randi_jo's reviews
358 reviews

Wayhaven Chronicles: Book Two by Mishka Jenkins

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The plot progression is great but I don't think it hits the same as book 1 does, absolutely love the characters though and will keep coming back to this one, 100%
Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One by Mishka Jenkins

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adventurous dark 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? No

4.5

Probably one of my favorite IF's of all time. Supernatural mystery romance? I'm in.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

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

3.0

The poetic prose in this was very pretty and the subject - the idea of familial history coloring your own present, the inescapable roots of self. I think, for me, a lot of meaning was lost in the back and forth of the timelines, too much of my brainpower was spent trying to place myself in the the correct time, the frame of mind I needed to be in to absorb the prose of what was happening, so I feel like I missed a lot of deeper meanings. With the audiobook I sort've feel like this was expounded because it's harder to mull over the poetic nature of it when it's being read to you, when it is, essentially, a novel length poem, and I gave up going back to relisten to segments once I realized the entire book would be the same way.
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark

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

5.0

A fun adventure in the universe of a magical steampunk version of early 1900s Cairo. Even though it was written after A Master of Djinn it's a good intro to the universe. 
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

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challenging emotional reflective 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

I had a good time with this one. Annie's growth as both a person and a robot, and the way it fluctuates back and forth is so interesting - going from wanting to be comparable to human but in the end refusing to reject her identity as a robot is *chef's kiss*. 

To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure at about this book at first because a lot of robot-contemplating-humanity stories go sort've the same way since Asimov, but when I was wrong about the plot trajectory at about halfway in, I was more than willing to see the whole thing through. The ending could've been better, more fleshed out and engaging rather than slapping a bow on top, but I think the story itself had achieved its purpose.

Doug is a douche, through and through.
Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-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

4.5

Listened to the audiobook so I dunno if I can spell any of the names/alien species right lol.

I went into this one semi-blind so didn't really know it was going to be a mystery, but it ended up being a fun sci-fi whodunnit story. There were a LOT of moving parts in this, so audiobook format probably wasn't my best choice as there were some pieces that were (at the time of listening) boring to get through because they didn't seem important/were red herring types of scenes. It all tied up really nicely at the end, though, and even had a shoe in for the plot of book two without making it into a big ole cliffhanger.

The best part? The aliens are very alien-y and not just like, green humans or something. Different culturally and everything. The best kind of aliens.
It’s A Bird. It’s A Plane. It’s The Physical Manifestation Of My Ridiculous Reaction To Canonically Bisexual Superheroes Who Freak Me Out Because I’m An Ignorant Emotionally Stunted Bigot by Chuck Tingle

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3.75

My Non-Binary Ass Is Saved By This Sentient Parking Spot In The Pounding Zone, Which You Can Park In After Six Unless Otherwise Marked by Chuck Tingle

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3.75

Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

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lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.5

A cute book of essays about life and people examined through their shared hobby of knitting. Some were cute and sweet others kinda meh. In all I had a good time and learned that some people can knit and walk at the same time.  😲
Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey

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adventurous dark emotional sad slow-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

Look, when your soulmate dies, like for real for real, I too would be a depressed, whiney little shit. Vanyel is probably newest favorite character in the Valdemar series.