maggies's reviews
622 reviews

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton

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adventurous hopeful medium-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

3.0

I really wanted to like this book more, but I really didn't like Kit. She's a good candidate for my evergreen complaint that most protagonists need to go to therapy and that would go a long way to solving a lot of their problems. Obviously that's not possible for Kit because of her family's money problems, but I found that to be jarring too because of how lighthearted the rest of the book was trying to be. I loved the setting though—as a Medieval Times enthusiast in my youth, it was right up my alley! 
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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

Wow oh wow. I was thoroughly gripped by this sci-fi/romance/thriller. A perfect blend of lighthearted humor and existential questions. Would love to see it adapted to the screen.
Forward: Stories of Tomorrow by N.K. Jemisin, Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, Paul Tremblay, Amor Towles, Veronica Roth

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adventurous funny mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A great collection from current sci-fi greats. Individual ratings:
  1. Ark by Veronica Roth - 4⭐️
  2. Summer Frost by Blake Crouch - 3⭐️
  3. Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin - 4⭐️
  4. You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles - 4⭐️
  5. The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay - 3⭐️
  6. Randomize by Andy Weir - 4⭐️

Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America by Alec MacGillis, Stefan Alexander MacGillis

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informative medium-paced

4.0

Data and stories to back up what I already believed, but well-packaged imo
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

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emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

2.0

Too melodramatic. Jake wasn't leading man material and his whole situation was red flags galore. Sadie goes down further in my estimation for loving him.
Murtagh by Christopher Paolini

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adventurous emotional tense slow-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

5.0

Murtagh is(was) admittedly not a favorite of mine, but that's all changed now! I loved reading about his relationship with Thorn, and I appreciated learning about his traumas and beginning to better understand him. Some parts were difficult and/or boring to read, and the pacing felt off at times, but I mostly just loved returning to Alagaësia for a new story!
Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

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emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

A quick read, hugely emotional by the end. It took a bit longer than I would have liked to get past the whining about Eddie being gone and start learning new things, but the payoff was ultimately worth it.
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The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig

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reflective slow-paced

5.0

Meditative. Listening to the audiobook was a bit like ASMR. My favorites:
  • ozurie – feeling torn between the life you want and the life you have
  • proluctance – the paradoxical urge to avoid doing something you’ve been looking forward to; perpetually waiting around for the right state of mind, stretching out the bliss of anticipation as long as you can
  • hanker sore - finding a person so attractive it actually kinda pisses you off
  • wytai (acronym of When You Think About It) - a feature of modern civilization that suddenly strikes you as absurd and grotesque

Bad Actors by Mick Herron

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So Herron really upped his game on this one—I loved it! The bit of Bad Actors was so well done, and when I finally got it, boy did I get it. I'm super happy I decided to read on in the series, and now I'm looking forward to book #9, slated to be released in 2025.
Just Friends by Holly McCulloch

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

2.0

Quirky but not, flawed but not, apparently amazing at everything but has really low self-esteem, scenes that felt like they wouldn't be out of place in Bridget Jones. Not my favorite.