blissofalife's reviews
111 reviews

A Cast-Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Better than the first! I loved the more direct plot, and the continuation of the relationships from the first. Still not sold with the love interest (but neither is the heroine. Girl, leave him), but I think Blackwell has done a great job writing a new story while incorporating old characters and references to the characters recent past experiences. Can't wait for the next!

It's been so enjoyable to read about vintage fashion too! Blackwell clearly has done their research.
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Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

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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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A main character that’s my kind of quirky! I loved the emphasis on vintage fashion and the subtle nods to being eco conscious. Solid plot, loved watching the friendships build. Wasn’t a fan of the “love interest”, felt forced when he was suddenly okay with her being a witch after being such an ass about it. Did not feel the chemistry.

On to the next in the series!
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Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

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

4.0

The full cast audiobook narration is a delight! A fun continuation from the first book, I loved all the fairytale references and the traveling salesman. I missed having the story told from the princess’s POV but the king was enjoyable too, they made a great team!
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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

Loved it! Loved the narrator, loved the growing affection between all of the characters, loved the world building, loved that the “Big Bad Secret” that was “going to ruin everything” was actually very much a whispered “…what the f*ck” moment. As one who seeks out stand-alone books…I wish there was a sequel.
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A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

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funny lighthearted mysterious 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

3.0

Loved the start, Mariel was a delight and the banter was fun. The about halfway through
they have sex and all the romantic tension disappears
and it got progressively less interesting and harder to suspend my disbelief. The whole book takes place over a few days, but the characters experience massive changes, I wish more time had passed in the book so it didn’t feel so rushed.
It felt like after the first sex scene the author didn’t have anywhere else to go so there was just more sex and innuendos. I also didn’t love that everyone who wasn’t Mariel’s family members were constantly telling her to stand up for herself. It felt monotonous.
Satisfying ending though.
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Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber

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hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

A sweet book, almost cozy. I had kind of hoped the magic system would be a little more filled out, but it was more of an afterthought. Still a good plot device though. Not really my speed, but a nice time.
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Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion: 10th Doctor Novelisation by Jenny T. Colgan

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I only wish it was longer! My first Doctor Who book, I loved listening to Camille Coduri’s voice.
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Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin

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adventurous 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

In the first place, the cover art is GORGEOUS so I had to read it. Iris was the perfect character, we obviously know that everything is kind of her fault but you can relate to her and are conflicted with her. Should she be punished? Does she deserve forgiveness? Would I forgive her if I was in the situation? A good amount of banter, my only complaint is
I didn't love how quickly (or at least it felt quick?) Iris and Pike go from dislike (or literal terror on Iris' part) to romantic interest. It didn't feel like Pike's character pre-trip and during trip were the same. It felt like two totally unrelated people. Maybe it was supposed to, but I wasn't a huge fan. I LOVED her grandmother's ritual, I wish we had gotten to see more! My heart broke for Iris when it was taken away from her. Fire wishing does not fill the same hole.
I did love the mother-daughter relationship, their interactions were some of my favorite parts. If ever there were a sequel, I would respectfully as for more of that and more of Sara (Sarah? Unsure, I had the audiobook).
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Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Probably my least favorite of the series. It felt like there were 3 plots, one right after the other, and none of them were fully fleshed out.
The 'love' interest fell super flat, and when Alana is distressed that it's not going to work out between them we're supposed to feel for her? He was awful as a lover! Like, he was fine as a friend but even that was a stretch. Several characters died at the end, and we weren't ever given a chance to mourn them or to see Alana grieving.
It felt like the book either needed to be 200 pages longer or one of the plots cut entirely. A disappointing end.
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The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton

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

2.75

Really fun premise! Loved the diversity in the characters, kind of wish we had dug a little deeper there. It kind of felt like Kit was out for herself and as a bonus she also was able to enact some change but despite having her outright state that she was doing it for everybody...her actions didn't show that. The first half of the book was good, then it slowed waaaay down and nothing really happened until the last few chapters. Definitely more of a deuce ex machina than the characters finding a solution. I'm not totally opposed to that but the ending did feel kind of lazy.
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