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neuroqueer's Reviews (442)
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall: B
"Debate and Decadence" is a magical cozy fantasy. The story is about the sapphic romance between Amaya, a solitary witch living alone in her forest cottage, and Rue, the disruptive, bubbly, upper crust girl who claims they are fated to be together.
The two girls are an "opposites attract" relationship. Amaya's stoic, practical nature clashes with Rue's talkative, idealistic personality. I honestly disliked Rue forcing herself into Amaya's life at the beginning (mostly due to me seeing this happen so often in anime). At the start, Rue's personality did not help with that feeling but she did gradually grow on me. While she did have an upper-class upbringing with servants and a life of luxury, she was willing to cook, clean and do manual work to help make Amaya's life easier. It's was refreshing to see two people from completely different backgrounds try to understand each other rather than the usual trope of "rich person learning how the other half lives the hard way." These attempts at mutual understandings did help make some cute moments which did redeem Rue's initial impression.
There are a few downsides. One reason Rue runs to Amaya is due to Rue's perceived mistreatment by her family but this part isn't really resolved. There are some clunky sentences and punctuation errors. The world building was really lacking. I didn't really understand Amaya's magical abilities, Rue's heritage or how their society worked.
Otherwise I think this novella is a good choice if you need a cute, low stakes, short romance to tide you over.
"Debate and Decadence" is a magical cozy fantasy. The story is about the sapphic romance between Amaya, a solitary witch living alone in her forest cottage, and Rue, the disruptive, bubbly, upper crust girl who claims they are fated to be together.
The two girls are an "opposites attract" relationship. Amaya's stoic, practical nature clashes with Rue's talkative, idealistic personality. I honestly disliked Rue forcing herself into Amaya's life at the beginning (mostly due to me seeing this happen so often in anime). At the start, Rue's personality did not help with that feeling but she did gradually grow on me. While she did have an upper-class upbringing with servants and a life of luxury, she was willing to cook, clean and do manual work to help make Amaya's life easier. It's was refreshing to see two people from completely different backgrounds try to understand each other rather than the usual trope of "rich person learning how the other half lives the hard way." These attempts at mutual understandings did help make some cute moments which did redeem Rue's initial impression.
There are a few downsides. One reason Rue runs to Amaya is due to Rue's perceived mistreatment by her family but this part isn't really resolved. There are some clunky sentences and punctuation errors. The world building was really lacking. I didn't really understand Amaya's magical abilities, Rue's heritage or how their society worked.
Otherwise I think this novella is a good choice if you need a cute, low stakes, short romance to tide you over.
informative
medium-paced
Overall: B
Simple recipe book that teaches you how to make ramen from scratch (stock and add ins, not the noodles). Would never think to mix chicken, kimichi, apple and brussell sprouts in a ramen.
Simple recipe book that teaches you how to make ramen from scratch (stock and add ins, not the noodles). Would never think to mix chicken, kimichi, apple and brussell sprouts in a ramen.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall: B
Quick young adult novella that introduces the reader to a new series. Never read or heard of the series before. The lead is likable enough and the steampunk tidbits were interesting. Nothing amazing but a decent time killer. Made me a bit curious about the rest of the books.
Quick young adult novella that introduces the reader to a new series. Never read or heard of the series before. The lead is likable enough and the steampunk tidbits were interesting. Nothing amazing but a decent time killer. Made me a bit curious about the rest of the books.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall: C
Meh
"Murder At The Grand Hotel" is what I call a "most unorthodox!" book. A most unorthodox book usually takes place in Britain (sometimes Europe)- around the Victorian to 1920s (but can go back even farther). The protagonist is usually a woman in the upper crust who acts in a manner "most unbecoming" at the time. They can actually be any age but usually the girl is in the 20s-30s range. People around her either find her charming or alarming (usually women her age or older). The alarmed characters are usually tut-tutting her behavior which leads me to imaging them always saying "Why, this is most unorthodox"! The "forward-thinking" protagonist is usually the one solving the mystery to the amazement of everyone.
