Scan barcode
mitzee's reviews
339 reviews
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A good book for YA readers but not exactly something with a great story or learnings/morals.
There are a lot of times when I had to remind myself that, despite this being a story rooted in reality, the MC makes extremely unsafe decisions when investigating a potential murder. Classic stupid teenager hubris I guess? Otherwise, it’s fine.
Basically a true crime novel where a teenage girl plays detective Pikachu. She keeps choosing to not bring her partner, Ravi nor even tell him what she is planning to do. It seems like he’s pretty all-in so I’m not sure why she keeps making dumb choices to potentially get murdered. Like, if you’re so smart, plan ahead! Have a plan and then a backup plan!
There are a lot of times when I had to remind myself that, despite this being a story rooted in reality, the MC makes extremely unsafe decisions when investigating a potential murder. Classic stupid teenager hubris I guess? Otherwise, it’s fine.
Basically a true crime novel where a teenage girl plays detective Pikachu. She keeps choosing to not bring her partner, Ravi nor even tell him what she is planning to do. It seems like he’s pretty all-in so I’m not sure why she keeps making dumb choices to potentially get murdered. Like, if you’re so smart, plan ahead! Have a plan and then a backup plan!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Murder
Minor: Drug use
The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Another great addition to the series. More lands explored and more of the lore revealed, a lot of twists. Now I can’t wait until the next book!
Including summary for myself
Sylah crosses the ocean with The Elders (and Jond but that is unplanned) to find the mainland. Sylah and Jond end up captured and taken prisoner by what seem like slave traders. They manage to escape and eventually find out that those people were being harvested for bone marrow. In this land, the people The Elders sought have a better magic than just runework that was used back where they came from, it’s called deathwork here and it’s more powerful.
Sylah is excited that she found these folks. They (Sylah and Jond) learn about the Zalam (Salaam?) which is the name that these people gave to the islanders with red blood. Jond also reveals that he knew some of the folks that Anoor is dealing with are also part of the secret rebellion (The Sandstorm) and fearing for Anoor’s life, Sylah leaves the magic mainland immediately to sail back to Anoor - leaving on the cusp of a battle that the counsel was planning.
Meanwhile back at home Anoor has set up her shadow court with Goryn, Kwame, and Hassa… as well as someone who Goryn found and recommended. She needs them after Anoor finds her mother, Ooka, murdered in her office and is framed for the murder. Anoor has to use her shadow court to help prove her innocence since she’s put on house arrest until her trial. The whole time it feels like Anoor is basically being played by everyone, first her shadow court, then the wardens disciples (don’t know why she trusts them) and then her grandmother, Yona (also not sure why she trusts her either). Yona turns out to be the psychotic religious freak who left the mainland with her brother - she calls herself The Wife.
Hassa and Kwame’s relationship blossoms in this book. But on a fact finding mission, to learn how Leo (Sylah’s adoptive mother and Anoor’s biological mother) died, they get separated. Kwame is caught as they discover that the government is harvesting bone marrow at “treatment” centers. Leo died from a tide wind out in the street. Kwame is ripped on a rack and poor Hassa couldn’t do anything about it. But she’s definitely angry now. After the ripping a grio (storyteller) hands her a book. It’s very mysterious.
At the end, Yona reveals herself to be Nayeli, and that she’d been looking for Anoor - the prophesied “child of fire” - for the whole time. Ooka, Yona’s daughter and the former Warden of Justice, had been a twin and apparently Loot, the Warden of Crime, was the other twin. She had sacrificed Loot to the tide wind when he was born but apparently he had been saved. Anyway, now the disciples/the sandstorm agents, and Anoor are with Yona/Nayeli/The Wife and Wife wants to sail back to the mainland (just as Sylah had arrived back in town)
Including summary for myself
Sylah crosses the ocean with The Elders (and Jond but that is unplanned) to find the mainland. Sylah and Jond end up captured and taken prisoner by what seem like slave traders. They manage to escape and eventually find out that those people were being harvested for bone marrow. In this land, the people The Elders sought have a better magic than just runework that was used back where they came from, it’s called deathwork here and it’s more powerful.
