nancykz's reviews
499 reviews

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.75

At some point I’m going to find romantasy that works for me. This wasn’t it.

Day by Michael Cunningham

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

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tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Quick, little laggy and preach at the end, but I’ll take it! I love the way Crouch introduces tech that improves life only to slam us with questions of the moral implications (and leaves us to come up with our own conclusions).

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

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emotional 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

4.25

This isn’t something I would ever pick up on my own. I don’t know why. I love to read anything and everything and despite myself knowing this, I am certain I’ve had passed over it.

Caroline and James are about to enjoy two weeks in London as a celebration of their tenth wedding anniversary when Caroline sees a text that unravels their marriage. Taking her best friend’s advice, Caroline goes on the trip solo to have the space she needs to figure things out.

Told along two timelines, Caroline is intrigued by a glass vial etched with a bear she finds while mudlarking — a complete whim brought her to join a group. As she traces back the origin and story of the vial in real time, we move through the vials owners in the past.

Well written and executed. The last chapter could have been removed — felt like it was there for readers who may have missed the point. I like to be trusted as a reader.

Content Warnings

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

I. Devoured. This.

Started yesterday while waiting for a parade to stop and before bed and the. Downloaded the audio this morning and listened to in my 4 hour drive home at 1.5x speed so I could finish it. Right after one of the biggest twists my car decided it didn’t want to keep playing it and I was so annoyed. Listened to the last 20 minutes (sped up) in the evening before bed and I am just SO enamored.

The writing is punchy and perfectly paced, the characters are endearing, and while it hits on some really serious stuff that I normally avoid, it did it in a gentle, light way instead of going the grief porn route, which I appreciate.

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced