littleredmacks's reviews
472 reviews

The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

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

3.25

There are lots of things to like about this book: the unique magic system, the corrupt powers that control it, hidden magic systems being rediscovered, new magical monsters coming to light, but I didn't feel like the main characters were one of the things I loved about this book. It had some really strong side characters that I cared about much more than the main characters. I found myself rolling my eyes quite frequently at the two main characters interactions because they went from enemies to pining after each other so quickly with little to no evident change in behavior. 
Darkly by Marisha Pessl

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

3.5

I LOVED the premise of this book. It was very unique and the cast of characters was diverse. However, the author had a terrible habit of showing us everything in a way that we could piece it together ourselves and then telling us everything we just saw via a conversation between the characters which was very frustrating. It would have been rated higher if that wasn't the case. 
The Baby Dragon Café by A.T. Qureshi

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

3.75

This was a cute, cozy book. I really enjoyed the dragons (though a lot of the time they read more like puppies) and the classism that is addressed in the book. 
The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-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

4.0

This was a cute retelling. I really enjoyed the characters and the ending. 
Can I Tell You Something? by Holly June Smith

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5.0

I don't think any other audio book is even going to come close to topping this this year. Ugh. It's too early in the year for me to be saying that. 
Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz

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emotional funny lighthearted

3.0

I liked this
Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

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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? Yes

4.5

I adored our main pairing so much. They were literal perfection. Slow burn in the best way. And the HISTORY we got inspired me to do more research on Mexico and France going to war. 

I was really disappointed with how rushed the ending felt though. I felt like that was so much to get through in such a short amount of time that we were being told a lot of information rather than shown it in an attempt to wrap up quickly. I wouldn't have been mad at this being a bit longer to fix that or even having a sequel. 
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I want to go back and read this at another time with a physical copy because I just KNOW I missed the way some of the characters were connected. This was well thought out and well executed.

That being said, I almost wish we had LESS characters to follow along with because after a while I felt like I lost interest in just how many characters we were following. 
Orbital by Samantha Harvey

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inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft

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0.0

Learned after reading the author is a TERF. I need to do better research before checking books out from the library apparently.