purplepenning's reviews
1646 reviews

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25


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The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.25


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A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy

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I'm happy to pretend that the first book in the series was a standalone. 
A Kilt for Christmas by Tricia O'Malley

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lighthearted fast-paced
A light-hearted "magic is real" holiday rom-com set in Scotland. We have a grumpy, competitive pub quiz champ and aspiring writer (from a neighboring Scottish town) paired with a visiting professor of literature and folklore (from California). The kilt is of very little significance so I'm not sure why it made the title.

Actually, everything felt underdeveloped to me — about as fleshed out as the confusing (but admittedly delightful) Highland cow ghost that enjoys pulling pranks on people (shrug). I'm not sure if the rest of series is the same sort of thing — several tropes and stock characters marched out into a lightly developed storyline — or if it's just because this is a special Christmas story from the middle of the series. Either way, I don't think this works particularly well as a standalone. It needs another 100 pages of context and development (or 50 fewer pages and plot points to be a holiday novella).
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0


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Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0


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