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madmadmaddymad's reviews
190 reviews
Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’ve had this book on my shelf for maybe ten years. I have to say, I found it chilling how Ovid spent so much of this story discussing the dangers of a biological system off-balance, of a climate that is changing, and of a new reality that we will all have to face in as little as ten years. And here we are, in 2023, with drought ridden summers, freak events of hurricanes and snow storms and wild fires stretching across the continent. It’s truly terrifying to witness this novel coming true before our very eyes.
That said - I still very much enjoyed the path of this story. The soul of the characters, and the small heartbreaks and hopes this flock of butterflies filled me with.
I especially loved Dellarobia. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I think I may have rotted my brain with one-to-many romance novels lately, because I definitely was rooting for her and Ovid to fall impossibly in love and end up together, somehow.
I think I like the story better this way, though. I feel saddened, and somehow, inspired. I really like how the ending isn’t necessarily happy… and how the happiest thing, for Dellarobia, is divorcing her husband and moving out. I loved the honest, bare conversation she has with Preston. Barbara Kingsolver really makes me root for the mothers in her stories, and Dellarobia is really easy to root for.
I loved this book, even though it was devastating to read.
That said - I still very much enjoyed the path of this story. The soul of the characters, and the small heartbreaks and hopes this flock of butterflies filled me with.
I especially loved Dellarobia. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I think I may have rotted my brain with one-to-many romance novels lately, because I definitely was rooting for her and Ovid to fall impossibly in love and end up together, somehow.
I think I like the story better this way, though. I feel saddened, and somehow, inspired. I really like how the ending isn’t necessarily happy… and how the happiest thing, for Dellarobia, is divorcing her husband and moving out. I loved the honest, bare conversation she has with Preston. Barbara Kingsolver really makes me root for the mothers in her stories, and Dellarobia is really easy to root for.
I loved this book, even though it was devastating to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes
emotional
funny
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
2.0
I did not enjoy this book at all, and almost stopped reading it several times. But it’s a book club read, and I didn’t want to be a party pooper, and I thought maybe I would at LEAST get a good smutty payoff.
Oof, was I disappointed. Such a slow burn. Practically glacial. And most of the plot is taken up by a gross weird body-swap deal. At first, I thought; this is kind of cute. Like Freaky Friday but with more of a True Love/Soulmates vibe. Surely, since these two are so in love, they will see through the magic and feel each others true hearts and who CARES that she’s wearing the wrong face and body.
But no.
What a crappy ending, what a disappointing read, and a terrible set up for a sequel, just all around a “no” from me.
Oof, was I disappointed. Such a slow burn. Practically glacial. And most of the plot is taken up by a gross weird body-swap deal. At first, I thought; this is kind of cute. Like Freaky Friday but with more of a True Love/Soulmates vibe. Surely, since these two are so in love, they will see through the magic and feel each others true hearts and who CARES that she’s wearing the wrong face and body.
But no.
What a crappy ending, what a disappointing read, and a terrible set up for a sequel, just all around a “no” from me.
A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
What a fantastic conclusion to an epic series.
I had to put the book down for a few weeks after Anisa died, but I’m glad I picked it back up again. I needed to know how the journey would finally end. And the loss of so many characters really hit me, but the loss of Anisa for whatever reason hit me so damn hard.
I loved the relationship between Kell and Lila finally getting somewhere! And likewise, Rhy and Alucard were similarly easy to root for.
I’m also surprised at how much I came to love Holland’s character throughout the course of this book.
If you think bout it, the first book is Kell’s book, the second book is Lila’s, and this book is Holland’s, and I was rooting for him so hard.
I’m gonna have quite the book hangover after this incredible series. Thank you, V.E. Schwab, for being an incredible author and for taking me on this adventure.
Anoshe.
I had to put the book down for a few weeks after Anisa died, but I’m glad I picked it back up again. I needed to know how the journey would finally end. And the loss of so many characters really hit me, but the loss of Anisa for whatever reason hit me so damn hard.
I loved the relationship between Kell and Lila finally getting somewhere! And likewise, Rhy and Alucard were similarly easy to root for.
I’m also surprised at how much I came to love Holland’s character throughout the course of this book.
If you think bout it, the first book is Kell’s book, the second book is Lila’s, and this book is Holland’s, and I was rooting for him so hard.
I’m gonna have quite the book hangover after this incredible series. Thank you, V.E. Schwab, for being an incredible author and for taking me on this adventure.
Anoshe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Death of parent
Wolfsong by TJ Klune
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
On a reread, this book is even more captivating.