Sylah is excited that she found these folks. They (Sylah and Jond) learn about the Zalam (Salaam?) which is the name that these people gave to the islanders with red blood. Jond also reveals that he knew some of the folks that Anoor is dealing with are also part of the secret rebellion (The Sandstorm) and fearing for Anoor’s life, Sylah leaves the magic mainland immediately to sail back to Anoor - leaving on the cusp of a battle that the counsel was planning.
Meanwhile back at home Anoor has set up her shadow court with Goryn, Kwame, and Hassa… as well as someone who Goryn found and recommended. She needs them after Anoor finds her mother, Ooka, murdered in her office and is framed for the murder. Anoor has to use her shadow court to help prove her innocence since she’s put on house arrest until her trial. The whole time it feels like Anoor is basically being played by everyone, first her shadow court, then the wardens disciples (don’t know why she trusts them) and then her grandmother, Yona (also not sure why she trusts her either). Yona turns out to be the psychotic religious freak who left the mainland with her brother - she calls herself The Wife.
Hassa and Kwame’s relationship blossoms in this book. But on a fact finding mission, to learn how Leo (Sylah’s adoptive mother and Anoor’s biological mother) died, they get separated. Kwame is caught as they discover that the government is harvesting bone marrow at “treatment” centers. Leo died from a tide wind out in the street. Kwame is ripped on a rack and poor Hassa couldn’t do anything about it. But she’s definitely angry now. After the ripping a grio (storyteller) hands her a book. It’s very mysterious.
At the end, Yona reveals herself to be Nayeli, and that she’d been looking for Anoor - the prophesied “child of fire” - for the whole time. Ooka, Yona’s daughter and the former Warden of Justice, had been a twin and apparently Loot, the Warden of Crime, was the other twin. She had sacrificed Loot to the tide wind when he was born but apparently he had been saved. Anyway, now the disciples/the sandstorm agents, and Anoor are with Yona/Nayeli/The Wife and Wife wants to sail back to the mainland (just as Sylah had arrived back in town)
Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Another book where a woman finds out she’s a witch at an older age (I read « Rewitched » by Lucy Jane Wood earlier this year) and is not immediately chuffed, which I find so annoying and not relatable. I would be pretty excited and happy but I guess some people may not - sure, they can exist I guess.
I also felt like the MC’s feminism was so dominant and weird because it had to be named and called out - it felt weird. Don’t get me wrong, I am a feminist but I don’t go around telling myself what’s right and wrong because of feminism.
Summary for myself:
Emerson, the main character is annoyingly confident. I was not really sure what the point of that was. Do confident people go around talking to themselves like that?
Anyway, she’s owns a book store in a fake town called St Ciprian - basically near St Louis since they talk about the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. She finds out she’s a witch and that her friends are also all witches and she was mind wiped as a teenager. But things are coming back to her now.
Upon learning about this she is kind of annoying and cranky. I didn’t get the response. There’s an evil coven around, led by the most powerful witch, the one about mind wiped her.
She and her friend save the town from being flooded and then have to face off either the coven leaders. I assume there’s a second book.
I also felt like the MC’s feminism was so dominant and weird because it had to be named and called out - it felt weird. Don’t get me wrong, I am a feminist but I don’t go around telling myself what’s right and wrong because of feminism.
Summary for myself:
Anyway, she’s owns a book store in a fake town called St Ciprian - basically near St Louis since they talk about the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. She finds out she’s a witch and that her friends are also all witches and she was mind wiped as a teenager. But things are coming back to her now.
Upon learning about this she is kind of annoying and cranky. I didn’t get the response. There’s an evil coven around, led by the most powerful witch, the one about mind wiped her.
