purplepenning's Reviews (1.72k)

An Impossible Impostor

Deanna Raybourn

4.0

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

Catherine Mack

3.5

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Finley Donovan meets Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone in an entertaining murder mystery that takes place on a mystery author's book tour in Italy. A slew of characters and a slightly unlikeable narrator give it a slow start, but the action and intrigue pick up midway as the characters settle into place and the author leads the reader through the clues. The insider glimpses of the publishing world are also a fun bonus!

Rough Pages

Lev AC Rosen

4.25

hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Content Warnings

The Bell in the Fog

Lev AC Rosen

4.5

mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Such a great balance of classic gumshoe mystery, well-researched midcentury history, and skillful character development. Detective Andy Mills is finding his way, his community, and his calling — and I'm finding an arc of book 3 because these are some of the most satisfying mysteries I've read in a long time.

Content Warnings

How to Solve Your Own Murder

Kristen Perrin

3.5

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Really wanted to love it, but my interest kept wandering, which made it difficult to keep a large cast of characters in two different timelines straight. Great premise, but maybe a tighter edit would've been more to my tastes. I was unexpectedly bored and annoyed by the 1960s bright young things timeline — teen drama often affects me that way. And the present-day story managed to be both packed with clues and yet lacking a sense of urgency to drive it. I did enjoy that it felt like a fair, classical mystery, though — I had half of it figured out before the reveal.

Content Warnings

Olivetti

Allie Millington

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Content Warnings

An Unexpected Peril

Deanna Raybourn

4.25

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

I'm never disappointed in Victorian steminist, Veronica Speedwell, and her partner Stoker — this series just keeps getting better!

Content Warnings

Akata Witch

Nnedi Okorafor

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Content Warnings

Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II

Adam Gidwitz

5.0

adventurous funny informative medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

A great WWII middle grade series opener — with a brutal cliffhanger. (The audiobook is excellent and may account for at least a half star in my rating.)

What I liked:

Takes sufficient time to lay the groundwork for Max's character and situation
beautifully constructs snapshots of everyday life in Germany before the war
doesn't shy away from the difficulties and atrocities both in Berlin and the English school
adds levity and a touch of supernatural emotional support through the imps that accompany Max
clearly explains at the end which parts are historically accurate
gives us an endearing hero who demonstrates both physical and mental strength in totally unfair situations

That cliffhanger though. I wish I had book two ready to go!

Content Warnings

Pride and Protest

Nikki Payne

4.0

5-star idea. Brilliantly maps Pride and Prejudice characters and situations to modern DC setting. The whole Bennet family is chef's kiss! The overall execution and romance didn't quite land for me, it was well worth the read!

Content Warnings

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