stardust_heidi's reviews
485 reviews

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious tense 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

3.75

In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

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emotional lighthearted sad tense 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

4.0

I kind of struggled with this one, to be honest. For all she was pushing her parents to stay together, I kept thinking she is the one who needed to get some professional advisement. It worked out well by the end, and I’m glad she had not just her parents, but also Collin along the way to kind of keep her in check. Her hot/cold dramatics regarding her own relationship with Collin were kind of obnoxious. 

This is heavy on the sexual content with
lots of messy sex play, which personally squicks me out once multiple body fluids are involved. Just not my personal preference.


I DID really like the banter and "I love to dislike you” snark between Truly and Collin, especially because they managed to keep it up the whole book. Also, the scene on her doorstep. *fans self*
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Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

The way this was SO much better than Iron Flame. 

But also, wtf Rebecca. Stop it with the endings
that end in a cliffhanger and make me want to rip my heart out.
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Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

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

4.0

Somehow I missed this series growing up, and all my bookish friends keep telling me to read it! I really enjoyed this book! Honestly, it’s super engaging for a middle grade read. I Love how Alanna really grew into her strength not only as a page but also as a young woman. I don’t usually gravitate toward MG books, but I thought this brought some fun characters and an excellent demonstration of girl power. 
Shackin' Up: Short Stories of Queer Romance and Forced Proximity by Louisa Vidal, Rena Butler, Daisy Fairchild, Catherine Fletcher, Augusta Connor, Opal Moritz

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4.0

This is a fun anthology featuring smutty little moments among ordinary humans. I enjoyed the variety and build up, whether they knew each other from the get go or were newly introduced. 

As with most short stories, it’s hard to really get connected or super invested. I needed something light and more carefree to take me away from real life angst, and this helped. 
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Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

Oh my GOD, my heart. At times, I wanted to stick this book in the freezer. The tension. The character arcs. The banter and wit. The angst. 

I was honestly shocked that Matthias was the one to go. I expected either Nina or maybe Inej or Kaz. Maybe Kaz. But not Matthias. He didn’t even get to properly learn how to be fun. The way he went, too, was extra heartbreaking. He was trying to share what he’d learned and how he’d grown and a child did it. Ugh. 

The way Kaz gave Pekka and Van Eck their due… Woof. 



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A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

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adventurous lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

Something about this second part didn’t catch me quite as much as the first book. That being said, I really enjoyed them traveling from place to place and asking each other the hard questions. I thought it was really lovely. Made my heart ache a bit, envisioning a world like that, especially in the shadow of the inauguration and all that garbage. 
They Called Us Enemy by Steven Scott, George Takei, Justin Eisinger

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A really informative read, made more interactive with the graphic novel design. What another heartbreaking stain on American history. 
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Holy forking shirt balls. What just happened.

I literally just finished, and my brain is still catching up with the chaos of the last few chapters.
AND APPARENTLY WE’RE NOT DONE YET!!! I was wondering if it’d be resolved, and yeah, there’s more to go. Outside of the TBC, there’s too much up in the air.
This delivered one of the best truly enemies to lovers but still absolutely fucking enemies (literally and figuratively lol) that I’ve read. I hated myself for loving it as much as I did haha. 

First of all, this book — like the author has said on their IG — is very different from the first book. It’s got a very different done and purpose than IW. 

At times, I felt like this book would never end. It dragged a bit at times during the “rebuilding” stages. This book is unique in that I think we really get to see what happens after the power at the top has been toppled —  how difficult it is to truly build something new and without the terrible parts of the old regime, without becoming a tyrant power reborn. It was also a bit hard to stomach at times, especially with the impending reelection of Ye Olde Rotten Cheeto Corpse and knowing how white men in power are doing everything they can to take rights from women, POC, immigrants, LGBTQ+, etc. 

The way Zetian and Qin Zheng were literally like fire and ice — so toxic, so hateful, so delicious. If you’re looking for a book with a distinct good guy/bad guy, this is NOT the series for you. While yes, they are both attempting to create a better world for the working class, everyone is morally grey to their bones. Zetian is doing her best, but sometimes bad men still need to be unalived. And sometimes what she wants just doesn’t quite work out. Re: Zeitan and Qin Zheng — I love that as the reader, you’re never quite sure if you should want them together. I got to the point that I kind of did but then (massive massive spoiler!!)
when she stabbed him in the heart and said she did it for HERSELF, the GASP I gasped. Yasss, Empress. Eat his heart. Also, the “cheap slut” and “dirty whore” moment almost took me out.


Anyway. I had no idea there’d be more until the very very end with the TBC. I can’t wait to see what kind of tyrannical chaos Zeitan gets up to next. 
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