kookeybird's reviews
65 reviews

Blud by Rachel McKibbens

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced

4.5

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Stupendous- give me fourteen of them  ☠️ 
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss

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adventurous funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

For such a hefty novel at 705 pages, I expected a much more dramatic climax to ALL of the information that was disseminated throughout it. Instead, it just felt like a series of character surprising character reveals and a lot of set-up for the next installment. (Which is okay, I was mostly entertained by the unexpected character introductions and I have some faith that the last novel will tie things together very well.) I’m not sure why the pacing felt much slower compared to the Alchemist’s Daughter - by comparison,  the characters travel to a  wider variety of places, and there are definitely a few action-packed sequences that keep things interesting,  but then I suppose so much of their “investigating” really amounts to such little information that the overall story feels bogged down by breadcrumbs of info. By far, the winning feature of the story remains the rich cast of female characters; they’re altogeheer charming and it’s nice to see new character bonds forming between unexpected pairs ( I’m thinking particularly of Beatrice and Catherine, and Mary and Justine.) I’m really hoping the next book doesn’t disappoint on delivering a satisfying conclusion
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

That whole sequence traversing the frozen mountain pass- amazing. Truly one of the best, most suspenseful sequences I’ve read in a novel in a long time.
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No

3.0

Moral of the story- own a gun?
The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkoski

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slow-paced

2.75

Confusing, rushed ending. Nirrim committed unspeakable war crimes and only acknowledges it as a sort of footnote at the very end. Sid was whiny and petulant for 200 pages of this book. Idk. Just disappointing 
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Classic horror characters, whodunits, a unique/well-written cast of female characters, interesting format and POV for the novel, Sherlock Holmes—- there’s a lot to love 
Green: The History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau

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informative

5.0

Green! A tale of an under-appreciated underdog rising to the status of political icon. 🎾🍏☘️🦜🐍🐸🩲💚
Hide by Kiersten White

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

1.0

Second Kiersten White novel that I’ve read. My overarching feeling is - Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. If I never have to read another book by this author, I’ll be glad for it