stardust_heidi's reviews
462 reviews

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

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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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Definitely read this right after Foul Lady Fortune!! I loved getting reacquainted with characters from the initial duology. Love them. 
The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.5

I’m going to need to think about this one for a while. Maybe reread the physical book just to make sure I catch everything. It was good. Great. And I’m glad we finally get introduced to the world of higher magics. Magic felt more of a bigger part of this book even though the first three centered around Diana figuring things out. The end….not sure how I feel yet. 
Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense 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

5.0

I LOVED this. I love a flawed, snarky, badass FMC. I love it even more when she realizes she's made poor decisions and self-serving actions and strives to change. I really enjoyed the magic in this world with the various "smiths" and their skills. Julian's sword is awesome. 
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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4.5

The audiobook is far better than experiencing the random stylistic quirks of the physical book. 😅

But as I slowly begin a ToG reread, I’m already forcing myself to resist that addicting urge to keep on reading. 😂
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson

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informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I read HCR’s newsletters almost everyday, and her writing has been immensely educational and informative over the last several years. She provides an incredible service to her readers. I finally got around to reading her book, and in the midst of the 2024 US election season, it’s even more important. I often get overwhelmed by the nitty gritty drudgery of politics and trying to stay educated; I find that HCR writes in such a way that makes her subject easy to understand and read. I enjoyed the audiobook format of this read; I own the physical book as well, but the audiobook served me well this time. 
Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

WOAH. Really loved this book! The friendships. The character development. The mystery and intrigue of Avalon’s curse. There was great tension with the survival aspect of doing everything to stay alive. The hint of romance was well done; I like how there was a good rivals to friends to something more development. The romance wasn’t the focus, though — it’s definitely more plot focused. 

Without spoiling the ending…….. WHAT THE FAARK!?!?!?!?!?!??! 😮‍💨😭😱
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

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

4.0

Read this book as part of the StoryGraph genre challenge. It was a ride, that’s for sure. The main character was wildly interesting with a sharp, blunt wit that made me cackle at times. There was lots of introspective meandering between major plot points, with endless astrology calculations and righteous animal rights messaging. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it dragged a bit at times and was occasionally hard to follow. I love the genre challenge because it definitely forces me out of my comfort zone at times. 😅
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The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

God, the end gets me every time. Love EE’s narration!