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indieandajean's reviews
426 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Child abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were several places in which I thought Aurelia forgave Max a bit too readily and while I understand that she couldn't stay mad at him for the whole book, I do think that this story may have been better off with less little moments of conflict that are quickly resolved and more of an overall simmer of the larger conflicts at play.
That said, it was a fun read at times and I can forgive a little contrived conflict for all the excellent friends to enemies to lovers content it provides.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Bullying, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
- 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
5.0
If you like any of the following, this one is for you:
- Misunderstandings
-Marriage of convenience
-My heart can't take rejection so I am going to pretend I'm not in love even though I totally am.
-Kilts.
-Accents.
-Tragic backstories
-Lovable side characters
-Possessiveness
-Supporting each other's dreams
Need I say more?
I really think this might be one of my favorite books Dare has ever written, and I highly recommend reading it.
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
That said, there were some misses in this one that normally I don't find in Dare's books.
First off, the dog. I am usually so here for a dog, especially an old crusty one, but there was just a little too much of this guy mentioned. Particularly I think it was just a little too many mentions of the dog taking care of business, so to speak. Normally I'm not wholly opposed to a little bathroom humor in books, I read too many children's books for it to bother me, but it's just not something I want to see in a romance novel.
Secondly I did not care for the sort of slipshod way Cleo's sisters were included. I don't think the book would have suffered any for her being an only child, and their involvement didn't particularly strike me as important to the plot in any way. The bits where she's worried about how her sisters will react about her breaking her engagement with Piers simply weren't weighty enough to make them seem like a serious complication. I did like Phoebe though, I would like to see Dare write a book exploring her because there's really not enough period romance with neurodiverse characters in the leading lady role.
All in all, not my favorite of Dare's books, but also an overall enjoyable read.
Minor: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Violence
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
4.5
I have to say that I very much enjoyed Chilling With Ghosts. The book is well written, keeps a positive tone throughout and offers plenty of ghost information that kids love, paired with interesting and exciting facts about science, history and literature.
The author manages to keep a humorous but trustworthy tone throughout the book and the pacing makes the book a quick read with a satisfying amount of content.
The only negative I can find with the book is that the text makes frequent homages to media which may or may not be relevant to a child today, let alone in the next few years. I appreciated the references to Danny Phantom, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and the Ghost Busters reboot, but I can see kids just skimming over that section.
Overall this is one of my favorite paranormal nonfiction books for children to date
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I had no idea that penguin behavior and mannerisms are so different from species to species and learning this through the lens of anthropomorphized gentlemen penguins was certainly a new experience!
The art is great, capturing the physical details of the penguins perfectly as well as making the gentlemen penguins very very handsome.
I would have liked a little more plot, but it's worth a read just to learn more about penguins!