rationalnerd's reviews
49 reviews

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

So beautiful. Gonna need some time to recover from it.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

This book felt like a love letter to women in all their strength and diversity. Inspiring and relatable characters.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

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adventurous mysterious reflective 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? No

4.0

Took me some times to get into it, but overall I enjoyed the setting and the characters.
Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

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

4.0

It's a quick fun read, ideal for a relaxing afternoon!
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This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? No

5.0

A very beautiful book. Does everything of it made sense to me? No. But you kind of have to let the experience wash over you. It's beautifully written... Those letters, gosh. I love how this relationship between Red and Blue evolves, and this hunger in the messages they exchange, how much they take from each others...

Really, one of the most moving books I've read this year!
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

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dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

That book was on my TBR for a while, and I'm glad I finally picked it up. Touraine and Luca are both messy and interesting characters, who are trying to do some good but somehow keep making huge mistakes that ruin everything. I'm rooting for them, but boy their task is far from easy.
The book also dive deep into politics, colonialism, racism, with also a lot of queer representation, all of which was very refreshing to read in fantasy. Oh, and the magic system is fascinating.
Overall, I was very invested when reading this book, and I'm excited by what next C L Clark will write...
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Quite an interesting read, while not one I felt passionate about. The world built was very intriguing, with those very different human cities that are just hanging on a thread, barely surviving. I liked the two main characters, and felt for both. 

Despite the story bringing us to very different places of this world, the pace felt slow and I wasn't always sure what was the plot about. Overall, it felt like a distopian slice of life, which isn't a critics in itself: not something that I expected, but something that I still enjoyed.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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challenging dark emotional tense 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

4.5

Where you're unsure whether the characters are losing their mind or the world they live in is getting completely insane.

Psychological horror. Contains a mean sword, an approximate notion of time, and soup. The best tasteless soup.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

When a friendly necromancy challenge between the champions of eight Houses turns into a murder mystery novel. Contains sword fights, quiet games, and titty magazines. 

The ending is... Intriguing. Depending on how future books go, I may change to another rating. I'm a mix of invested and concerned regarding the fate of some of the characters.