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blewballoon's reviews
598 reviews
Crumbs by Danie Stirling
emotional
reflective
slow-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 enjoyed the simple interweaving of the modern world with the magical world, it made for a fun but easily relatable setting. I thought the soft, sweet approach to the romance was lovely. This story felt much more about the individual character journeys than the romance, though. Great diversity representation and slice of life vibes.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
Delicates by Brenna Thummler
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was a little too real, I got pretty sad during the lower parts and I'm glad it came together in the end with positivity. I really love the art style with the detailed clothing and persistent color palette. A worthy sequel to Sheets for sure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
A Walrus & A Gentleman by Emmaline Strange
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
4.25
I thought this would be a funny follow up to A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland (highly recommend) and I think I was right. Some of the writing and dialogue was a little clunky or jarring, and I found some editing mistakes, but overall this was a very spicy and romantic read about two idiots falling in love. I breezed through it, and it made me laugh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
This is a debut!??! This was awesome! I was worried this would be an overly grim and dark story, but it was not. There was an excellent balance of tension and softness. I really enjoyed the setting, I always felt in particular that I had a great sense of the weather with the changing levels of winter and how it affected the little homestead where most of the story took place. I loved Kicker and the little fox. I really enjoyed the romance. If you have any interest in the premise of this book, I suggest going ahead and reading it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Homophobia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
To Kill a Shadow by Katherine Quinn
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
This book featured many tried and true staples (or tropes) of the YA dark fantasy genre. Apart from there being more character deaths than I initially expected, I found the plot somewhat predictable. Perhaps that's more due to the fact that I've read a lot of these kinds of books than anything else.
I found the two leads pretty likable, I am not a big enemies-to-lovers fan, so I appreciated a more refreshing example of two people who just happen to have natural chemistry and bring out the best in each other. They always treated each other like respectful equals, despite there technically being a power imbalance.
Praise be to Moira Quirk for her masterful narration, as always. I appreciate when audiobooks do dual narrators for dual POVs, but honestly I wouldn't have minded if she narrated the whole thing. Sorry to the male narrator, he was fine.
I found the two leads pretty likable, I am not a big enemies-to-lovers fan, so I appreciated a more refreshing example of two people who just happen to have natural chemistry and bring out the best in each other. They always treated each other like respectful equals, despite there technically being a power imbalance.
Praise be to Moira Quirk for her masterful narration, as always. I appreciate when audiobooks do dual narrators for dual POVs, but honestly I wouldn't have minded if she narrated the whole thing. Sorry to the male narrator, he was fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Cursing and Physical abuse
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
I'm so glad I picked this up on a whim, it wasn't on my TBR and I just grabbed it on Libby because I recognized the author from Hello Stranger. I hoped it would be a decent gender flip of typical bodyguard romance tropes, but it really impressed and surprised me.
The romance aspect is gradual and natural. It just kind of floats along developing in the background while all the other plot movement and character dynamics unfold in the forefront. The writing is profound in its emotional moments and really funny in its lighthearted moments. There's a level of detail with certain characters and in-story anecdotes that make the world and people feel real. There are a couple of characters that get a more shallow take, but it works along with everything else.
I wasn't sure about the audiobook narrator at first, but she won me over as well and imbued a lot of personality into the narration.
The romance aspect is gradual and natural. It just kind of floats along developing in the background while all the other plot movement and character dynamics unfold in the forefront. The writing is profound in its emotional moments and really funny in its lighthearted moments. There's a level of detail with certain characters and in-story anecdotes that make the world and people feel real. There are a couple of characters that get a more shallow take, but it works along with everything else.
I wasn't sure about the audiobook narrator at first, but she won me over as well and imbued a lot of personality into the narration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Dragonology by Ernest Drake, Dugald A. Steer
5.0
Adored this book as a child. I read it so many times!
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-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
5 stars for how delighted I was throughout this book. It's so much fluffier than I expected! That being said, it's not without depth, and the sweetness feels earned. I adored the characters. I dunno, this book was like a warm hug from someone you didn't expect to hug you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Child abuse, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, War, and Classism
Providence Girls by Morgan Dante
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
This writing style is not working for me. It reminds me a little of This is How You Lose The Time War where the emphasis on style and being vague makes it hard to understand what's even going on. In this case it seems like what's going on is a lot of pain and suffering. The cover is gorgeous and I love the concept, maybe I'll try it again someday.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
I meant for this to be the 3rd book in my series of reading Jane Eyre retellings, which I was just doing for fun because I like comparing and analyzing things. I loved Salt & Broom, a version where Jane is a witch. I enjoyed John Eyre which merges the story with Dracula and has the genders of the main characters swapped. I was looking forward to this one, where Jane and Mr. Rochester's secret wife presumably fall in love and run off into the sunset together. It's a great premise, but the execution is not working for me at all. The tone of the book reads like an angry teenager, and it kept taking me out of the story and making me feel increasingly cynical. I hope it gets better, and I hope it finds the right audience, but at the moment that isn't me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Racism