jjvaldezbooks's reviews
296 reviews

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

my babies 😭
Shut Up and Write the Book by Jenna Moreci

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2.25

fine info, bad jokes. you can get most of this online but at least I didn't have to see 10,000 ads on a blog?
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The Witch & the Wicked by Kade Patrick

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adventurous medium-paced

3.75

i knew I wasn't in YA territory more when the FMC said she would resort to cannibalism as necessary in the first 10 pages lmao

this vibe does not carry through the book as much as I would have liked, for a book that describes itself as "dark", but we get some good gore and despicable deeds to make up for it

the romance seems like it should be right up my alley, lots of sarcastic quips and surviving danger together, but it mostly felt like they were going down a checklist of "things to do to be a couple". i think I just didn't connect with the characters enough 

loved the plot, I felt like the story took a bit too long to come along but I really liked digging into the lore and magic
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

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adventurous dark tense
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

they're my children now
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Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

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

4.5

it stops at the climax but I kind of forgive it bc I liked the build up so much. I love and hate all the characters and I will absolutely be reading the sequel 

READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS bc good lord this one is dark and things pop up with no warning. i think they're well done and useful to the plot but if you have any triggers at all, check the lists first 
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Critical Role: Bells Hells — What Doesn't Break by Cassandra Khaw

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

5.0

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

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adventurous inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

it has the same small issues as Raybearer-- the themes/lessons are often a bit too on the nose, even for YA, and because there is so much happening packed into book 1 of a series, the protagonist has very little time to make mistakes that she can learn from. Redemptor (sequel to Raybearer) solved that for me and I'm hoping Blackgoose will similarly find her stride in a second book.  
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The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

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  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

too much memes. a little too obvious a twist. really good otherwise. killer worldbuilding!
Empire Wars by Akana Phenix

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  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

1.75

I got to the end of Ife's chapters and I thought, "you know what? If this book had only been from her point of view, I think I really would have enjoyed this book. there really was promise here, especially in the worldbuilding and a better developmental editor could have salvaged this. maybe I'll read the sequel" 

AND THEN I FINISHED IT AND THE ENDING IS A CLIFFHANGER AND NOT EVEN A GOOD ONE. I HATE COA AND NOW I REFUSE TO FORGIVE HER CHAPTERS. ALINA SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE SECOND PROTAGONIST. 

also also I hated Coa's actress in the audiobook. was there no director there to tell her not to read the whole book like she was gonna cry? it gets so exhausting to listen to and loses any emotional impact it could have had!
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There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish by Anna Akbari

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mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

hoping that when you google this woman's name, this is the kind of content that comes up: Emily Slutsky is the name of the catfish in this book. Emily Slutsky is an obgyn in New Jersey, but lives a double life tormenting women online. Emily Slutsky is a bad person. Emily Slutsky is almost certainly a bad doctor. Emily Slutsky is Ethan. There is no Ethan, but there is the abusive misogynist, Emily Slutsky.
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