spootilious's reviews
123 reviews

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley

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

2.5

 
Read: April 28, 2023
 Title: Beauty
 Series: Folktales #1
 Author: Robin Mckinley
 Genre: Romance, Fairy Tales, Retellings, Fantasy
 Rating: 2.5/5
 Review: 

Beauty is… a solidly written book. It is a sort read of less than 300 pages and Mckinley is very good at setting a scene. 

To be honest though, I didn’t care for this book. It’s not that I disliked it or that it was bad; it is simply that I don’t care for it one way or another. 

Mckinley is amazing at writing descriptors, but it can cause a scene to drag on and made this book far too slow. In addition, the book is broken into three parts, two of which could have honestly been removed and the story wouldn’t have suffered for it. 

The magic in the book is fun and whimsical and I truly loved the portrayal of the beast but most of the attention was pulled away from both and focused on attire and the high quality of the food. Which honestly was a missed opportunity. 

I found most of the characters forgettable and wished there was more of a focus on Beauty’s time at the castle. 

Overall though it wasn’t terrible but certainly doesn’t make me want to read more of the folktale series or Mckinley’s work. 


 Quotes: 

N/A 

Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

 
Read: April 27, 2023
 Title: Ghostly Echoes
 Series: Jackaby #3
 Author: William Ritter
 Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal
 Rating: 3.5/5
 Review: 

Ritter jumps into the third book of the series in full force. Like books 1 and 2 we continue with out favorite detective and his assistance. Ghostly echoes is slightly different than the others however. While in book 1 and 2, Ritter seemed to have fun with the playful banter and outlandish cases of his characters… In Book 3 everything seems to be coming together to form a dastardly plot that will no doubt continue into book 4. 

Ghostly Echoes is darker and has a bit more of a serious tone than the beginning books but does not seem to suffer from it in the least. The banter among characters is still as humorous and endearing as ever, only the stakes are set about a bit higher (pun intended). 

I’ve loved this series immensely and continue to do so. I can’t wait to start book 4 😊 


 Quotes: 

“There is something humbling about knowing that an entity capable of moving mountains and reshaping continents still takes the time to tend to the smallest patch of dirt. Little things matter. Footsteps matter.” 

“Kindness is an act of bravery, I think, just as hatred is an act of fear.” 

“Good things come to those who bring them along in the first place.” 

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

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adventurous inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 
Read: April 21, 2023
 Title: Lud-in-the-Mist
 Author: Hope Mirrlees
 Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Classics
 Rating: 4.5/5
 Review: 

There is so much I’d like to say about this book but simply cannot find the words. It saddens me that this is not very well known here in the U.S…. Though I suppose with the aged vocabulary and the difference in culture it isn’t a surprise. Regardless I have to say that this book has made it to my top 10 of best books I’ve ever read. 

Mirrlees writing is poetic yet simple (considering it was written almost 100 years ago). It is beautiful and has aged well. The entirety of the novel is poetry at its finest. Granted, going into the novel I had no idea what it was about, and even having finished it it’s difficult to say, but the journey was a beautiful and adventurous one. 

There are so many themes to this book that makes it stand out… Xenophobia, Mortality and the fear of mortality, the illusion of government and law, paternal affection, and so much more. 

The characters were all unique and lovable (even the ‘villains’), the setting was whimsical and comforting… This book had everything and more. 

I can’t describe it properly or provide more praise. My simple suggestion is to read it. You will either love or hate it and both are acceptable. Regardless, this book is going on my shelf of fame. 
 
 Quotes: 

“Pride and resentment are not indigenous to the human heart; and perhaps it is due to the gardener's innate love of the exotic that we take such pains to make them thrive.” 

“The law plays fast and loose with reality- and no one really believes it.” 

“You should regard each meeting with a friend as a sitting he is unwittingly giving you for a portrait — a portrait that, probably, when you or he die, will still be unfinished.” 

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers

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

1.0

 
Read: April 7th, 2023 
Title: All Good People Here 
Author: Ashley Flowers 
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Crime 
Rating: 1/5 
Review: 
I had heard such wonderful things about this book and truly tried to like it. To be honest, however, everything fell flat. The writing style was mediocre at best to begin with and felt forced. It was if the writer was given a paper to write on a subject they didn’t care for and they had to check certain boxes to get an A. Everything was so crammed together and overly complicated that almost nothing made sense while the storyline remained completely predictable. Honestly, I have read high school fan fiction that was better written (with and without the storyline). 

I found the main character to be melodramatic and far too dense. The story was supposed to be about a murder not about how she lost her job (with good reason), or how her parents were not that great (which had nothing to do with the story). 

The murder mystery itself is obviously a play on the Jon Benet Ramsey case which I did not even notice until it was pointed out to me; though this would explain why I felt so slimy reading it. It feels as if someone went to an amateur fan fiction writer with the prompt ‘write a fanfic about this case and make sure ____ did it’. The plot was overly complicated with so many plot holes and unnecessary information that not only do I feel like the author could have done better but the editing/publisher should have done better as well. 

Very rarely do I rate a book this low but honestly, I cannot justify giving it more than 1 star. 

 

Note: This rating was given before I discovered that Ashley Flowers actually had someone else write this for her and has not provided any credit to them. 

Quotes: N/A 

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.5

 
Read: March 8, 2023 

Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches 

Author: Sangu MAndanna 

Genre: Cozy Urban Fantasy 

Rating: 3.5/5 

Review: 

A delightfully whimsical book that was a fun and heartwarming read. With lovable and diverse characters there wasn’t a lot Mandanna could do wrong with this tale. 