This is one of those stories but the setting is the roaring 20s with a British debutante visiting a French resort. It is told from the first person POV of the lead, Lady Caroline. As an amateur detective, she does a LOT of speculation that ends up being boring after a while. In fact, she's just boring. Her "romance" with James is lackluster. Honestly, I forgot he existed at some points. Most characters were colorful but one dimensional. I did like Poppy (though she is another "most unorthodox" character. The narrator, Sandra Churchill, did a good job of keeping me engaged.
The story is okay but the stakes never get high. At one point, Lady Caroline was in danger but I never felt like she was in danger. Obviously she wouldn't have died since this is a series but during that entire scene, I didn't feel anything. No worry or fear or suspense...nothing. The story was easy to follow even with all the characters that come and go. It's a decent time-killing cozy mystery if you want to just listen to something without racking your brain.
Meh
"Murder At The Grand Hotel" is what I call a "most unorthodox!" book. A most unorthodox book usually takes place in Britain (sometimes Europe)- around the Victorian to 1920s (but can go back even farther). The protagonist is usually a woman in the upper crust who acts in a manner "most unbecoming" at the time. They can actually be any age but usually the girl is in the 20s-30s range. People around her either find her charming or alarming (usually women her age or older). The alarmed characters are usually tut-tutting her behavior which leads me to imaging them always saying "Why, this is most unorthodox"! The "forward-thinking" protagonist is usually the one solving the mystery to the amazement of everyone.
This is one of those stories but the setting is the roaring 20s with a British debutante visiting a French resort. It is told from the first person POV of the lead, Lady Caroline. As an amateur detective, she does a LOT of speculation that ends up being boring after a while. In fact, she's just boring. Her "romance" with James is lackluster. Honestly, I forgot he existed at some points. Most characters were colorful but one dimensional. I did like Poppy (though she is another "most unorthodox" character. The narrator, Sandra Churchill, did a good job of keeping me engaged.
The story is okay but the stakes never get high. At one point, Lady Caroline was in danger but I never felt like she was in danger. Obviously she wouldn't have died since this is a series but during that entire scene, I didn't feel anything. No worry or fear or suspense...nothing. The story was easy to follow even with all the characters that come and go. It's a decent time-killing cozy mystery if you want to just listen to something without racking your brain.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall: A
Nicely written story about a cat messing up Satan's schemes.
Nicely written story about a cat messing up Satan's schemes.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall: C
Meh.
This book was underwhelming. The story was lacking depth but the twist was interesting at least. I haven't been to Louisiana but I feel like the description and usage of the Bayou State as a the setting didn't work to me. It felt like this could have been any other state even with the references to swamps. Also, I thought basements were rare in Louisiana?
The writing was fine but the dialogue was sometimes corny. There were references to real-life serial killers. I didn't find it used a lot throughout the book so didn't find it as annoying as other readers. I came into this book without knowing the author was a crime podcast host so...that explains the writing and the serial killer nods.
The characters were one-dimensional. I'm guessing there will be more exploration into Wren and Jeremy in the next book but there was nothing interesting enough about them to make me eager enough to jump to the sequel.
Meh.
This book was underwhelming. The story was lacking depth but the twist was interesting at least. I haven't been to Louisiana but I feel like the description and usage of the Bayou State as a the setting didn't work to me. It felt like this could have been any other state even with the references to swamps. Also, I thought basements were rare in Louisiana?
The writing was fine but the dialogue was sometimes corny. There were references to real-life serial killers. I didn't find it used a lot throughout the book so didn't find it as annoying as other readers. I came into this book without knowing the author was a crime podcast host so...that explains the writing and the serial killer nods.
The characters were one-dimensional. I'm guessing there will be more exploration into Wren and Jeremy in the next book but there was nothing interesting enough about them to make me eager enough to jump to the sequel.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Overall: C
I think the author should make an illustrative cookbook. Honestly, the recipes were the most interesting parts to me. The artwork was good.
I think the author should make an illustrative cookbook. Honestly, the recipes were the most interesting parts to me. The artwork was good.