I love this edition, the cover art, the inner page design.
It’s a story of Ox, his whole life, from the day his daddy left when he was twelve, to the day he changed into a wolf. I had such a good time revisiting Green Creek, especially with the characters. I loved seeing Gordo at the start, so surly and uppity, with his mysterious distrust of the Bennets, and Robbie, who unexpectedly joins the pack halfway through - so unsure of himself when all he wanted was to belong.
Most of all, I love Joe and Ox. These two feel so strongly for each other, and theirs is a love that is so strong and so pure, you can’t help but feel your heart bursting full when they finally declare they love each other.
This book is sensational. I love everything about it.
I love this edition, the cover art, the inner page design.
It’s a story of Ox, his whole life, from the day his daddy left when he was twelve, to the day he changed into a wolf. I had such a good time revisiting Green Creek, especially with the characters. I loved seeing Gordo at the start, so surly and uppity, with his mysterious distrust of the Bennets, and Robbie, who unexpectedly joins the pack halfway through - so unsure of himself when all he wanted was to belong.
Most of all, I love Joe and Ox. These two feel so strongly for each other, and theirs is a love that is so strong and so pure, you can’t help but feel your heart bursting full when they finally declare they love each other.
This book is sensational. I love everything about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
PHEW. What an adventure.
I can’t believe it’s over. But I’m so glad everyone is finally alright, this is such a fulfilling conclusion to the series. Dorian is kinda a hero in this book, WOO!
And three cheers for Rowaelin, the very best couple in this series and the true flagship of the final book.
I can’t believe it’s over. But I’m so glad everyone is finally alright, this is such a fulfilling conclusion to the series. Dorian is kinda a hero in this book, WOO!
And three cheers for Rowaelin, the very best couple in this series and the true flagship of the final book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Torture
Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s been about 20 years since I read The Great Gatsby, but I still remember enough about it to call this book a masterpiece.
It’s shamelessly queer, and still historically accurate. I loved everything about it.
My one complaint, would be the treatment of the Gatsby/Daisy relationship. I wish this book had allowed Gatsby to be bisexual? He pined after Daisy for YEARS, and his reason for it didn’t sit right with me. I would have liked it better if there were a messy Daisy/Gatsby/Nick bisexual love triangle, but it was very neat and tidy the way the author tied up all the loose ends.
It’s shamelessly queer, and still historically accurate. I loved everything about it.
My one complaint, would be the treatment of the Gatsby/Daisy relationship. I wish this book had allowed Gatsby to be bisexual? He pined after Daisy for YEARS, and his reason for it didn’t sit right with me. I would have liked it better if there were a messy Daisy/Gatsby/Nick bisexual love triangle, but it was very neat and tidy the way the author tied up all the loose ends.
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
Loved it.
It’s the perfect breather, for how intense this series has been to this point. A romantic, emotionally deep, healing journey. And told from the point of view of Chaol, a character that I damn near forgot about. If you had told me when I started this series, that a one-off book told from a random side character’s point of view would a: hold my interest, and b: leave me feeling so invested, I never would have believed it.
But this book is just! So incredible! I really felt every emotion, and I am ready to get back to Aelin and the others, I’m ready for them to save the world, now!
Let’s go!
It’s the perfect breather, for how intense this series has been to this point. A romantic, emotionally deep, healing journey. And told from the point of view of Chaol, a character that I damn near forgot about. If you had told me when I started this series, that a one-off book told from a random side character’s point of view would a: hold my interest, and b: leave me feeling so invested, I never would have believed it.
But this book is just! So incredible! I really felt every emotion, and I am ready to get back to Aelin and the others, I’m ready for them to save the world, now!
Let’s go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Mental illness
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a three star book, honestly, because it was agony to read with the pace of the storytelling and how each time the characters triumphed or overcame something intense or dangerous, there would be another, even worse thing right around the corner. They never had a break, and it actually started to get a little boring, how SJM would constantly try to raise the stakes, but never anything actually would happen. Sometimes Rowan expends all of his magic, but then the next time you see him, he’s fine. Or sometimes Lysandra transforms into a dragon and gets badly injured, but then the next time you see her, she’s fine. Or Manon could take a near fatal wound to the abdomen, but then a few chapters later, she’s healthy and having sex with Dorian.
I give it an extra star for the romantic part of this book. The STORYTELLING portion of this book pissed me off and left me feeling bored or frustrated more often than not, but the romantic storyline and the consummation of relationships made it an enjoyable read.
I wish the characters could stop fighting all the time and just be happy and in love. I’m getting so sick of having to read about saving the world and defeating evil. I can’t BELIEVE the cliffhanger she wrote into this one. Who let her get away with that! It’s almost worse than what went down at the end of Heir of Fire.
I give it an extra star for the romantic part of this book. The STORYTELLING portion of this book pissed me off and left me feeling bored or frustrated more often than not, but the romantic storyline and the consummation of relationships made it an enjoyable read.
I wish the characters could stop fighting all the time and just be happy and in love. I’m getting so sick of having to read about saving the world and defeating evil. I can’t BELIEVE the cliffhanger she wrote into this one. Who let her get away with that! It’s almost worse than what went down at the end of Heir of Fire.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s really good. It reminds me of Mulan, but she’s a lesbian.
I love the themes and the storytelling, and how fate takes such a big impact on the story. Most of all I loved the characters. Especially Zhu and Ma. I love how they understood each other and how their whole relationship played out. It’s really hard to be a woman in the early 14th century in China, and they really made each other’s lives to the fullest, I’m so glad they found each other.
Not to boil this book down to the lesbian fisting scene, but…. That was such a beautifully depicted sequence!!!!! I want to find a love like theirs, so powerful and so emotional.
I love the themes and the storytelling, and how fate takes such a big impact on the story. Most of all I loved the characters. Especially Zhu and Ma. I love how they understood each other and how their whole relationship played out. It’s really hard to be a woman in the early 14th century in China, and they really made each other’s lives to the fullest, I’m so glad they found each other.
Not to boil this book down to the lesbian fisting scene, but…. That was such a beautifully depicted sequence!!!!! I want to find a love like theirs, so powerful and so emotional.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize I was reading a Rumplestiltskin retelling. I was all the way at the wedding of Miryem’s cousin, and watching the fight between the demon and the Staryk before “Tell me your name!” “Never!” Felt like anything other than a quirk of their fantasy race. That being said, I loved the way all the pieces of this story unfolded and came together.
Wanda’s story moved me to tears at several points. I loved when she first learned from Miryem how to do the debt collecting, and she called adding numbers together “magic.” For Wanda, anything sufficiently remarkable is magic, and Miryem, even in the mortal world, was a sufficiently remarkable woman. The book had a really good juxtaposition of the ordinary with the fantastic, and Wanda, watching it all come to pass really made me feel like lots of things can be magic… I was crying during the entire last chapter, when Miryem called her “sister” and Sergey and Stepon “brothers”
Oh, and I LOVED the love story and how it genuinely snuck up on me. I am a simp for fae and monsters, and even though I got to the wedding and the three storerooms of silver-to-gold, the fight between the two evil husbands, and watching the demon carry the Staryk away, I thought, “Oh. Bummer.” Because I was a little bit rooting for them to fall in love.
AND THEN. Like I was having a dream…!
Miryem returns to free the Staryk!
And he *asks* to court her in the mortal way!
Oh! And Irina and Mirnatious! The way she saved him with the silver ring was so satisfying!!!!!!!! AND HE THOUGHT SHE WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD!
Just such a wonderful, wonderful read. Definitely a top 10 of all time for me. 5 stars, and it deserves more, to be honest.
Wanda’s story moved me to tears at several points. I loved when she first learned from Miryem how to do the debt collecting, and she called adding numbers together “magic.” For Wanda, anything sufficiently remarkable is magic, and Miryem, even in the mortal world, was a sufficiently remarkable woman. The book had a really good juxtaposition of the ordinary with the fantastic, and Wanda, watching it all come to pass really made me feel like lots of things can be magic… I was crying during the entire last chapter, when Miryem called her “sister” and Sergey and Stepon “brothers”
Oh, and I LOVED the love story and how it genuinely snuck up on me. I am a simp for fae and monsters, and even though I got to the wedding and the three storerooms of silver-to-gold, the fight between the two evil husbands, and watching the demon carry the Staryk away, I thought, “Oh. Bummer.” Because I was a little bit rooting for them to fall in love.
AND THEN. Like I was having a dream…!
Miryem returns to free the Staryk!
And he *asks* to court her in the mortal way!
Oh! And Irina and Mirnatious! The way she saved him with the silver ring was so satisfying!!!!!!!! AND HE THOUGHT SHE WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD!
Just such a wonderful, wonderful read. Definitely a top 10 of all time for me. 5 stars, and it deserves more, to be honest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, and Violence