zoeelizabethk's reviews
610 reviews

Longshadow by Olivia Atwater

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

Longshadow was the most magical and twisty of the Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales, and I really enjoyed the plot and characters of Longshadow. The mystery here was the most compelling of the three. The ending got slightly more convoluted than I was expecting but it was quite an interesting way to pulls things together. I'm quite sad there's no more of these, cause Olivia Atwater has done such a good job portraying the dark, dangerous side of Magic in the English faerie lore and made it come alive. Ten Thousand Stitches is still my favorite of the trilogy, but I highly recommend checking any of these out!

I listened to the audio narrated Madeleine Leslay, who did an excellent job!
Kantika by Elizabeth Graver

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you liked Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, you need to try Kantika! Kantika was an incredible reading experience. I was sucked into this multigenerational story that follows a Sephardic Jewish family from Turkey to Spain to America and beyond. Graver has a mesmerizingly poetic, quite personal way of writing her characters, and I felt everything with them. Kantika explores Jewishness, the reality of being strangers in a foreign land, what women must sacrifice and might gain through that sacrifice, life lost and love found, wounds inflicted and healed.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gail Shalan, and it was an ideal way to read Kantika. Gail did a superb job with the narration.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.
The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson

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 DNF at 25%. If you generally like historical fiction, WWII stories, and like the vibes of Umbrella Academy, you might like this a lot more than I did. I just could not get invested in these characters or the situation. The beginning felt like it was trying to evoke The Night Circus, but then it went off and really didn't focus on the circus at all and had confusing time/character jumps. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators had different reading speeds which contributed to the struggle. I think ultimately this book just wasn't for me. 
Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

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adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

4.0

Despite having a very hot-cold relationship to Before They Are Hanged, I ended up really enjoying most of Last Argument of Kings. I still don't love the action scenes or the plot taking place in the North, but I loved everything happening in the Union and all the political shenanigans going on. I think I'll probably go on with the wider First Law books at some point, but I'm not going to rush.
Moti on the Water by Leylah Attar

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.5

I had a fun time with this romcom! It just had great summery, beachy vibes and would be great for those who like:
•cross-cultural relationships
•summery fun in the greek isles
•forced proximity
•he’s a hot chef
•her soulmate is prophesied to have three thumbs
•the weight of family expectations

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

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

4.0

I really enjoyed Untethered Sky. Obviously there's tighter writing constraints that come with writing a novella, but I thought Fonda Lee did a great job of building connection to the characters and setting up the plot for her sort of signature twists/stakes. Worldbuilding wise, this story felt more like it existed in a bubble, but I'd rather have connection with the characters than worldbuilding in a novella. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend you check it out even if you've not read Lee before!
Jade Shards by Fonda Lee

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

Jade Shards is just perfection for any Green Bone fan! In the introduction, Lee writes: "At times during the writing I felt as much as a family biographer as a novelist." And these short stories definitely feel like a personal look at some of our favorite characters and the events that shaped them. I think my favorite story was Not Only Blood, but Better than Jade was a close second for me, because they deal with such personal events and feelings. It's very bittersweet that this is likely the end of the Greenbone stories, but this was such a lovely read and I'm looking forward to my next reread of GBS having read Jade Shards.

Thanks to Subterranean Press and to Netgalley for an eARC of Jade Shards!
A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari

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informative mysterious

2.5

If you're a botanist or a scientist, or interested in those subjects or historical flower language, definitely give A Botanist's Gude to Flowers and Fatality a try. 

Unfortunately I could tell this book just wasn't for me. I DNFd at 15% when I could tell it wasn't going to improve for me. I was hoping for a slightly whimsical mystery from a different perspective. Sadly I didn't really connect to Saffron and the flower/poison premise that drew me in ended up feeling too technical for my taste as I'm not a scientist or a naturalist. If you're into those fields, I think this one will be fun and intriguing for you.

2.5 stars

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audioARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
The Braid Girls by Sherri Winston

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

3.5

Maggie and Daija have plans to earn money over the summer by braiding hair at summer camp. But then Maggie's half-sister, Callie arrives and the three girls struggle to figure out how to go into business together and how to handle sudden new business rivals across the street. The Braid Girls is a great middle grade novel about the value of communication and honesty and the need to understand that everyone has their own priorities and struggles, but that friends and family always make it easier.

I enjoyed The Braid Girls, and would definitely recommend it for middle grade readers who want a book about friendship, step-families, or trying to earn some summer savings. It was a lot of fun too. It had enough to interest me as an adult, though it is a very short and contained story.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Erin Ruth Walker; Tyla Collier; Jade Wheeler. I"m not sure if it was a writing issue or a narration issue, but several times during conversations between the girls, I found myself struggling to keep track of who was talking. Other than that, the audio was great.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.
Riley Finds His Beat by Davina Hamilton

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hopeful inspiring

5.0

Riley Finds His Beat is a poetical story about patience and perseverance when learning a new skill. A great book for kids learning any skill, not just music! The story was charming and heartfelt, and I loved how the story showed Riley being frustrated and working it out several times rather than just once for narrative effect.

Thanks to the Ella Riley Group and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!