She and her friend save the town from being flooded and then have to face off either the coven leaders. I assume there’s a second book.
How We End by L.M. Juniper
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Good pacing, lovable characters (and one that developed), and good horror. Got caught up in the diversity of the characters at first but I also overall felt the horror and « zombie » parts were well paced and built tension well. Also emotionally engaging.
I loved that there were a few hints at Jake being afab before the big reveal. Also loved the idea of him being a hot 🥵😮💨 Asian man.
Definitely cried when Francis died. That really got to me so I think the author did the good job of building her character and their relationships.
Definitely cried when Francis died. That really got to me so I think the author did the good job of building her character and their relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Another very tender and loving TJ Klune book about flawed people who continue to try to do the right thing - in the face of terrible people who want to do bad things. This book picks up where House on the Cerulean Sea left off but maybe a year or so later?
A new foster comes to the house and there’s some very shitty govt folks who are trying to break up the whole family.
I loved the author’s notes at the end about being the anti-JK Rowling. F*ck a TERF.
A new foster comes to the house and there’s some very shitty govt folks who are trying to break up the whole family.
I loved the author’s notes at the end about being the anti-JK Rowling. F*ck a TERF.
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Another great Saara El-Arifi book and Afro-centered fantasy. The enemies tofriends to lovers trope may not be new but I felt this particular relationship was refreshing. Loved this book by the end and I can’t wait to read the next.
Including a summary for my own records:
Anoor is the daughter of The Warden of ___ something? Except she is not really her daughter. As a baby she was swapped out for a baby from a lower class (class is based on the color of one’s blood) called Dusters. Anoor comes from the ruling class, called Embers
Syla is an Ember, raised by Dusters, one of The Stolen. Fourteen babies stolen by The Sandstorm, a group of rebels/revolutionaries, who would be raised to fight and compete in the trials that would determine the next Warden of ____ and overturn the government from the inside.
Syla and Anoor end up striking a deal with each other - Syla helping Anoor compete in the trials and Anoor teaching Syla how to use runes. All the while Syla knowing more than Anoor does about who the other is.
Including a summary for my own records:
Anoor is the daughter of The Warden of ___ something? Except she is not really her daughter. As a baby she was swapped out for a baby from a lower class (class is based on the color of one’s blood) called Dusters. Anoor comes from the ruling class, called Embers
Syla is an Ember, raised by Dusters, one of The Stolen. Fourteen babies stolen by The Sandstorm, a group of rebels/revolutionaries, who would be raised to fight and compete in the trials that would determine the next Warden of ____ and overturn the government from the inside.
Syla and Anoor end up striking a deal with each other - Syla helping Anoor compete in the trials and Anoor teaching Syla how to use runes. All the while Syla knowing more than Anoor does about who the other is.
The Devourers by Indra Das
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I feel like this is an “important” book but not one that I found enjoyable. There were parts of it that were more interesting, like the story between Seera and Jevoudon, but overall I was not that into it. There was passion, mystery, magic or lore, all things that I work want in a story, there’s just wasn’t any one character that I liked or was “rooting” for.
Summary so I can remember what I read:
Theres a story within a story in this book. The “outer” story begins between professor, who is the main narrator at times, and Israel, who is called “The Stranger” until the end of the book. They kind of have a triste, the Stranger claims to be a half werewolf. He needs the professor, Alok, to transcribe his story. The whole thing between Alok and Israel is pretty hot, graphic and steamy at the end but everything leading to that felt really tense and awkward. Maybe it’s a cultural thing?
Israel tells a story/tale/lore of three gods who were traveling though ancient India. They are shape shifters and take the form of white European men but dressed unlike Europeans. Don’t really know what they were doing in India other than traveling around on foot, being wolves sometimes (their “first form” and eating ppl then shape shifting back into humans.
