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takarakei's reviews
486 reviews
In The Weeds by B.K. Borison
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
This just wasn’t for me on a basic trope level - one night stand turned into romance. I rarely like that trope cause I feel like since they've already slept together you don't get any build up of tension. Particularly this couple only have a physical attraction and have barely spent time together and are constantly mentioning looks. I don't understand personality wise like what they see in each other? Which is a bummer cause I really enjoyed book 1. I might read others in the series eventually
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Unfortunately a slightly lackluster ending to this series. I just felt like there wasn't quite enough plot things going on - too much of a continuation of Maddoc just being annoying without it staying interesting. Also, I didn't understand why we should be so quick to forgive Taryn? Sure I guess she married an asshole (that's on her!), but did she really earn Jude's forgiveness? Imo no!
The ending curse twist was interesting I guess but also easily resolved. Idk I guess I just expected to have a little more devastation in this series in general?
A friend send me Cardan's letters and WHY were those not included in every edition?! Gods that was the best part and it wasn't even included!
The ending curse twist was interesting I guess but also easily resolved. Idk I guess I just expected to have a little more devastation in this series in general?
A friend send me Cardan's letters and WHY were those not included in every edition?! Gods that was the best part and it wasn't even included!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, and War
Minor: Cannibalism, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou
The I guess you’d call it “magic system” is cool, there are “other-born” people who are descendants of the Greek Fates (gods) who have special powers. Io and her sisters are Moira-born, descendants of Moirae the goddess of Fate, and can see/manipulate threads that tie every person to the things/people/places they love.
I found the world building beyond the descriptions of the other-born powers to be a little confusing or incomplete. I didn’t really get a sense for time period and there was no map or great description of the city this story takes place in. There were other cities or countries(?) that were mentioned, but it was had to understand how they all related in the larger world. And as there are some political things going on, it would’ve been helpful to understand that context. I think that’s the main struggle I had with this book.
It’s not necessarily slow to start, but I didn’t really get fully engaged in the story until the second half. It did have a strong ending and I will likely listen to the sequel.
I did do combination audio and physical. The audio was fine - nothing spectacular but not bad.
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
3.5
- Descendants of lost gods
- Mythology elements
- Fated mates
- A prophecy
- Mystery
- Sister dynamics
- Non-binary & queer side characters
The I guess you’d call it “magic system” is cool, there are “other-born” people who are descendants of the Greek Fates (gods) who have special powers. Io and her sisters are Moira-born, descendants of Moirae the goddess of Fate, and can see/manipulate threads that tie every person to the things/people/places they love.
I found the world building beyond the descriptions of the other-born powers to be a little confusing or incomplete. I didn’t really get a sense for time period and there was no map or great description of the city this story takes place in. There were other cities or countries(?) that were mentioned, but it was had to understand how they all related in the larger world. And as there are some political things going on, it would’ve been helpful to understand that context. I think that’s the main struggle I had with this book.
It’s not necessarily slow to start, but I didn’t really get fully engaged in the story until the second half. It did have a strong ending and I will likely listen to the sequel.
I did do combination audio and physical. The audio was fine - nothing spectacular but not bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion and Death of parent
Animal cruelty/death: there is an animal fighting ring of some world specific character called chimerini. It’s about 1-2 pages and I just skipped over it
The Wicked King by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Girlie pop really can't trust anyone.
Some pacing issues in this one that made parts a bit slow. But there were some iconic scenes between Cardan and Jude. This shit truly is real enemies to lovers, and I ate that up.
Some pacing issues in this one that made parts a bit slow. But there were some iconic scenes between Cardan and Jude. This shit truly is real enemies to lovers, and I ate that up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
The Cruel Prince: Collector's Edition by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm gonna echo what my friend Kat said: that I wasn't sure how I was going to get past the bullying at first, then we realized that they can just BOTH be horrible and manipulate each other !!! This is true enemies to lovers (but v slow burn and romance is not the focus).
The one downside to this series is it feels like prior knowledge of fey/fae culture is needed, because the worldbuilding doesn't do a great job of explaining some dynamics particularly between fey and humans.