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall: C+
This book has so much potential. I love the setting and the concept. Honestly? This is the first book that I read that has a wide representation of race, cultures, disabilities and mental health. Everyone is just accepting and respecting each other regardless of who they are. I wish I could live in a world like this. The supernatural aspect was a nice addition but I'm not sure how some of the nonhuman races worked. For example: Hyde is a vampire. They have strong sense of smell and heightened hearing. Why does Pacheco, the head constable and leader of local vampire coven, not have similar abilities? If I missed something, someone let me know.
Speaking of Hyde, their friends talk about how special and amazing they are but I don't see anything special about them. They show their perceptive abilities in some ways and they seem like a nice person but I didn't get the praise they got so much (maybe I just expect nice people to be nice people? I dunno). Also, their amazing perception is called into question for me when theyeat cupcakes that happen to be outside their door. It has the same poison that was used to kill their friend. How did they know their friend was poisoned?Because Hyde smelled the flowery poison when they found the body. So why the hell did Hyde a) not smell the poison in the cupcakes and b) not be suspious when there was an attempted murder on their life?
There is some tension between Pacheco and Hyde that is given a minor explanation that isn't expanded on. So, because of this, we should dislike Pacheco off the bat. However, he didn't come across as assholish to me? We just have Hyde and other characters' saying that he is. It felt like he was rude because people were rude to him first. After a while, Hyde's constant distate for the man was annoying and felt like getting in the way. HE IS JUST DOING HIS JOB, HYDE!
I will say Teresa is likeable and her personality complements Hyde's well. Their relationship development is cute. The other characters are fine but because of the book length, they aren't that deep or super interesting.
The story is just surface-level. Maybe because I'm just dipping my toes into the cutesy cozy mystery genre but this is too shallow for me. We had a red herring that was never followed up with (they were introduced in the beginning and only show up at the end). There were no clues or twists to help the reader determine who the culprit was. The book just says "This person did it! Roll end credits." Maybe the problem is the books brevity? The ending feels like a rushed conclusion rather than a gratifying resolution.
I'm in the same boat as Hyde (autistic queers unite!). It was nice to see a character cut from the same cloth even if I didn't completely agree with their actions. As hard as I am on them and the story, I'm still going to read the next one. I really love the concept and maybe the next one will be better.
This book has so much potential. I love the setting and the concept. Honestly? This is the first book that I read that has a wide representation of race, cultures, disabilities and mental health. Everyone is just accepting and respecting each other regardless of who they are. I wish I could live in a world like this. The supernatural aspect was a nice addition but I'm not sure how some of the nonhuman races worked. For example: Hyde is a vampire. They have strong sense of smell and heightened hearing. Why does Pacheco, the head constable and leader of local vampire coven, not have similar abilities? If I missed something, someone let me know.
Speaking of Hyde, their friends talk about how special and amazing they are but I don't see anything special about them. They show their perceptive abilities in some ways and they seem like a nice person but I didn't get the praise they got so much (maybe I just expect nice people to be nice people? I dunno). Also, their amazing perception is called into question for me when they
There is some tension between Pacheco and Hyde that is given a minor explanation that isn't expanded on. So, because of this, we should dislike Pacheco off the bat. However, he didn't come across as assholish to me? We just have Hyde and other characters' saying that he is. It felt like he was rude because people were rude to him first. After a while, Hyde's constant distate for the man was annoying and felt like getting in the way. HE IS JUST DOING HIS JOB, HYDE!
I will say Teresa is likeable and her personality complements Hyde's well. Their relationship development is cute. The other characters are fine but because of the book length, they aren't that deep or super interesting.
The story is just surface-level. Maybe because I'm just dipping my toes into the cutesy cozy mystery genre but this is too shallow for me. We had a red herring that was never followed up with (they were introduced in the beginning and only show up at the end). There were no clues or twists to help the reader determine who the culprit was. The book just says "This person did it! Roll end credits." Maybe the problem is the books brevity? The ending feels like a rushed conclusion rather than a gratifying resolution.
I'm in the same boat as Hyde (autistic queers unite!). It was nice to see a character cut from the same cloth even if I didn't completely agree with their actions. As hard as I am on them and the story, I'm still going to read the next one. I really love the concept and maybe the next one will be better.