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dragoninwinterfell's reviews
98 reviews
Darling Girl by Liz Michalski
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Darling Girl really is a mixed bag and a true 2.5 star book. There was so much I loved about it and there were so many ways it fell horribly short.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol
There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish by Anna Akbari
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
The title of the book "There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish" might be a bit of an exaggeration, but this book is excellent. Through an extensive compilation of emails, text messages, and other forms of social media Anna Akbari tells the story of her experience in being catfished by Dr. Emily Slutsky Marantz.
This story was so riveting that I finished it in less than a day. I kept finding excuses to listen to the audiobook to find out what happened next even though I went in knowing what happened. I particularly loved the epistolary style using the actual words and full conversations between Anna and Emily Slutsky Marantz, as well as the interactions between Emily and her other victims. As noted above, this catfisher is currently a doctor. The women she targeted were also professional and accomplished women, which took the manipulation and emotional abuse to a higher level.
This story was so riveting that I finished it in less than a day. I kept finding excuses to listen to the audiobook to find out what happened next even though I went in knowing what happened. I particularly loved the epistolary style using the actual words and full conversations between Anna and Emily Slutsky Marantz, as well as the interactions between Emily and her other victims. As noted above, this catfisher is currently a doctor. The women she targeted were also professional and accomplished women, which took the manipulation and emotional abuse to a higher level.
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Rating Ann Liang's A Song to Drown Rivers is very difficult.
On one hand, there's instant love with little rooting value between the main character and her love interest, the beginning is hard to get into since its very choppy, there are several plot conveniences that are difficult to ignore, the dialogue is too modern, and the motivation for the main character's actions aren't established well enough.
On the other hand, the descriptions are beautifully written, the dynamic between the main character and the antagonist is very well done, the court politics were excellent, and climax of the novel was very emotionally gripping.
The aspects I love most about the novel (politics, female relationships, etc) make the flaws so much more glaring. There's potential for a masterpiece here, but it was never more than partially realized.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
On one hand, there's instant love with little rooting value between the main character and her love interest, the beginning is hard to get into since its very choppy, there are several plot conveniences that are difficult to ignore, the dialogue is too modern, and the motivation for the main character's actions aren't established well enough.
On the other hand, the descriptions are beautifully written, the dynamic between the main character and the antagonist is very well done, the court politics were excellent, and climax of the novel was very emotionally gripping.
The aspects I love most about the novel (politics, female relationships, etc) make the flaws so much more glaring. There's potential for a masterpiece here, but it was never more than partially realized.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
Leslye Penelope's 'Daughter of the Merciful Deep' is unquestionably the bes,t book I've read this year so far. Everything about it from the characters, setting, world building, character dynamics, and plot were incredibly well done. I particularly love how inspiration from the historical experiences Black Americans was blended with African mythology.
Aphrodite and the Duke by J.J. McAvoy
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
I really tried with this book. I picked it up and restarted it so many times over months. I wanted it to cl8ck with me. But it didn't. The main couple had no rooting value whatsoever. I really wish the author had made me love them rather than starting out with mutual pining that wasn't earned.
Countess by Suzan Palumbo
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The summary for Countess sounds like it should be exactly my type of book. Suzan Palumbo's latest novel is a gender swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas set in space. The difficulty is that the book was far too short to do justice to the story being told. Everything feels rushed. Instead of following the character through the twists and turns, we get summaries of what's going on. What we got of the world building and characterization was good. I just wish it had been at least three times as long.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
4.5
Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers tells a fictionalized version of the life of Ida B. Wells, a ground breaking journalist, women's rights activist, and civil rights activist. Utilizing the historical figure's diary and historical record, Chambers breathes fresh life into Ida and the time period of progress and injustice she inhabited.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It checked off all my boxes as far as historical fiction goes. But it might not be for everyone. For starters, it's very slow and character driven rather than action packed. I would argue that there's not a firm plot. The reader follows Ida in her day to day concerns as she navigates the nearly impossible balance of being an educated black woman in the post-Civil War era with career and activism aspirations who also wants romance and marriage. While I like this quite a bit, the book wouldn't be for anyone interested in a faster paced work.
That said, I absolutely loved how the author balanced Ida's goals for her career and the progress she wanted to create for the Black community with her courtships and hobbies. She felt like a fully fleshed out person. I also found the complexities of how she is both admired and punished for her achievements fascinating. She's able to earn an income and make positive change through her positions as a teacher and a journalist, but a number of men don't want a career focused wife. She works and speaks out for the Black community and women, earning acknowledgements, yet many she's helping snub her.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It checked off all my boxes as far as historical fiction goes. But it might not be for everyone. For starters, it's very slow and character driven rather than action packed. I would argue that there's not a firm plot. The reader follows Ida in her day to day concerns as she navigates the nearly impossible balance of being an educated black woman in the post-Civil War era with career and activism aspirations who also wants romance and marriage. While I like this quite a bit, the book wouldn't be for anyone interested in a faster paced work.
That said, I absolutely loved how the author balanced Ida's goals for her career and the progress she wanted to create for the Black community with her courtships and hobbies. She felt like a fully fleshed out person. I also found the complexities of how she is both admired and punished for her achievements fascinating. She's able to earn an income and make positive change through her positions as a teacher and a journalist, but a number of men don't want a career focused wife. She works and speaks out for the Black community and women, earning acknowledgements, yet many she's helping snub her.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The intricately detailed world Robin McKinley created in The Blue Sword is one of the best I've read about. I just wished that the story and characters were aa well crafted. I think part of the difficulty I'm having is that this was clearly heavily influenced by conventional fantasy works of black and white morality with clear cut good and evil.
Harry Crewe is a young woman who was orphaned and doesn't fit in within her society. Other than Harry being a a woman, the story is a very simple chosen one plot. In some ways, it's simpler than the typical plot with that trope. It's hard to give even the barest details because not much happened, so nearly everything would be given away in a sentence. So, I'll say that Harry has only the barest personality and very little autonomy. She follows the plot she's been placed in without much thought. Something happens early on that's life changing where she simply accepts it and doesn't ask questions about why this was done to her. It was odd.
The villains were essentially non-existant. They're an unknown challenge that the heroine prepares for and that's it.
I did like the backstory and the world. It was very refreshing for a high fantasy story to have a heroine as the main figure of legend. The world building is was so engaging that I'll absolutely be checking out the prequel and other works set in this universe.
Harry Crewe is a young woman who was orphaned and doesn't fit in within her society. Other than Harry being a a woman, the story is a very simple chosen one plot. In some ways, it's simpler than the typical plot with that trope. It's hard to give even the barest details because not much happened, so nearly everything would be given away in a sentence. So, I'll say that Harry has only the barest personality and very little autonomy. She follows the plot she's been placed in without much thought. Something happens early on that's life changing where she simply accepts it and doesn't ask questions about why this was done to her. It was odd.
The villains were essentially non-existant. They're an unknown challenge that the heroine prepares for and that's it.
I did like the backstory and the world. It was very refreshing for a high fantasy story to have a heroine as the main figure of legend. The world building is was so engaging that I'll absolutely be checking out the prequel and other works set in this universe.
Godfrey's Crusade (The Griffin Legends, #1) by Mark Howard
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
With Godfrey's Crusade, Mark Hiward developed a very interesting and complex fantasy world. Unfortunately, the characters and story fell flat for me.
The Thirteenth Husband by Greer Macallister
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Greer Macallister presents a mystical interpretation of the life of American heiress Aimee Crocker in The Thirteenth Husband.
This fictionalized version of Aimee's story is told from the historical figure's perspective as she recounts her life to an unknown audience. Macallister gives her protagonist a witty, vivacious, and wry voice that gives such life to Aimee. It felt like I was being told a series of stories by a fascinating new friend who had a well-lived life, with a side of the supernatural. Aimee was an incredibly engaging character to follow.
The mean difficulty was that as complex and lovable as Aimee was, we barely got to know the characters who came in and out of her life. That makes sense given the narrative structure. This still ruined the enjoyment for me since the primary stakes were in what happened to the other characters because we know our protagonist got through well enough to tell her story.
For another issue, I do think that the title is a cheat. The author's not at the end gives a bit of historical context for it. But it's not enough to stop the title from being misleading since expectations are created that won't even be halfway filled.
Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This fictionalized version of Aimee's story is told from the historical figure's perspective as she recounts her life to an unknown audience. Macallister gives her protagonist a witty, vivacious, and wry voice that gives such life to Aimee. It felt like I was being told a series of stories by a fascinating new friend who had a well-lived life, with a side of the supernatural. Aimee was an incredibly engaging character to follow.
The mean difficulty was that as complex and lovable as Aimee was, we barely got to know the characters who came in and out of her life. That makes sense given the narrative structure. This still ruined the enjoyment for me since the primary stakes were in what happened to the other characters because we know our protagonist got through well enough to tell her story.
For another issue, I do think that the title is a cheat. The author's not at the end gives a bit of historical context for it. But it's not enough to stop the title from being misleading since expectations are created that won't even be halfway filled.
Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.