unabridgedchick's reviews
1397 reviews

Babel by R.F. Kuang

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

5.0

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

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emotional lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

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

3.5

I didn't like 4 Weddings and a Funeral so this format miffed me AND I found the ending sad. I think it was supposed to be liberating but the whole book felt so sad, not romantic. Maybe I'll like it better on reread (I reread Boyfriend Material yesterday and liked it far more than I did the first time around!).
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Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-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

Lovely fluff -- a bit like Redwall for grown ups.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious slow-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

4.5

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Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
omg, gross start (cadaver shopping) and then suuuuper squicky non-consensual romance and then apparently weird religious end. No thank you!
Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 83%.
Totally unreadable for whatever reason -- I didn't like SJ Fox and the mini stories and, yeah, it just didn't land well for me.
Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys by Miranda Seymour

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dark sad medium-paced

4.0

I haven't read any other Rhys bio, so I can't compare this to others, but I found this one readable and empathetic. Seymour doesn't minimize Rhys' terrible moods and rages and I'm impressed with the number of people who tolerated Rhys despite her behavior. 

I love gossipy biographies; and this is not that kind of bio. Seymour handles the possibly salacious elements of Rhys' life with nonjudgment and plain description, and rarely inserts herself into the narrative (although when she does, it's welcome, such as her time in Domenica, searching for the places Rhys loved).

Any other enthusiasm for Rhys has been tempered by Seymour's light acknowledgment of Rhys' anti-Semitism -- in this moment, it feels irresponsible to handwave away bigotry, however 'casual' it might be. 

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

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emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot