sarahweyand's reviews
389 reviews

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.25

 Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feedback are my own.

I am normally not a big romance or romantasy reader, but I AM a big T. Kingfisher fan, so I was excited to give this book a read to see if she could make one of my least-favorite genres bearable. And she did! SWORDHEART is a cozy romance that made me giggle and feel fuzzy inside and I really enjoyed it altogether.

This book gave signs early on that it was headed for the classic miscommunication trope, probably my least favorite romance trope (if one good conversation between partners could would prevent the whole plot from taking place, perhaps consider writing a better story). However - without spoilers - if/how that plot point was handled was not frustrating to me. I really liked all of the character dynamics and found myself caring for even the secondary characters.

I do enjoy when Kingfisher writes horror or pure fantasy more, but this proves I will enjoy literally anything she authors. Cozy romance or fantasy readers will likely eat this one up. 
We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman

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dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

2.0

This was a weird cosmic horror that I read quickly and was interested by - a pretty intriguing adaptation. However this was hands-down the grossest book I've ever read. Absolutely queasy on my rides into work, which is a baffling in juxtaposition to its very simplistic YA writing style and Goodreads label. A plot-driven book with little character development, heavy on telling over showing that suddenly decides to get REAL descriptive whenever gore was involved. Also, I was constantly questioning character's choices (or lack of action and critical thinking).

At the end of the day - read this if you want to. Check the content warnings. But don't ever pretend I recommended it to you,
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Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

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

3.0

Weird and unsettling and almost certainly better as a physical book than the audiobook I listened to. The majority of the story is dialogue and I missed out on lots trying to figure out who was speaking, as it often went unspecified and changed scenes rapidly. Intriguing though, would definitely read this author again. 
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Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by Jim McCloskey, John Grisham

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
Honestly a really good book, but simply can’t do it in my current mental state.
Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

2.5

For someone who hates men and values mental health, Anna Marie Tendler does quite the job of basing her memoir off of all her relationships with men and not doing a lot of introspection. 
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Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 certainly not a horror, but very strange, slightly haunting, and well written. 
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Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

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challenging dark emotional sad 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? No

4.25

Middle/high school me would have for sure rated this a 5; the characters are slightly more frustrating as an adult. Nonetheless, an interesting and important look at one of the less talked about sides of World War 2. 
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All the Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce

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

2.75

I can't remember much about this book and that's probably because I zoned out for a lot of it. Interesting idea, mundane execution. 
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Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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challenging dark emotional informative 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

Best book of the year, easily. Still can't stop thinking about it; maybe I never will be able to. Not the lightest read but scary, informative, and captivating. A must-read if you're in the right headspace to do so. 
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Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

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

4.25

Similar vein to ROGUE but honestly I liked this one more. A creepy slow burn with just enough body horror to make me wince but not enough to make me feel like I needed a shower. 
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