bookedbymadeline's reviews
861 reviews

What We Sacrifice for Magic by Andrea Jo DeWerd

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
10 pages in but I can already tell it’s not going to be for me. It’s very telling over showing and the writing feels choppy, disconnected. We get a paragraph about Elizabeth making out with her bf and then the next one is info dumping about her family and their magic business?! Weird choice….

Based on other reviews, it seems to stay slow paced for the most part with pacing issues and continues with telling over showing. Also the narration style feels very YA when this is an adult book (I love YA but if I’m reading and adult book I expect an adult voice).

On paper this is the perfect book for me but in execution it’s severely lacking.
Strangers by Taichi Yamada

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Like most Japanese novels, the descriptions are a mundane look at the day to day of our characters without being overly descriptive (so really a perfect mix). I enjoyed the explorations on loss, grief, and longing! It’s not exactly what I expected from a horror book, especially given what I know of Japanese horror movies.

It was a somewhat quick read, I felt engaged while I was reading and enjoyed following the MCs journey! The twist at the end was somewhat expected and what I predicted early one but it was still well executed.

Although it wasn’t quite what I was expecting from a horror book, it was still an interesting read! I’d recommend more for literary fiction lovers though as opposed to horror fans due to its slower pacing and only minor hints/discussions of ghosts and the supernatural.
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A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

One of the easiest classics to read! I love classics but sometimes the language/prose makes it difficult to read more than a chapter or few pages a day. But this had me speed reading!

I was Confused though about the mentions of god/goddesses kissing ie Phaeton and Persephone? All the imagery made me confused as to what the purpose was; is it symbolic? Was Lucy actually seeing them?

Loved this and perfect for summer! I loved the characters and the humor/funny moments. I can see now why it’s considered a must read and can’t wait to read more from Forster! Would definitely recommend for any classics lover or readers trying to get into the classics.
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Daddy by Emma Cline

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
I tried to read this in Dutch and it went better than I expected in terms of understanding the vocab! However most of the stories were boring and I found myself losing focus. Just when they’d get good/exciting, they ended?! It’s why I tend not to read short stories often, even though I’ve enjoyed Cline’s novels her short stories aren’t my taste
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? No

4.0

Quick, entertaining read! I loved the characters and the rep. Spencer has an autistic younger brother and seeing the support and love, to making accommodations for him healed a part of me 😭 I enjoyed the balance of showcasing the struggles and anxiety around being trans and coming out, while also sharing the joys of having support/a queer community around you! 

This is such a sweet sports romance and the first sports romance I’ve ever read! I loved Justice and Spencer’s chemistry as well as the found family aspect they had within the soccer team 🩷

The main conflict mentioned in the synopsis didn’t happen for a long time so my expectations were different going into the book. We don’t see the main issue arise (and ultimately resolved) until the last 100 pages so it led to feeling a bit rushed! I think it’s more accurate to say that the book is about the anxieties around coming out and adjusting to a new school in general, and not just Spencer being benched from playing.

I didn’t love how much telling over showing there was at times especially when discussing the details of the games. I’m not a sports fan and don’t understand the rules/plays so I skimmed those sections 😂 Another thing I didn’t like was it had one of my biggest pet peeves: when a book is set in one country, in this case the US, but the author and therefore characters use the UK terms-stop calling it a pitch (it’s a field) and boots (they’re cleats)?! 😐

Overall it was an enjoyable read with moments that made me smile and cry! I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for a queer sports romance or want to read more books with trans and autistic rep 🩷


TW/CW: bullying (brief references), religious bigotry, forced outing (brief mention), transphobia, homophobia, misgendering (brief mention), child death (brief), drug abuse (brief)

Rep: trans and gay MC and author, non binary side character, Biracial (black/white) MC, Black side characters, autistic side character, bi side character, gay love interest 
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House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

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

4.0

The first half was extremely slow and I had a hard time feeling motivated to read it especially while in a mini slump. I enjoyed the unique concept and the atmospheric, gothic setting!

Also was it meant to be Lisavet bathory as in BLOOD COUNTESS BATHORY?! Because that would’ve been cool.

Food descriptions made up for the sometimes nauseating blood scenes 🫣 I’m someone with a very weak stomach like can’t look at blood and I’ll get dizzy so I often times felt queasy reading this, it’s not for the faint hearted (like me)!

The second half picked up and I did enjoy the plot twist but felt it lacked in execution, it was resolved so quickly making it feel rushed while at the same time I still have questions. The characters overall felt very flat and one dimensional. I wanted to get to know them better, even Marion I feel we don’t get much from other than how she views herself.

It was an interesting story and one that I’m glad I stuck with! It was entertaining and unique but I didn’t love it as much as I expected to. Will definitely check out more from Henderson as I do still want to read Year of the Witching!

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Wild Thorns by Sahar Khalifeh

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
I really wanted to like this book and get more background on Palestine but sadly it just wasn’t working for me.

The narrative could be confusing a lot of the time as things are repeated over and over again plus the large cast of characters. I’m not sure if it was the writing style or the translation which made it so difficult to follow. I set this aside a few times thinking it was me but I could feel the book pulling me into a slump so ultimately it’s a DNF
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The Island by Adrian McKinty

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
I thought we agreed enough with the fucking HP references in recently published books?!

The dialogue is so cringey and unnatural, honestly I think McKinty has never interacted with a Gen Z person.

Weird description of a 14 YEAR OLD GIRL “she’s really starting to grow out…could be mistaken for 16 even” WTF

These kids are absolute brats, Tom is an entitled white man, and Heather is meh-Characters are just one dimensional 

Who the fuck goes to a private island where they even state “no laws there” LIKE I WOULD BE ON DRUGS TO AGREE TO THAT AFTER HEARING HOW THE MEN TALKED ABOUT IT 

We killed someone, let’s leave the island…def Americans with how entitled they act when visiting other places (I say this as an American)
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Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

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adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Thank you to netgalley and Page Street Publishing for the eARC! 

I was hooked from the start! I did make the mistake of reading it before bed and gave myself nightmares 😂😭 Loved the character development throughout the novel! The pacing is also well done, I was engaged the whole way through even while half hiding my face behind a pillow 🙊

It’s a scary but also deep, emotional read with explorations of grief and guilt. This is such a unique horror novel and one of my faves of the month! And the ending was so perfectly done 😮 I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future and eventually add a physical copy to my shelves.


TW/CW: child death, grief, underage drinking, drunk driving (brief mention), blood, violence, suicide (brief mention)

Rep: Black side character, half Japanese MC
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One by One by Ruth Ware

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.0

This was a quick, engaging thriller! It started off slow and didn’t pick up and fully catch me until about 100 pages in though. It was difficult to keep all of the characters straight at times but it helped to keep you guessing, although my first guess as to who did it turned out to be correct so it wasn’t shocking. Fairly predictable with maybe one or two twists I didn’t see coming. Overall it was interesting and a fun thriller to occupy my time and would recommend if you want a quick, easy locked room style mystery story
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