purplepenning's Reviews (1.72k)

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No

Several aspects felt underdeveloped but this was cute enough — a fake medium from the city heads to a goat farm, encounters a real ghost, and possibly the first real connection to real people that she has ever experienced. 
emotional hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Angsty-steamy isn't my usual, but if you're looking for that, look no further. 

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

This goes to some unexpected places! 

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The Emperor and the Endless Palace

Justinian Huang

DID NOT FINISH

I bounced in chapter 5 when a character is drugged, partially stripped, and sexually molested for the amusement of royalty

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adventurous
Loveable characters: Complicated

A just okayish classic fantasy tale of reluctant heroic questing and a lowly peasant who discovered he's so much more. Almost likeable but poorly developed characters. It lost points from me for the indulgently descriptive talk of dragon abuse (exterminating and skinning alive) even after dragons had already been presented as intelligent and sentient. 

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The Mystery Writer

Sulari Gentill

DID NOT FINISH

I knew this involved conspiracy theories but didn't anticipate — and wasn't in the mood to read — comments/posts in conspiracy theory discussion forums. The idea is intriguing, though, so I may return to this one later, possibly in audiobook form where (hopefully) some Australian accents will help me get through it.

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

I was iffy on this one until an emotional support chicken made an appearance in a used bookstore. Then I was somehow all in. 

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dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Ahh, T Kingfisher, inspiring me to read out of my comfort zone and into the world of classic haunted houses, creeping dread, and
zombifying fungi


This *just* passes my personal Doctor Who/Star Trek measuring stick of tolerable horror (i.e., I can tolerate science fantasy stories that are as unsettling as the scariest episodes of those shows as long as they're also creative, interesting, thoughtful, contain endearing characters, etc.).

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