octavii42's reviews
156 reviews

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

A well written tale albeit full of annoyingly convoluted prose. So many eye rolling turns of phrase - "the sky was the colour of scraped eggshell". I assume the effect was to make it feel like a fairy tale as that was a major theme but that is not how fairy tales are written so I just found it annoying and pretentious. There were also some parts to the story that were never wrapped up or explained...

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous dark lighthearted 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

4.0

A thoroughly enjoyable and whimsical book. Loved the depictions of faeries. However, it did all feel remarkably easy for the main character to get herself out of trouble or uncover mysteries.

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Not particularly well written but had an enjoyable mystery at the centre of it.

The Twelve Birds of Christmas by Stephen Moss

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hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.75

Not quite a 5 star but so very close! Really enjoyed Stephen Moss's writing style and will probably pick up more of his books. I really liked how the birds were linked to the 12 days of Christmas. We got a varied and interesting array of birds to read about. Really well researched making it a fascinating read.

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

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dark funny informative mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

The book was ok, some interesting and funny bits. I found it convoluted at times and the writing style wasn't to my taste. I didn't much like how it ended either.

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

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challenging dark informative sad slow-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

4.25

Really enjoyed this and could not put it down. So much research must have gone into this, it was fascinating. A few things I think aren't quite right but then it was written over 30 years ago! Some really challenging moments in the story that made me uncomfortable but I think that's to be expected when writing about people from over 40,000 years ago! Looking forward to the next in the series.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced