monarchbooks's reviews
493 reviews

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
I just didn't enjoy the first book and while I wanted to give the second a chance, I think I need some time before i read it 
Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth

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adventurous emotional funny 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

If you've ever watched She's the Man and been like "I wish the movie leaned into the obvious bisexuality that is Shakespeare's Twelfth Night", this is absolutely the book for you. I laughed, I cried, I prayed for the health and happiness of Amanda Bynes... in short, I loved it.

Also, pls get out of my brain Alexene Farol Follmuth, I do not appreciate my whole personality being spelled out and torn to shreds in the form of Viola.
The Beanstalk Murder by P.G. Bell

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adventurous funny mysterious 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

4.5

While listening to The Beanstalk Murder by P.G. Bell, I found myself reminded of the books I would read when I was younger, not just fairy tales, but children's books in general. It was a refreshing wave of nostalgia in a world where it seems children are no longer able to just be children. The mystery was really well done and
I somehow did not guess where it was going even though, looking back, it was spelled out for readers pretty early on.


Thank you to NetGalley, P.G. Bell, and Brilliance Publishing/Audio for allowing me to read this in exchange for a honest review (Unpaid).
Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

Kalynn Bayron tried to tackle a lot in this book -  not only a re-imagined Snow White retelling that is nearly nothing like the classic we know, but an intertwining of many fairy tales and how they come to exist and how their stories get manipulated - and it was, simply, a lot to tackle in one book. For a large part of the book, I felt it did not work as a Snow White retelling at all and that only changed - for me - within the last 100 pages. While there were definitely parallels before that, it was just so far from the original. 

Despite the fact that perhaps Bayronn tackled too much in this novel, I did really enjoy it. I loved trying to figure out the mystery along with Eve, and reading about the desperation that drives one to a monster's door, and I also loved the array of characters. Bayron is really good at creating distinct and realistic characters that each have their own unique motivations and morals.
One of my favorite characters was Queen Saana, who watched over Eve beyond the realms of her humanity.


I also have two tiny little qualms that don't really matter in the scheme of things but:
  1. This book felt very inspired by the TV Show, Once Upon a Time, with the most obvious connection being Regina Miller essentially being the exact same name as Regina Mills but also
    Rumpleskilton's connection to the story of Snow White and him being at the center of all fairy tales
  2. What about Sir Gregory? Did Eve ever try to help him recover Mekhi's body for a proper burial?
More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

This book was heartbreaking for so many ways between
the death of Momoko and Tomo's past
but also because of Takako's struggle with not only her identity but everyone else's. The fact that she always imagined Tomo and Wada as the people everyone loves and they thought the same about her makes me overwhelmingly emotional. However, one of the saddest parts for me was when Eric Ozawa dedicated his translation of this book about the love of reading to his sons. 
The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

"This is the end of Oz." YOU WROTE 8 MORE BOOKS
To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai

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adventurous funny mysterious 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

POV: You finally start reading a book you've been thinking about for a YEAR and you get sucked into the craziest found family heist ever with a romance that has you on the edge of your seat with the vibes of 💛Fifteen💛, 💜Long Live💜, ❤️I Knew You Were Trouble❤️, 🖤Getaway Car🖤 & 🤍The Black Dog🤍 and twists that you never expected...
And then you realize the sequel 'TIL HEIST DO US PART doesn't come out until August 20th 😭😭😭

These five stars are absolutely deserved because not only did this book have me laughing and going crazy, my sister was losing her mind too! We absolutely tried to figure out how expensive Mr. X's coffee order is on the Starbucks app but after having to substitute so many of his ingredients, struggling to find a Starbucks that was actually open to figure out a price (10 pm EST) and hysterically laughing when we entered 90210 because we figured a California zip code might work (it did), and then the app not charging us for his 53 pumps of syrup... we decided that just the thought of the cost of getting pumpkin spice out of season alone was enough to laugh our asses off. Hit me up if anyone ever tries to order it 🙏
The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

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adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Really cute story!
In Mercy, Rain by Seanan McGuire

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This short story actually made me appreciate the Walcott twins, but I still think they have too much page time.
Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of) by Kathleen Gros

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

I really loved this adaptation and I really appreciated Anne and Diana as a ship, however, I do wish that Gilbert was more fleshed out as a character. He doesn't need to be completely cast aside for the queer relationship to work.