One of them, Fenrir, decides he wants to make a baby so he rapes a woman named Seera (telling her it’s a blessing and generally being a white cis dude about the rape). He goes back to his bros and is challenged by one because he has sex with a human, instead of each other. Offended god challenges him to a fight and so they fight then the third one, Jevoudon, shows up and finishes it by killing Offended God (because he likes Fenrir). Anyway at this point Fenrir runs away or something? Maybe Jevoudon leaves Fenrir. And Seera ends up finding Jevoudon.
They travel together, he slowly shares who he is with her, he knows what Fenrir did to her. She on the other hand travels with him because she is looking for Fenrir to… I dunno, give her a piece of her mind? I honestly don’t know. They end up really bonding and when they finally do find Fenrir, they are both pissed at him.
Anyway, fast forward and Seera ends up having the baby, which is Israel, half human, half something else. In between Israel’s story telling there’s a lot of awkward courting between him and Alok and then at the end a lot of graphic sex.
In the end, Israel takes Alok back to the island where he was born where they proceed to have a lot of sex but also Israel finds and eats his parents? And then somehow Israel eats Alok vice versa and they are all one person by the end of the book. I don’t fucking know.
Summary so I can remember what I read:
Israel tells a story/tale/lore of three gods who were traveling though ancient India. They are shape shifters and take the form of white European men but dressed unlike Europeans. Don’t really know what they were doing in India other than traveling around on foot, being wolves sometimes (their “first form” and eating ppl then shape shifting back into humans.
One of them, Fenrir, decides he wants to make a baby so he rapes a woman named Seera (telling her it’s a blessing and generally being a white cis dude about the rape). He goes back to his bros and is challenged by one because he has sex with a human, instead of each other. Offended god challenges him to a fight and so they fight then the third one, Jevoudon, shows up and finishes it by killing Offended God (because he likes Fenrir). Anyway at this point Fenrir runs away or something? Maybe Jevoudon leaves Fenrir. And Seera ends up finding Jevoudon.
They travel together, he slowly shares who he is with her, he knows what Fenrir did to her. She on the other hand travels with him because she is looking for Fenrir to… I dunno, give her a piece of her mind? I honestly don’t know. They end up really bonding and when they finally do find Fenrir, they are both pissed at him.
Anyway, fast forward and Seera ends up having the baby, which is Israel, half human, half something else. In between Israel’s story telling there’s a lot of awkward courting between him and Alok and then at the end a lot of graphic sex.
In the end, Israel takes Alok back to the island where he was born where they proceed to have a lot of sex but also Israel finds and eats his parents? And then somehow Israel eats Alok vice versa and they are all one person by the end of the book. I don’t fucking know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
As others have said, it was too slow. I had other holds at the library that became available as I was reading this and decided to abandon it for now and maybe come back to it later.
Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
I’ve been on a cozy, witchy read kick lately and this is my third (after The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and A Dark and Secret Magic). For me this was earning a 3-3.5 rating to start out because while I did like the coziness of the whole thing, Bella’s attitude toward life I found to be quite annoying. Still I preserved and when more characters were introduced and a bit of mystery I was more willing to ignore how she approached things and/or keep a more open mind.
The story has good autumn vibes and takes place in October, leading up to Halloween (similar to A Dark and Secret Magic). It’s a cozy read but something about the MC was annoying to me.
Including a summary for my own records
Bella (Belladonna) works in a bookshop, and has for a very long time, lives in a flat with her best friend Ari (Ariadne) and cat Jinx. The whole premise is that Bella was born a witch but has not really been embracing that side of her, not studying magic (from her grimoire), and using her magic for little dumb things, and she has been watched this whole time by the coven’s council. So every witchy person (witchy folks as they are called in the book) has an assessment at age 30 and the coven decides if they get to keep their power or return it back to the coven - like it is a finite resource? I guess I didn’t really pay attention to that explanation - and Bella failed her assessment. She complains that is unfair and nobody told her they would be watching but I felt like she didn’t even seem to enjoy being a witch, she hid it from everyone (even her best friend who she loves) and rarely used it for anything good or meaningful.
