abgushte's reviews
122 reviews

The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It may be "just" a novella, but it was so deeply powerful it got me ugly crying a few times.
The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Natural Magick by Lindsay Squire

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

Very high level, low stakes introduction to witchcraft that emphasizes following your own path rather than any strict dogma. Good ritual and practice ideas for a beginner to dip their toes in without getting overwhelmed, and a decent amount of breadth to hopefully find practices that resonate.

My only personal dislike is that the graphics are very "witchy millennial aesthetic" and trendy which kind of undermines using this book as reference material. I liked the "further reading" and index sections.
Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A riot of silliness, and yet much depth of feelings amidst the absurdity.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

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4.5

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This series is like if you and your friends were cracking extreme jokes poking fun of the morally gray romantic lead trope and someone compiled it into an actual story. Somehow this book manages to be extremely sweet while also describing disembodied heads hanging from rafters and flesh melting off bones. An absolute raucous delight.
Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I did not reread the first two books, which made me really miss how meaningful the relationships amongst the Fourth Wing crew felt. With that said, Ridoc kinda stole the show.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A touching elves-and-goblins approach to an imperial court political drama with YA-appropriate amounts of dark and light themes--and just a dash of revolutionary ideology. If you like wholesome protagonists who are too precious for this world then you will love Maia.
The ​Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
As a CSA survivor there were deeply disturbing aspects of this series that made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I wish there was an option to block specific authors from being on my feeds because I never want to even look at another book by this author ever again.
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Glow of the Everflame by Penn Cole

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25