thoughtsontomes's reviews
820 reviews

All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell

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dark informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

The author interviews multiple people in the death industry, from funeral staff to medical science teams to crime scene cleanup crews to executioners to bereavement midwives and weaves all of these narratives and parts of the death process together. This does have visceral descriptions of these processes so not for the faint of heart. 
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How to Study Magic: A Guide to History, Lore, and Building Your Own Practice by Sarah Lyons

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informative fast-paced

4.0

This is a really solid book covering a broad range of topics related to witchcraft and giving starting points on how to research them. 
The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
Unfortunately, while this world building was interesting, there were too many elements and it seemed to be getting away from the author. It was overly bloated. The characters don’t feel distinct. This could have used a stronger edit. 
The Second Rebel by Linden A. Lewis

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adventurous dark tense fast-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

4.0

Weave the Liminal: Living Modern Traditional Witchcraft by Laura Tempest Zakroff

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informative fast-paced

4.0

On second read, this book still has some good insights but it really is best for beginners. 
Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey

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

3.0

I didn’t connect to these POV characters as much as I had in previous installments. This felt like setup for future things as the fate of one planet doesn’t seem to be that integral to the plot of the overall series. 
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A layered dark fairy tale of love and toxic friendship. Mysterious. Lyrical. Eerie. 
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Funny Story by Emily Henry

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

2.25

The first part of this book with the fake dating scheme was cute, but so many parts of this fell apart for me. There were a number of threads but none of them quite felt fleshed out enough. The romance between the leads felt too quick after both getting out of LTR that they were both happy in. The characters felt more two dimensional than I expect from an Emily Henry book. If I didn’t know it was written by her, it could have been written by anyone. It lacked the depth and emotions that I’m used to getting from her other books. This is definitely my least favorite of hers thus far. 
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

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

4.5

I consider these books cozy horror and I continue to enjoy them. 
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The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad slow-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

4.5

I might raise this to 5 but this book does meander at times although the meandering is for the benefit of the character arcs and complexities and the characters in this series are outstanding. It’s a very slow paced book but this second installment really expands on the world and character backstories to the point that I enjoy every POV we get, even the more frustrating ones. 
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