this story LGBT friendly. Skadi liking women was not the issue, but the "relationship" between her and Angrboda was. It felt forced because Angrboda never showed any inclination to any woman much less her best friend. 
 
I am giving this book 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Genevieve Gornichec for the ARC. This was an honest review. 
The I Love My Instant Pot(r) 5-Ingredient Recipe Book: From Pot Roast, Potatoes, and Gravy to Simple Lemon Cheesecake, 175 Quick and Easy Recipes by Michelle Fagone

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5.0

 I Love My Instant Pot 5-Ingredient Recipe Book by Michelle Fagone is good recipe book with a variety of recipes that are easy to follow and accessible ingredients. I tried 4 recipes. 
 
The easiest and simple recipe was the Amish Inspired Egg Noodles. Super easy and tasty. Do I really need an instant pot for this? No but still tasty. 
 
Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash was easy, tasty and customizable. 
 
Bacon Cheddar Scrambled Egg Muffins were good and she even mentioned freezable. Thank you for telling me that. This makes the cook book go up in my estimation. 
 
Chocolate Cherry Soda Pop cupcakes were easy and a hit or miss on actually turning out. Cherry Pepsi worked, Dr. Pepper did not. Mine were undercooked but who doesn’t love a gooey cupcake. 
 
For criticism just be aware 5 ingredients is fudging the line a little. Staple items are not part of the 5-Ingredients. Overall this was a great cookbook if you have no idea what to do with your pressure cooker. She gives tips and talks about alterations. 
 
5 Stars because easy customizable recipes with a variety of things to try. I did four and I will try more. Thank you to NetGalley, Adams Media and Michele Fagone for an ARC. This was an honest review.