coffeepensandpaper's reviews
340 reviews

Reborn by Seth Haddon

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

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

5.0

If I could give it 6stars, I would. 

This is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. 
Racism, classism, misogyny. All packed into a world with a magic system so intertwined with religion it INFURIATES you. 

I'll leave you with two quotes that have engraved themselves on my soul.

"You're all so far gone that you can't tell a human soul from food for your own ambitions"

"Each gear turned tidily into its neighbor in a soul-grinding system designed to sustain the men who had named the pieces and made them so: damsel, devil, servant, wife."

Read. This. Book. 
Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

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challenging emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer

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

5.0

Borrowing Blue by Lucy Lennox

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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? No

3.0

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

BTW: By the Way by Molly Maddox, Lucy Lennox

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Bring Me Home by Annabeth Albert

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

3.0

it was fine 
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

everything I enjoyed about the first book is missing here. 

The only consistency is Amani's flakey character. Her motivations are so unclear. Since book one I had the feeling she i only joined the rebellion because she is so starved for a family rather than her believes, so I wasn't too surprised that she seem be swayed by every nice thing someone did. 

I was also disappointed that the book seem to tease that there isn't clean good and evil and that the rebellion isn't as righteous as it seems to be (apparently that was also how the book was advertised, but I didn't read the blurb), only to be let down by a generic plot twist at the end.