makbrandt's reviews
152 reviews

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

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challenging emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as House in the Cerulean Sea, but I did still enjoy it. I sobbed through the last 1/4, and a book hasn’t done that to me in a longgggg time. 

Didn’t appreciate the shade towards cats, though.
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Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense
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Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

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challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

I loved this book, even with its confusing use of nouns and short sentences. I had no idea where I was, and I loved every second of it. Maybe I don’t read enough sci-fi, but if it’s anything like this small, gorgeous book, then I need to get the eff on that. 
The Rose of Versailles Volume 4 by Riyoko Ikeda

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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

The Rose of Versailles Volume 3 by Riyoko Ikeda

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adventurous emotional tense 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

3.75

The Rose of Versailles Volume 2 by Riyoko Ikeda

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adventurous emotional tense 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? Yes

4.0

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First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

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funny hopeful mysterious reflective fast-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

2.75

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.25

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the writing to be beautiful, and all of the characters were well-written, unique, and three-dimensional. The story was captivating and a decent mix of historical fiction & fantasy. 

I will say, it was longer than necessary. It felt like there were three or four climaxes, and the ultimate climax lasted for so long and was a bit muddled. I also didn’t understand why
the sister who didn’t have a love match/who was probably asexual had to be the one who died. It felt a bit like romantic love was more important than other forms of love which was the opposite of the rest of the story.
I also think the author tried to include elements of “other types” of magic within different cultures and mentioned how Black women experience oppression more acutely than do white women, but it fell flat and could’ve been explored much more. 
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0