purplepenning's Reviews (1.72k)

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

I couldn't really connect with these books. I kept forgetting I was reading them. They seemed overly long and lacking in depth and dragons. 

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

Come for the You've Got Mail trope, stay for the character development (get it, Lily!), the accurate peek into the world of publishing (beleaguered assistant editing "The Evolution of Shoelaces" :-D), the celebration of Black culture, the nuanced portrayal of family dynamics and Black excellence, the self-work (we see you, Nick!), and the non-toxic relationship dynamic. [Recommended in print or digital. The audiobook was only half great for this one.]      

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Incredibly sweet, fantasy-lite, character-driven, British historical (early 1900s) romance novella. Cozy escapist comfort read.

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

There is a lot going on in this dark, contemporary urban fantasy. It's a great concept, but it didn't end up working for me. (I'm not giving a star rating because I'm definitely not the target audience.) Blood Debts is, as promised, absolutely dripping with generational magic, trauma, and family and community drama. But the cast and scope felt too big, and the characters managed to feel both underdevoped and belabored. I hope it works better for other readers, or that the series as a whole comes together better than this first part.

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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

Fast-paced, riveting realistic middle grade fiction informed by the author's own life as a young Chinese immigrant helping her parents manage motels. Mia is a dynamic young protagonist who discovers the power of her own voice and the power of community.

If you like Front Desk, definitely check out Finally Seen — both are wonderful middle grade stories of immigrant lives, but I think Finally Seen is the better book, showcasing the author's growth as a writer.

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No

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

A+ Realistic middle grade fiction with a timely message about the importance of diverse books, the misguided intents of book banning (based on a true event), and the power of graphic novels. Lina is a middle schooler trying to find her feet in a new life as an immigrant, daughter, big sister, long-distance granddaughter, friend, English learner, artist, bath bomb designer, graphic novel enthusiast, and voice against selfishly ill-informed xenophobic censorship. It's … a lot. But she handles it with courage, some excellent help, and humor in a story that's relatable, revelatory, and entertaining. 

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

Quite fond of these two idiots — their relationship was really lovely, lots of mutual caregiving — but the pace is pretty leisurely and it did drag a bit for me.

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