While the book is almost always compared to The House in the Cerulean Sea, it definitely stands on its own. Granted there are a LOT of similarities but the tone is quite different. Mandanna may not have the poetic talent of Klune but she definitely holds her own wonderfully. Bottom line is if you liked one you’ll love the other. 

As for the story itself; it was quite predictable and the charming simplicity of its writing was both a quality and a restraint to the novel. Overall the thing that really surprised me about the novel is how realistic the romance was. The slow burn and silly… … scenes… reminded me a lot of myself and my husband (whom I’ve been married to for almost 11 years now). I found it to be refreshing to see compared to the burning loins and aggressive sex you usually see in romance novels. 

Overall this book was an utter delight! While, I may not reread it, it will most certainly be one that I recommend in the future! 

 

Quotes: 

“Danger rarely wore a monstrous face and a wielded a pitchfork. No, danger came most often in the form of nice people whose niceness only went so deep, who saved their niceness for people exactly like them, who believed they were more deserving of power and respect than anyone who was a little bit different.” 

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

 
Read: February 9, 2023
 Title: The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels
 Series: Dangerous Damsels #1
 Author: India Holton
 Genre: Historical Romance 


 Rating: 2.5/5
 Review:
 This book is whimsical and has some funny moments. However, it really breaks even for me. I don’t think I’ll pick it back up or continue reading the series. 

The characters are fun enough and the cross between upstanding society and piracy is amusing. It is very ‘Princess Bride’. Though I suppose my biggest problem with the book is that Holton is obviously a very skilled technical writer; her choreographing and action descriptions are easily understood and effective. However, when it comes to creative writing which I feel this book should have been written with, her writing comes off as mechanical (especially that sex seen). 

The writer’s skill vs the quality of the story don’t quite match up. 

In addition, the main character Cecilia is painted as perfection from the very beginning but is nothing more than a tool for characters and the author to advance the story. She ends up not even being the heroine of her own story which is just sad. (And that’s not even to mention that absolutely NO ONE died).  

I suppose I’m most upset about the fact that I can not recommend this book to anyone I know. The whimsy and fun is perfect for a number of them but the sex scene (which was terribly cold and mechanical) and for the people I know that would enjoy the romance would hate the whimsy. 

Now, don’t get me wrong if the sex scene was cut (faded to black or simply handled a different way) the book would be amusing. It has a unique premise and fun characters. I honestly would have like more of the story and less of the romance and would have loved it. 

 

 
 Quotes:
 “I needed a book in case of emergencies… those moments when nothing important is happening such as during travel. After supper. Before sleeping. Or whilst one’s opponent reloads their gun.” 

Scourged by Kevin Hearne

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sad slow-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? Yes

2.0

Besieged by Kevin Hearne

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

2.0

 
Read: January 10, 2023 
Title: Besieged 
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #9 
Author: Kevin Hearne 
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal 
Rating: 2/5 
Review: 
A series of short stories, some of which are required reading for book 10. Honestly I understand that this is Hearne’s livelihood and that he needs to make money but I really REALLY hate having to read a bunch of little irrelevant stories to get to the ones that I have to in order to understand the rest. It’s a mechanic to make money and I understand this but this is the third time I’ve had to read novella’s for this series and it’s starting to weigh on me. 
 
That being said some of these stories were fun and I still love the characters but they were so repetitive it was almost torture. The stories are pretty much cookie cutters. Big bad druid defeats <insert supernatural being> and doesn’t get thanked. Other big bad druid defeats <different supernatural being> and doesn’t get thanked. 
 
TBH I would have skipped this whole book minus the last few pages if I knew which story was the important one and still managed to continue the series without issue. 
 
 
Quotes: 
N/A 
Staked by Kevin Hearne

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

2.5

 
Read: January 8, 2023 
Title: Staked 
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #8 
Author: Kevin Hearne 
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal 
Rating: 2.5/5 
Review: 
I am going to try and keep this review brief because I still have to write Book 9’s review. 
While Hearne is a talented writer, it is obvious that he is not quite skilled enough to be writing so many storylines at once. The three story lines slow the pace to a crawl and the shift in povs and time can be a bit jarring at points. Pair this with so many off topic one lines and the entire Nigel bit (which was completely unnecessary and if left out wouldn’t change the story in the least) and it makes for a rough ride. 
The plot has been a bit shallow throughout the series but in this book it seems completely on the surface with not surprises or twists. 
I’m still enjoying the characters, humor, and magic system. 
Quotes: 
N/A 
Shattered by Kevin Hearne

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

2.5

 
Read: January 6, 2023 
Title: Shattered 
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles #7 
Author: Kevin Hearne 
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal 
 
Rating: 2.5/5 
Review: 
Book seven suffers from some major Middle Book Syndrome. Hearne is obviously trying to make the series feel more like a series and less like a bunch of individual novels sewn together. It is working, even the best series have that one book that suffers because of it. This one is that book. 
The storyline is fragmented and a bit boring and the overused jokes and forced dialog are becoming a bit cumbersome. However, the end seems to be in sight and with the set up in this book I hope it lives up to the story’s expectations. 
I will say that Hearne has a better grip on expressing the characters in this book. The emotions portrayed are much better than it has been in the past and I have to give props to him on that. 
I also found the new character’s pov wholesome and refreshing. 
Tbh I’m not too thrilled on going into the next book but am sure that will change after the first few chapters.  
Quotes: 
“I suspect that many of us, if given the chance to make one person in our lives love us more, would have no trouble in choosing where to point a finger. We are all needy, all vulnerable, all terrified that perhaps that person has an excellent reason to withhold affection. We shape our purposes to make ourselves worthy and often do not see until much later how it was love—or perhaps the lack of it—that both picked us up and dropped us off at crossroads.”