businesswife's reviews
204 reviews

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

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adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Gosh I adore TJ Klune. This is everything I wanted this to be and more. I have been putting this off because I was worried it wouldn't live up to the other ones of his books that I love so very much and I regret it reading this sooner, this book is so goddamn good. The shifter side of this is so good and thought out and consistent throughout this, its so powerful for imagery and character development. I also just love these characters so much. They live so powerfully in my head. 
Ox, OMG Ox, he is my perfect boy and I am so excited abut the fact that the other books are within the same pack so I can still see these characters that I love so much because I have grown so fond of them. The plot is also beautiful and DEVASTATING in equal measure. I have giggled and cried in this book and that is how I know this book will stay with me for a long long time.
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First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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

3.5

This is a good book. This is a fun book with an interesting plot with some twists and turns and the characters are fun and even the premise is fun. But, (large but) as a person who reads thrillers, mysteries, and generally twisty plot books on the reg this is a very predictable book. That does not make it bad. This is a comfy book. This felt good to read, I breezed through it, I could have read it in 2 sittings. So, it short, worth reading but if you read these types of books you will prob also feel a bit predictable about this too. As an entry to this genre it would be a great entry point. 
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Guardian: Zhen Hun (Novel) Vol. 2 by priest

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hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a great series. I have no idea how to talk about it without feeling insane. There is so much plot and the romance is insane. The 2 of them are the best and the worst. even the side characters falling in love are great.
Something's Witchy by Sierra Spencer

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective 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? No

4.5

🌶️🌶️2 / 5
There is smut in this novel, but the language is detailed and there are three scenes. The plot is definitely more central than the romance or spice.

TLDR: This book is more plot than romance, specifically mystery/ investigation and I am not mad about it. This book was so much better than I expected! Would love to read a sequel!

Plot: This is a missing persons case being investigates by the town witch and the new detective in town. The witchcraft and magic in this book is super fun. One of the best parts was the familiars and their relationships with their witches. The cat in this has intense Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch energy which is the best. I also thought this book was going to be mostly romance, which I am fine with but as a lover of mystery and crime novels that part of this story was GREAT! It hung together well and I didn't see the plot coming which doesn't happen often for me. All in all a very fun and good book. High recommend to anyone who likes mystery and investigation novels but also wants a wholesome romance where the guy is THE BEST.

Characters: I love the entire main cast of this. The witch sisters are great, they are both so powerful but have reasonable limitations. I also love that the sisters actually love each other. Our main boy Declan I love. He is so down ad for Carolina and is is so good for me. This is my fav type of MC. He is also just sweet and caring while still being compliant. Also the familiars in this are a main feature and they are also great.

Worldbuilding: This is a relatively just normal smallish town setting that's a couple hours outside of NYC so there isn't a ton to say about this. But, the store this takes place in a lot is so cute and fun, its everything you want out of a cozy witch coffee shop. The underworld in this is also very fun, as a DND player it spoke to me, messes with time, and makes breathing and weight weird, generally I'm a fan.
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Blood & Brujas by Mikayla D. Hornedo

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
I just can't. The writting style just doesn't do it for me I just can't finish it. Also it has the feminisn prob thing where it's like only women have value and I don't like like. Also the mom is so horrible I cant.
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The Verifiers by Jane Pek

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
I liked the concept of this book a lot but it was pretty slow for me and after a while I just stopped picking it up all together. Just wasn't for me.
Black's Myth #1 by Eric Palicki

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

4.5

A cool take on mythical creatures and an investigation and mystery graphic novel. Also one that takes itself so not seriously. This is fun and the style of art is pretty dope.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

I adore this book. This is my second time reading this, this time I listened to the audio book and I recommend this to everyone who has not listened to it yet. The reader breaths to much life in to the book. I enjoyed it like I've never read it just because of the reader. He has voices for all the characters which is a favorite for me. 

But, the book this is a perfect book about love and acceptance and what family means. It is also about what love and lack of acceptance does to people as they grow up and what it does to children. An absolute master class in chosen family. TJ KLune does that better than any writer than I have ever read. This book is a warm hug, and makes me cry every time. I am excited about book 2.
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A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

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

5.0

TLDR: I'm on my way to get the rest of these books cuz GODDAMN I love them so much! You should read them, do you like fantasy? Cool magic? Great world building? Read these books.

Plot: Okay, I'm going to try to not give anything up for the plot of this book because the plot is amazing and complicated and the players in the main web of the narrative are not all known from the jump which I think is just so neat. I think one of my favorite things in this is that VE Schwab will not even tell you who someone is you will just get a new section or chapter with a name of a person doing something in a new place and you just pick up the plot and go. The magic in this world! OMG! I love a cool magic system and this one is complex but so beautiful and well described. I also love that the different Londons have their on relationships with magic. I want everyone to read this book because I just want to talk about it. Also, this is the first book in a trilogy but it also doesn't end on a cliffhanger and I have never seen that before!

Characters: All amazing! Kell is so powerful and yet he has clear and consistent things he can and cannot do with his power set. I also love that he is complicated and he doesn't always make smart or good decisions. Lila! I love Lila! She's so messy! She's such a good representation of how dressing a certain way doesn't change how you need to identify and she is just so herself all the time, so brave, so badass, and so powerful in a different way than Kell! They are so great. And there are so many more people you meet Holland (UGH) and Rhy (<3) and so many more that you fall in love with and know for mixed amounts of time. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

World building: Being able to construct 3 different worlds that feel so different and interesting in one book is truly a gift. Having Kell jump around through the 3 Londons throughout this book is cool. Touchstones like smell, colors, and even temperatures was such a grounding way of distinguishing the worlds from each other throughout the narratives. Also the magic and capacity for magic was so different in all of them. The feeling of the world in this book is so good, so immersive, and to have there be 3 equally immersive worlds is just so cool. Please read this book, and the rest of the series honestly.
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Semantic Error, Vol.1 by Angy, J. Soori

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

4.75

The concept for this is so goddamn funny. Sangwoo Choo is in a group project and is the only one who does anything on that group project, so in retaliation he removes everyone else's names from the project. One of those names was a senior who needed that project to graduate. So, when they later meet up the senior, Jaeyoung Jang makes it his mission to make Sangwoo Choo miserable, because if he needs to be there another semester he may as well have some fun. But, spending all this time together the men may be catching some feelings for each other too, or not? This is a great and fast read for anyone who likes teasing and bickering in their romance, and the art is AMAZING. 
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