psychology4introverts's reviews
190 reviews

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 86%.
The enemies to lovers story line is concluded in the second third, but from the half way point it’s all about loss, war, suffering and death in war and hardships of war. Too depressing to continue. And the magic is minimal and object-based with no explanation, the pantheon on which the whole conflict is based is one dimensional.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Second audio book listening
Buddhism: Beginner's Guide to Understanding & Practicing Buddhism to Become Stress and Anxiety Free by Michael Williams

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inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Great intro book, it covers all the basics, and would be better as a book, not as audio book, so one can look up and revisit all the helpful lists.
Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B.B. Alston

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adventurous challenging emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Still good writing, still great character description but otherwise quite disappointing. The academia setting is gone, the story and the main characters are fully plot-driven in a dumb, reactive way, especially Amari seems to have learned nothing from their previous adventures and acts like a puppet right up to the last minute. Really the villain should get all the credit and win the day, he had deserved it so much more. It was painful to watch Amari make one bad decision after the other, if she had two more brain cells or stopped to consider things a bit more carefully, the book would have ended after the chapters. Also the reason the ending was anti-climatic, sad and very disappointing. Book one is the only worth re-reading, mostly for the magical academia setting.
Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston

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adventurous emotional tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

Again great writing despite the current tense format that takes some getting used to. It’s a great read and I love the magical academia setting. The ending was a bit disappointing, her stubbornness started to shift from endearing to boneheaded. All in all a great second book, I hope her character development won’t get stunted by that stubbornness in book three.
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
It’s just tooooo boring and long winded and a lot about getting old and dying…
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

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challenging dark emotional tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

Good dark academia read, but the whole vampire thing didn’t really fit in the great DA setting. Without that it would have rivalled the other big DA novels. 
Curse the Day by Annabel Chase

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funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Relaxing cozy audio book to listen to while doing a cozy hobby, low stakes and fairy-tale with quite a few funny moments. Great voice actor.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

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lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

Such a cozy relaxing low-stakes tale with a really good voice actor in the audio version. Perfect for listening while doing a cozy hobby. Loved all the different mystical characters and how they interacted.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I would give this book 6 stars if it was possible. This will most likely become the best read of this year for me. The story telling is pure masterclass, every paragraph has its place and its purpose, it's clever, whimsical, warm, heartfelt, honest, hilariously funny and gets you invested in from page 1. The unique POV of the author/Cabin boy idiot is altogether delightful and there are truly deep insights and life lessons hidden between the lines. I will reread this plenty of times.