mschaub2's reviews
1495 reviews

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

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

3.75

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch

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emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.75

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso

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

4.25

WOW is all I can say after finishing that!! This is a complex fantasy - the magic system and world building are so intricate and fleshed out!  I have to say that as a mom, the whole anxiety of Kembral needing to get back to her daughter was INTENSE.  I listened to this on a NetGalley audio and the narrator was top tier!! I have definitely heard her in other audiobooks and she is one of my favorites.  However, due to the complexity of the book I do think it would have struggled a bit were I not tandem reading with my Illumicrate hard copy.  Due to the short chapters and constant "echo". shifts I had trouble putting it down to go to sleep!  

I was significantly less in it for the romance than the actual plot.  The plot moved so quickly and had so many players involved- Kembral and Rita made a great team and I can't wait to hear more about them, but it was definitely more a fantasy romance than a romantasy.  
Book Boyfriend by Emily Wibberley

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

3.75

This was so cute it actually made me cry!  Our heroine Jennifer is a huge fan of the fictional book series "Elytheum" (clearly a thinly veiled ACOTAR reference.). She measure her boyfriends to the impossible standards set within those books, and hasn't had much success in real life dating.  When a friend ends up in charge of event planning for an immersive Elytheum experience week, she jumps at the chance after a recent breakup and runs into her rivals-to-lovers coworkers.  

Things I loved: 
I immediately related to Jennifer's obsession, a romantasy girlie myself.  
Her connection to the love of the books and the friends she makes through fandom was incredibly charming and relatable.  
Scott and Jennifer's banter - top tier.  

Things I think could have been a touch better: 
It's never reallllly explained why Scott is at the experience.  I felt like the author couldn't come up with a good reason and that fell short.  Personally I feel he could've had nerdy friends who were ACTUALLY getting married during the experience and that would have been more believable.  
The end - why did there need to be so much driving?!  
A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

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

3.0

Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik

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emotional funny informative slow-paced

3.0

While there are certainly many interesting anecdotes and ultimately a few moments of brilliance in this, i felt the author was significantly too concerned with how her work was being perceived-her comments in the preface and introduction were frankly nauseating
Skyshade by Alex Aster

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adventurous tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.5

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

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funny hopeful 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? No

3.5