rachachisaur's reviews
320 reviews

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
I wanted this to be more interesting. The characters are pretty cookie cutter and the plot slow and tedious. 
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No

4.0

It’s not a fun time, not even for a moment, but it’s well written and satisfyingly complex with intrigue and plots. 

Side note, not factored into my Star rating: I absolutely hated the way the male narrator voiced female characters. It didn’t fit them at all and was borderline insulting to their characterization.
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
So much potential. I loved the narrative format, but unfortunately the story itself felt flat and the constant pov changes interrupted the flow rather than aiding it, so it felt like the story took forever to get anywhere. 
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Despite immediately continuing the plot of the first book, everything else in this second book is jarringly different. The main character becomes really annoying and ineffectual, the pace of the story slows to an absolute crawl, the overarching mystery that was started in the first book all but disappears. 

Occasionally a talking skull pops up to remind us that the plot does exist but they’re usually stuffed in a closet and forgotten immediately. 

I can see that the author was trying to build tension and do a lot of worldbuilding but ending up including so much superfluous detail and scenes that everything becomes a slog to get through. 
Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Arguably the slowest and least directional plot of the whole series. Still, the ending was warm and fuzzy and the very last tiny bit was intriguing. 
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

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slow-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? No

3.5

Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

If you’ve ever played Myst, you’ll see it throughout this book. But like, if psychological horror creatures were stalking you and mutilating every person they came across while you tried to solve the mysteries. 

The characters were a bit of a letdown (I usually adore T. Kingfisher’s characters). They were particularly dense in figuring things out and making decisions. They also felt thin and underdeveloped compared to other characters from the same author. 

I gave it an extra star just for immersive Myst vibes.
The Stars are Dying by Chloe C. Peñaranda

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Hate the main female character, and the sentence-level writing is bad. Every sentence is one or two words too many and gets exhausting to read. 
Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

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slow-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

4.5

Oh I absolutely loved the character growth and development in this one!