kinzo103's reviews
95 reviews

Death's Country by R.M. Romero

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

5.0

I’m so surprised by the amount of depth that was able to fit into this short book. I wasn’t expecting such great world building and emotional connection to the characters. Because it’s on the shorter end, there is no overly-flowery prose or repetitive romance, things just are what they are and the plot moves forward. I loved this so much.
We Are the Beasts by Gigi Griffis

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adventurous dark hopeful 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

4.5

This book mixed two of my favorite things: the Beast of Gevaudan and the religious persecution of girls and women. The story was phenomenal. I loved the tender relationships between the escaping characters, it was a great mix of found family and communal survival. I also really loved this interesting take on the origins of the beast and how that was tied into the strength of women, the depth of their love, and their willingness to sacrifice themselves. The exploration and development of the relationship between Josephine and Clara was so sweet, it felt so loving and pure that it could have taken any form but its final form felt so endearing and satisfying. I will absolutely be putting this on my list for Female Rage Recommendations.
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

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  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

Hey Holly, uhm, what the f*ck was that? I was really loving this until Pip went full on delusional in the arguable-too-early climax. I nearly DNF’d because of how unrealistic and out of character it felt. Sure, maybe it’s meant to be out of character to illustrate how traumatized and mentally unstable Pip is after the events of book two. But this felt wayyyyy off. I probably could have rocked with it if there was ever some type of addressing her mental state, but there really wasn’t. All of this led to a sad and unsatisfying ending. A one page implied potential HEA doesn’t really cut it for me after everything I’ve endured with all of these characters through three books. The only reason I even gave this three stars is because the lead up was appropriately creepy, even though the clues were glaringly obvious. Ugh, I don’t know. If I didn’t need to finish another book to meet my end of the year goal, this would have been a DNF.
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

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informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It is magical how this story drew me into the world of a  people that I know about but don’t truly know. There is so much intimacy in following a family through four generations and the aftermaths of four wars. This isn’t just a story about Palestine, it’s a story about Palestinians. It is a story about endurance. Not just through war, but through life and death and grief. This is a story about people who find love everywhere despite a perpetual estrangement from their homeland. It is also about generational trauma and anger. Every character is so wonderfully real, wonderfully human. I haven’t cried this much at a book in a long time.

Free Palestine 🇵🇸 
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

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hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.75

It’s hard to describe the ways that I love this book. It is artistically beautiful and so heartfelt. It’s also such a wild concept: an alien, a violinist in contract with a demon, and a runaway with incredible talent. There is so much more morality to play with in a book like this, where almost anything is possible. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat dying to pick this book up every chance I got, but I still loved it so much.
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

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challenging dark sad 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

Everything that I want to say about this book feels like it's not enough. The very first chapter, when I had spent all of four minutes getting to know the characters, had me bent over, crying in rage. This book very eloquently depicts so many relevant issues that can be hard to contextualize in real life. M. L. Wang accurately describes the issues with a vertical moral system, that even the worst crimes can be justified for someone delusional enough to believe they have the divine approval to do so. There are so many parts of this story that we can see echoed in our own lives in a horribly painful way. This story is invaluable, and is without a doubt one of the best and most moving books I have ever read. I will recommend this book to everyone I know, and I will be talking about it for years to come.
The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke

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emotional informative sad 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

5.0

This book is a true horror. It isn’t scary, it’s horrifying. It’s sad and it’s painful to read. But this book is amazing. I have such deep appreciation for the author, for finding the records of a woman whose life was destroyed by patriarchal systems and greed, and giving us an idea of what her experiences might have been like. I appreciate the way the author illustrated how modern day cults appropriate folkish and pagan practices and use them to manipulate people. More than anything, I appreciate this author for writing something that made me get out of bed to lay down with my daughter and hold her tight.
Survive the Night by Riley Sager

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

2.75

I knew it would happen someday: a Riley Sager book that I didn’t enjoy. It felt like it took forever for anything exciting to happen. The first 50% of the book felt like I was just listening to the MC explain her same fears over and over again. The only part I really enjoyed was the final twist at the very end. Overall I think this book could have been considerably shorter.
This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher

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adventurous lighthearted 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

I am head over heels in love with every bit of this book. I’m always fascinated by what happens when the quest is over, and this story had a great way of mixing in the present plot while piecing together the past quest. All of the characters were very lovable, the world was fun and whimsical, and I could almost imagine all of the elements of this story fitting perfectly into a Dimension20 campaign. Easily one of my all time favorites.
Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.75

This was absolutely one of my favorite reads of 2024. This author brought the character, or more the constant presence, of Moriarty to life in such a true-to-origin way. I loved the exploration of this world in which monsters exist and they aren't a secret. I really enjoyed the development of the main characters. I loved the mystery and the subtle, unexpected romance. I also really enjoyed the exploration of the status of women, particularly smart or talented women. I very much hope that we can expect more to come from the world of Sam and Hel.