1.84k reviews by:

caseythereader

challenging dark emotional sad 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: Yes

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the free copy of this book.

 - Fans of literary sci-fi, gather round, because THE OTHER VALLEY is made for you.
- The quiet, spare prose calls to mind NEVER LET ME GO, which is then layered with multifaceted, unanswerable questions about morality, grief, and the road not taken.
- This book takes several unexpected turns and kept me guessing, and also trying to sort out what I would do in Odile’s place.
- The logistics of this society and how the Conseil structure came to be are never really explained, but I kind of enjoyed how the details were waved away and this book was just allowed to be a character study and extended thought experiment. 

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free copy of this book.

 - Wow, this book. GODLY HEATHENS is H.E. Edgmon leaning into his full talent as a writer of angry, messy, queer af kids desperate to find their place in the world.
- The mythology here is so cool, and so detailed and tangled I could believe it was real. And the "real world" people and plot threads felt messily real, too.
- This book mashes together queerness and small towns and mental illness and thousand year old gods and it works beautifully. I can't wait to see what happens next. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective 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: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous funny lighthearted 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

Thanks to Bramble Romance for the free copy of this book.

 - Who knew all I wanted in life was sexy space adventures?! Me, I knew! I've been eagerly awaiting CALAMITY and it totally delivers.
- This is a great ragtag found family space adventure, plus romantic tension you could cut with a laser blaster. Temperance and Arcadio are a great, fiery pair, slinging quips and barely able to keep their hands off each other.
- I really hope we get the series the ending hints at, because I'd love to get the full stories of several of the other crew members. 

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Veniss Underground

Jeff VanderMeer

DID NOT FINISH: 67%

Too slow moving and descriptive for me - I could tune out for a long time and not miss any plot development, so I eventually just found myself tuning out entirely. 
adventurous dark emotional fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Thanks to Books Forward PR for the free copy of this book.

 - MAGIC BY ANY OTHER NAME explores the effects of emotional and generational abuse through the lens of magic and mythology.
- I really liked the world of this book, harsh as it was. The idea that every fantastical entity from every culture is real and they are interacting together is just too cool.
- The depictions of various types of abuse in this book are sometimes tough to read, but they rang true to me, especially Georgette's impulse to make herself small. Watching these characters begin to understand themselves and their circumstances is at the heart of this book, and I look forward to following their journeys in subsequent books. 

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dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.

 - GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES is a YA thriller that combines K-pop glitter with Chinese mythology.
- I love a book that explores some of the traumas of fame, especially for young people, and that is woven into the larger supernatural mystery of this book.
- I didn't realize this book was the first in a series until I got to the end, and I'm excited to see where Cheng takes this next. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous funny lighthearted 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: No

Thanks to Tor Books for the free copy of this book.

 - What a joy to be back with Viv! Look, if you liked LEGENDS & LATTES, you're gonna like BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST as this prequel is simply more of that, which is exactly what I wanted.
- I think I actually liked the mystery in this book better than the one in LEGENDS. Or maybe that's just because it had to do with a necromancer and I could imagine a Gideon the Ninth crossover.
- Anyway, this book is made for reading with a fuzzy blanket and a warm coffee. And pastries, you will need pastries while reading this, trust me. 

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