apparatinglibrarian's reviews
2029 reviews

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

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

4.5

Out There Screaming by Jordan Peele, John Joseph Adams

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

5.0

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 55%.
 I dnf this book. I made it half-way, for what it's worth, but I couldn't get into it.

For the most part, this isn't a cozy mystery. It says it is, but it isn't. I also don't know if the book is wanting to be a cozy fantasy or high-fantasy. It's both--and I think that's okay--but the writing isn't clear enough that you know it's both. The only "cozy" thing in the story is the romance and the bookstore/tea store. So...take that for what it's worth.

I also felt a lot of influences from Legends & Lattes, but not as great. 
Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I can’t put my finger on it, but it was just meh. 

It was a fast paced book, interesting idea for a book, and there were moments that I loved (the flashbacks and whodunit theme).

I got more of a murder mystery than thriller, and I was never unsettled. I felt like I was led to feel unsettled, but…I just didn’t. I felt sorry and sad. Also, I didn’t like any of the characters—all of them were annoying. Nicole was tolerable lol. 

It was meh. 
Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Stranger Danger by Maren Stoffels

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dark mysterious tense 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

3.0

Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano

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

5.0

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-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

3.75

The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
I lost interest. It’s a really lighthearted and has wonderful cozy-fantasy elements, but the story didn’t grab me. The characters weren’t that interesting to me and I felt disconnected from the book. I’m very bummed.