The one downside to this series is it feels like prior knowledge of fey/fae culture is needed, because the worldbuilding doesn't do a great job of explaining some dynamics particularly between fey and humans.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
adventurous
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
3.5
Unfortunately this didn’t really live up to how much I enjoyed the first book. Besides adding in new POVs with Kora and Nova chapters, I found the first 300 pages to be extremely slow moving. I also felt a bit like I would’ve benefitted from reading the author’s other series, even though they are separate. From what I understand it’s kind of a whole universe that’s been created. Felt a tad bit like I was missing some link while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Colonisation
Kinda spicy for a YA novel 😅 like I’m fine with it, but I was surprised
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Wow! What a wild ride, especially with the graphic audio. I did follow along with an ebook as it was my first time reading this (and there's def some small bits left out of the GA, so I'm glad I did that - it was mostly inner-dialogue stuff but still a bit curious). The ending of this book really takes off and that especially on GA was like "eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!"
I just honestly had a GOOD ASS TIME reading this book. Really enjoyed the characters! Lightsong especially was just hilarious (also one of my fav tropes: the reluctant hero). The interactions between characters was fun to read, good banter. Sanderson is really good at writing distinctly different povs and then weaving them into a storyline that comes together in the end. THE MAGIC SYSTEM is SO cool! Felt like magic created for visual artists for sure.
The ending was what is described as a typical "Sanderlanche" where there's really a point of no return while reading and you're not gonna wanna put it down. So much happens at the end it's a lil nuts in a "I'm at 96% in this book and HOW is this gonna end" way - and how it does end is a little abrupt. Supposedly, Sanderson is going to write more in this world, and I could definitely see how that's possible with where things end (although it is definitely still a standalone so no worries about a cliffhanger).
So far... this is my top rated Sanderson book, but I've just started Stormlight and was told to read this before Words of Radiance (which I have HIGH expectations for).
I just honestly had a GOOD ASS TIME reading this book. Really enjoyed the characters! Lightsong especially was just hilarious (also one of my fav tropes: the reluctant hero). The interactions between characters was fun to read, good banter. Sanderson is really good at writing distinctly different povs and then weaving them into a storyline that comes together in the end. THE MAGIC SYSTEM is SO cool! Felt like magic created for visual artists for sure.
The ending was what is described as a typical "Sanderlanche" where there's really a point of no return while reading and you're not gonna wanna put it down. So much happens at the end it's a lil nuts in a "I'm at 96% in this book and HOW is this gonna end" way - and how it does end is a little abrupt. Supposedly, Sanderson is going to write more in this world, and I could definitely see how that's possible with where things end (although it is definitely still a standalone so no worries about a cliffhanger).
So far... this is my top rated Sanderson book, but I've just started Stormlight and was told to read this before Words of Radiance (which I have HIGH expectations for).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Torture, Murder, and War
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In the author's note N.K. Jemisin wrote that she had a hard time finishing this series (and switched it from a trilogy into a duology) because the things she wrote about in book 1 became reality. I can totally understand losing motivation, and indeed it was eerie to read about - it really did not seem like fiction.
Unfortunately the struggle was felt while reading. The pace of the book was a bit slow - not a lot happening from each character's pov until towards the end. It felt a little meander-y and I wasn't super engaged overall. The political storyline in particular I did not find super compelling. I did really enjoy the 'interruption' chapters that visited the other cities & really emphasizing just how young the US (and NYC) is. I found the ending to be a bit too tidy also. I really loved the first book, so it's a shame this one didn't quite meet that high bar.
These remain fantastic audiobooks, they really are almost like graphic audios with sound fx! If you're going to read this series and enjoy audiobooks I highly recommend those.
Unfortunately the struggle was felt while reading. The pace of the book was a bit slow - not a lot happening from each character's pov until towards the end. It felt a little meander-y and I wasn't super engaged overall. The political storyline in particular I did not find super compelling. I did really enjoy the 'interruption' chapters that visited the other cities & really emphasizing just how young the US (and NYC) is. I found the ending to be a bit too tidy also. I really loved the first book, so it's a shame this one didn't quite meet that high bar.
These remain fantastic audiobooks, they really are almost like graphic audios with sound fx! If you're going to read this series and enjoy audiobooks I highly recommend those.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Transphobia, and Police brutality
Minor: Homophobia
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
When I’d gotten to 80% in and the past conflict still hadn’t been revealed I knew I was going to feel like the ending would feel unresolved. And I was right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol