I've never been so disappointed in a second issue after the first one being a 5! Slade was just despicable. I didn't like how the author made Adeline so vulnerable, and then had Slade so flippant about it. (She got injured in the first issue and Slade took her clothes to have them washed and she - rightfully - was upset about it. His answer was "nothing I haven't seen before" which, as a woman, is so utterly awful and demeaning.)

I also I'm going to be so upset if

Adeline is dead. But since Slade got hit with the same thing, I'm wondering if maybe she won't be?

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The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 59%.

I was so excited for this book only to be completely disappointed. As other people have noted, it is poorly written.

I read the first 200 pages, just after the twins get their first item. It was such an anti-climactic event that I didn't want to through another seven. I then skipped to the last 70ish pages because I was curious how it could end.

The end justified my DNF. The "moral" or this story is that evil people are "victims." This theme is stated in the first chapter by the evil queen and is the ultimate theme at the end of the book. The author makes it clear that the evil queen is to be pitied and vindicated because she had sad things happen to her.

But just because someone had a hard life doesn't mean they get a free pass to do evil things - like MURDER people. At the end, the author had a much better juxtaposition of lost/unrequited love and how to respond to that reality; he could have really leaned into that and shown how yes, the evil queen had some awful things happen but that didn't justify her choices afterwards.

Overall, it was a great idea that was poorly executed and with a horrible lesson for kids.

Content Warnings

Anne Bonny by History Nerds

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.

This didnt have the historical weight that I wanted. Iy was very poetic - like musing on what makes a person turn their back on societal expectations - instead of focusing on what it would actually be like to grow up in Charleston in the early 1700s.

Hera Takes Charge by Kate Healey

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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? Yes

4.5

This was a really good book! I picked this one up first, not realizing it was third in the series, but I do hope to go and read the others. There are some plot spoilers about those books (beyond the obvious one of the couple gets together and stays together).

I did hit a wall with it around the 60% mark. I saw the signs of everything falling apart and I just didn't want to read it. BUT

instead of the trope of everything falls apart and the female MC realizes the male MC is her true love and they start over from scratch, they actually were able to come out on top and NOTHING fell apart.

It ended up being truly epic and wonderful.

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Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1 by Tirso Cons, Tom Taylor, Jay Kristoff

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Such a great beginning! I'm really intrigued, and the bonus "heir to the sea" was a wonderful, unexpected surprise!

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Dead Tired: A Mystery by Kat Ailes

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

This one didn't grab me like the first book. First, Alice annoyed me this time around. What seemed like quirks in the first one just came off as sloppy in this one. But what really made me stop was that after the murder happened, I sensed that Hen would not be part of the group. I did some sleuthing on story graph, and sure enough Hen is not part of the investigation. That ruined some of the fun for me, as I liked all the mums coming together in all their different ways. It's no fun if someone is left out.

I was also concerned about Alice lying to Joe about investigating. I didn't read far enough to know if she did lie, but the likelihood seemed high.

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The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

5.0

Such a good book!! It was super funny and relatable. The mystery kept me guessing, although I felt the big reveal was a tad rushed and I struggled to fully believe the motive.

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xandra_lyn's reviews 453 reviews

xandra_lyn's reviews
453 reviews