msrichardsreads89's Reviews (2.64k)

A Muddied Murder

Wendy Tyson

4.0

mysterious fast-paced

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

Ken Liu

5.0

adventurous emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective 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

I just finished, and this is THE BEST short story collection I have read in years!

Exquisitely written, heart wrenching, moments of humor, alternate history, thought experiments, and incredibly eloquent.

Content Warnings

Winter's Heart: Book Nine of the Wheel of Time

Robert Jordan

3.0

adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Crime of the Ancient Marinara

Stephanie Cole

3.0

informative mysterious fast-paced

Engaged in Death

Stephanie Blackmoore

4.5

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Goliath

Tochi Onyebuchi

4.0

informative inspiring slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Live, Local, and Dead

Nikki Knight

2.0

This is NOT a cozy mystery. I am normally not bothered by graphic talk and politics, but I want cozy mysteries to stay cozy. There are trigger warnings in this book for racism (the author condemns it). The protagonist also didn't do any investigating. Most of this book is focused on her relationship with her new boyfriend, who is the opposite of her regarding politics. Very disappointing.

On a positive note, the audiobook narrator was fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC and audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings