sashahc's reviews
189 reviews

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really like competent women characters who enjoy logic and learning, but aren’t cast as necessarily geniuses.  I just read “Seraphina” by Rachel Hartman and thoroughly enjoyed visiting with the MC.  She is a half-dragon musician in a world where dragons and humans enjoy a very uneasy peace.  Great world building and relationships.  Recommended. 
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

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dark emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-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

Just read a #book that I very much enjoyed.  “The Watchmaker of Filigree Street” by Natasha Pulley is steampunk-ish, Victorian, gently queer, and mostly vibes.  It’s got a touch of mystery, a little bit of fantasy, and was totally engaging.  It will make you think about the nature of the future and intention.  A real pleasure.
Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper

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

5.0

I just read Lana Harper’s “Payback’s A Witch.”  It’s totally the “prodigal returns to small town they despised and falls in love” trope, but it’s modern witches and it’s sapphic and there is a witch tournament instead of XMas.  Fun fluffy read.
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

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adventurous dark funny hopeful medium-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

Just read “Light From Uncommon Stars” by Ryka Aoki.  This book is chock full of trauma (so many TWs) but is also healing and somehow cozy.  Donuts, violins, demons, space aliens, interstellar war, and it all takes place in Los Angeles.  It is also 110% queer AF.  Recommend.  #book
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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dark emotional hopeful sad medium-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 just finished reading “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Saénz.  WHOA.  It was A LOT.  Beautiful, melancholy, intense.  Not a cozy read, but if you want the heartbreak of being a serious teenager on the outskirts, it’s a good one.  There’s a reason it won all the awards.  #book
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Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Bookity book book #book.  “Silver in the Wood” by Emily Tesh is a sweet queer Fairy Tale come to life with mysterious woods, wild men, and an old danger come back to life.  It’s a novella, so it’s a bite of a story.  Great for a lazy afternoon read.
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Okay, by the numbers, “A Taste of Gold and Iron” by Alexandra Rowland has:

- Mildly magical universe with zero misogyny or queerphobia or transphobia
- A Prince and his Bodyguard with So. Much. Gay. Pining.
- A very accurate depiction of an anxiety disorder
- A sweet sibling relationship
- Political Intrigue!
- Great derring-do.
- Characters pulled into growth kicking and screaming.

Fun #book.  Very diverting.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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emotional lighthearted medium-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

Cozy #book time!   I just finished “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” by Sangu Mandanna.  It’s a modern fantasy that takes place in rural England and is about found family and healing from trauma and deserving happiness.  The writing style is very satisfying and it has cute and funny and competent characters.  The MC is down to earth and charming without being saccharine.  It’s also a sunshiny one + grumpy one romance. (The MCs are heterosexual, tragically, but I endured.)  I thoroughly enjoyed it and I expect you to do the same.
The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta

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emotional lighthearted medium-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

IMPORTANT #BOOK NEWS.  

Ok.

If the unadulterated urban community queerness of “One Last Stop” met the coffee shop slice of life coziness of “Legends and Lattes” with the teenage baking-ness from “Sunshine” (but WITH recipes) + a little bit of magic sprinkled on top, you’d get “Heart Break Bakery” by A. R. Capetta.  Just the thing you need.  Promise.
Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Just finished reading “Peter Cabot Gets Lost,” a sweet gay road trip romance set in 1960 by Cat Sebastian.  No real plot.  Only vibes.  Sunshine one + Grumpy one trope.  Lots of sex.  Recommended as an antidote to anxiety and malaise.