So there are two coven sisters who basically run the coven - a good cop, bad cop situation. Good cop tells her that there’s a stipulation in the book that she can get a second chance if she gets tutored by someone (and this person can’t be someone she knows and can’t be someone on the council) so that adding her to a guy who was excommunicated for murdering his brother.
They meet and she finds that Arty (Artorious) is actually a nice old man and doesn’t believe that he could have done it. Eventually (after half her lessons) she asks him about it and he says he can’t really remember doing it but he can see it happening. This is revealed while Bella and Rune (her assigned protector and soon to be love interest) are with him. They dig into his mind and watch the thing play out live, the two leaders of the coven were the ones who killed him and Bella’s grandmother. Also learned that Arty and the Coven Sisters are siblings so they killed their own brother and blamed it on their other brother.
The story has good autumn vibes and takes place in October, leading up to Halloween (similar to A Dark and Secret Magic). It’s a cozy read but something about the MC was annoying to me.
Including a summary for my own records
Bella (Belladonna) works in a bookshop, and has for a very long time, lives in a flat with her best friend Ari (Ariadne) and cat Jinx. The whole premise is that Bella was born a witch but has not really been embracing that side of her, not studying magic (from her grimoire), and using her magic for little dumb things, and she has been watched this whole time by the coven’s council. So every witchy person (witchy folks as they are called in the book) has an assessment at age 30 and the coven decides if they get to keep their power or return it back to the coven - like it is a finite resource? I guess I didn’t really pay attention to that explanation - and Bella failed her assessment. She complains that is unfair and nobody told her they would be watching but I felt like she didn’t even seem to enjoy being a witch, she hid it from everyone (even her best friend who she loves) and rarely used it for anything good or meaningful.
So there are two coven sisters who basically run the coven - a good cop, bad cop situation. Good cop tells her that there’s a stipulation in the book that she can get a second chance if she gets tutored by someone (and this person can’t be someone she knows and can’t be someone on the council) so that adding her to a guy who was excommunicated for murdering his brother.
They meet and she finds that Arty (Artorious) is actually a nice old man and doesn’t believe that he could have done it. Eventually (after half her lessons) she asks him about it and he says he can’t really remember doing it but he can see it happening. This is revealed while Bella and Rune (her assigned protector and soon to be love interest) are with him. They dig into his mind and watch the thing play out live, the two leaders of the coven were the ones who killed him and Bella’s grandmother. Also learned that Arty and the Coven Sisters are siblings so they killed their own brother and blamed it on their other brother.
A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
To clarify, I really liked the story but struggled with the concept of liking a book translating to a 5 star rating (which I feel like need to be enjoyable and important).
I enjoyed the “cozy read” feeling at the start: a lot of witchy autumn in a sleepy town vibes and imagery. There was also a sense of mystery that slowly unraveled and led to more dangerous situations. However there were a lot of tropes that kind of made the book feel predictable like the romance with a love interest who is perfect.Hecate also felt like a Mary Sue, she just instantly had great power and used it perfectly when it was the most urgent. there also seemed to be a lot of times when Hecate would just lose consciousness and it felt like lazy writing since it wasn’t explained why that happened. I also don’t think it was really explained why Hecate and Miranda had beef?
The fact that her sisters stood behind her was nice, and jt wasn’t like a horrible sibling situation in the end. Although it is never really explained why her sisters have her carrying so much of the load, which seems like the author was just creating drama for nothing.
I enjoyed the “cozy read” feeling at the start: a lot of witchy autumn in a sleepy town vibes and imagery. There was also a sense of mystery that slowly unraveled and led to more dangerous situations. However there were a lot of tropes that kind of made the book feel predictable like the romance with a love interest who is perfect.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent