owlsreads's reviews
3507 reviews

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

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2.0

Audiobook narration was wonderful, but the plot was a bit too weird for me and all of the different perspectives weren't distinct enough from each other. I'd say I prefer Acevedo's YA works.
Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

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

2.0

This didn't quite work for me. I didn't like or connect to any of the characters and didn't appreciate all of the lying and miscommunication. The magic was so cool, however, and I wish it had been a bigger part of the plot than it was.
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

I was pretty hesitant about two points here: 1) the memory loss subplot and 2) the gods having a bigger part in the story. Happy to report that Ross dealt with those things in a pretty great way! There was a lot more tension in this book than in the previous one and I enjoyed how the serious tone impacted the characters. I do think this dragged on for a bit too long and then the resolution regarding the gods was so... underwhelming and rushed. The ending was still very sweet, however!
My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Such a great read. I loved the first few chapters and how they mixed Roos' perspective with patient interviews; it was a great way to frame the story and slowly introduce Roos and Ruth as characters as well as the main plot. I also loved how queer it was! And all of the gore-y and spooky visuals. The plot itself kept me engaged and guessing and I thought the twists were very satisfying.
It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told) by Karen Tang

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informative

4.5

I read this as a companion book to Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation by Jen Gunter. It was good! It was a lot more to the point than the previous novel, but still had some interesting details not mentioned by Gunter. I'd recommend this for an objective view on the subject without interjections about the author's personal life. 
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
DNF @ 35%

I like the commentary on mass incarceration as a form of slavery, but there's too much going on with the writing in a way that makes it very difficult for me to keep track of things.
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

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tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

The setting and writing here were excellent! I loved being back in this universe and meeting Easton again. With that said, the plot was a little underwhelming and so were the spooky bits.
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

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1.0

I'm giving this 1 star instead of none because I appreciated the bees and also the queerness. The rest was terrible.
Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

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mysterious 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

4.0

Another great read from KJ Charles! I really liked that this one focused more on the murder mystery bits than the romance. The plot was very well developed and intriguing and I liked the cast of characters and their complicated relationships with each other. I did wish we had a bit more of a HEA than what we got, however. Even so, great read and the audiobook narrator was lovely.
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

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mysterious fast-paced

3.0

This was just an okay read for me. I didn't like the final reveal on why the show became a thing.