woolgathering_jane's reviews
167 reviews

Cress by Marissa Meyer

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adventurous emotional funny 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 promise, I will not let you die without being kissed.” 
Oh, this was so good. The pacing and twists were excellent, and I had a blast while reading. Seriously, I haven't read something this entertaining in some time (I need to pick better books, I know). Six hundred pages flew by and I can't wait to get my hands on the final book. Easily the best book in the series, if only for the many laugh-out-loud moments (mainly because of Thorne).
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Neviditelný život Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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emotional inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

“But a life without art, without wonder, without beautiful things—she would go mad." 
I don't think I liked Addie as much as everyone else, but it was still a lovely, magical story. I adored Luc's character along with slowly finding out about his history with Addie. There were a few unexpected twists and the book is much more than it seems. I honestly cannot think of anything I disliked?
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Červená, bílá a královsky modrá by Casey McQuiston

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funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

"History, huh? Bet we could make some.” 
Absolutely adorable book. I usually don't like contemporary romances, but I don't think anyone could dislike Alex and Henry's story. I just had such a good time and laughed so much too! And this book had some of the most accurate gen z representation I've ever seen.
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Pět temných osudů by Kendare Blake

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

2.0

“How all women must mourn the loss of those little girls, relegated to shadow as they grow.” 
No, because... what was that? I have been wanting to read this book for so long, and I was so nervous about the ending... Rightfully so. I mean, I didn't like the direction the last book was headed at all, so I guess I should've seen this coming? But oh my, what a bad ending. 
The individual plot beats felt weirdly disconnected, I found myself asking "why are we even here?" multiple times... I didn't expect the ending, but somehow it was still unsurprising?
And don't even get me started on Mirabella's death. I liked her the most out of all the sisters, so I at least wanted to have a good cry, but the whole scene was so sudden and rushed? It also felt insignificant somehow. Also, and this is just a personal opinion, why did Arsinoe, the most boring sister, get to live while my gals ended up dead?

I also didn't like any of the twists so there's also that...
Overall a very disappointing read, especially when you think of the wasted potential - I mean, who wouldn't want to read a super long series following generations and generations of sisters, with the actual plot being the grand finale?? I know I would love something like that fiercely, but alas...
(*opens a blank Word document and starts writing fanfiction*) 
Lakomec by Molière

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

5.0

„The beautiful eyes of my cash-box.“
There once was a time when I thought old comedies were just not for me. Oh, how wrong I was! Molière was a genius, I laughed out loud so many times while reading this. 
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Lea Honor: Třpytící se město by Lenka Bandurová

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

2.25

„Nikdy nikoho nepodceňuj, protože v té chvíli, kdy to uděláš, už jsi prohrála.“
Vlastně mě hrozně mrzí, že byla Lea takovým zklamáním. Knížku jsem si chtěla přečíst už na Wattpadu a nějak jsem se k tomu nedostala, takže jsem byla nadšená, když jsem zjistila, že budu moct autorku podpořit koupí knihy. A ta obálka! Anotace taky zněla úžasně. Bohužel jsem pak knihu otevřela...
Asi nemám nic nového, co už nebylo řečeno v ostatních recenzích, ale taky se stavím za špatné postavy a ještě horší vztahy, plytký děj a nevypsanou prózu. Snad nikdy jsem si při čtení tolik neuvědomovala vlastní víčka lol
Kromě už zmíněných věcí byl taky neskutečně iritující všudepřítomný sexismus. To se týkalo nejen postav, ale i neřečených myšlenek Ley, a znělo to jako i autorky. Pardon, ale aby byla svalnatá žena *několikrát* popisována jako příšera? Aby byla jakákoliv žena popisována jako příšera? Ne, děkuju. 
Další věc, která mi opravdu drhla, byly Leiny casual sebevražedné myšlenky. Nejen, že se svému pokusu o vraždu další ráno smála (pokusu o vraždu, protože si vzala někoho, kdo jí byl nesympatický. No tak holka, to není zas takový drama), ale po zbytek knihy měla ke své potenciální smrti naprosto lhostejný přístup?? Kdyby se příběh víc zabýval Leinou psychologií a bral takové téma tak vážně, jak by se brát mělo, tak dobře. Nic z toho jsem ale nepotřehla.
Když už jsme u Leiny naprosté lhostejnosti k vlastní smrti, to jako nikdo nic nedělá proti vzkvétajícímu obchodu s (naporcovaným) bílým masem?? Thomas, doslova nejlepší válečník co kdy byl, je a bude, projíždí vesničkou kanibalů a řekne jen to, že lidi, co do té vesnice přijdou, si měli dát pozor na cestu a je to jejich chyba?? Ve vlastním městě má čtvrť, kde se tohle všechno volně provozuje, za celou dobu neřekne ani slovo ohledně toho, že s tím bude něco dělat?? 
Lea viděla naživo porcování jiného člověka, ale jakmile je ona sama v bezpečí, tak celý problém vypustí z hlavy místo toho aby se, já nevím, třeba snažila říct Thomasovi aby s tím něco dělal?

A nakonec, nemůžu si to odpustit, co měly znamenat indické tradice, které se jen tak objevily v sousedním království? Autorka se ani neinspirovala, prostě doslova napsala, že tam lidé nosí sárí a bindi?? Chápu, že byla kniha psaná v trochu jiné době, kdy se kulturní apropriace tolik neřešila, stejně mi to ale dost drhlo. Navíc to nedávalo smysl ani co se týče toho světa? Proč jsou všechny země fiktivní a pak je tu Indie s fiktivním názvem?? A pak se tu náhodně v textu objevily Pohádky tisíce a jedné noci, to už mě ani nenaštvalo, to už mě prostě pobavilo. 
I přes to všechno se ale kniha čte poměrně dobře, i když na konci už jsem začínala být unavená z toho, že se tam hodně věcí opakuje. Nebyla to hrozná kniha, ale kdyby zůstala na Wattpadu, nic by se nestalo.  
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Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

“I would tell you stories from dawn to dusk if it meant filling your eyes with happiness.”
This was such a magical, beautiful read! I fell in love with the writing and the world instantly. Although the way Shiori, the protagonist, was written, she seemed to me like she was twelve, not sixteen. But when I aged all of the main characters down in my mind, the story felt even more magical, so I'm not complaining haha
The plot was a little predictable, but I didn't mind, I loved it anyway.
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Lost Stars by Sophie Suliman, Jasmine Jenkins

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-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

5.0

Reading this book feels like watching Bridgerton - you are aware that it's not a masterpiece, there are some fairly obvious issues/plot holes, but oh my gosh is it good!! Firstly, it's so addictive. I read this book so quickly and while I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. The world is simply stunning, you can't not fall in love with it. I guessed the ending and some plot twists right away, but that didn't take away much. The characters are so lovable and every POV was a joy. The stunning illustrations were a cherry on top. And there was some nice spice too hehe
Overall, not the best book I've read this year, but I loved the vibes and the characters, and can't wait for the next one!
Krysař by Viktor Dyk

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

„Nebylo třeba pomoci boží; pomohu si sám.“ 
A beautifully written, haunting tale. I'd never thought I'd end up having a new fictional boyfriend from these few pages, but here we are I guess.
Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake

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dark emotional sad fast-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? No

4.0

The Young Queens broke my heart, but it was pretty average. Not a disappointment, but nothing remarkable.
The Oracle Queen tho? Freaking depressing. I just stared at a wall for several minutes after finishing. I just couldn't believe the ending, I felt so sorry for Elsabet! I also can't believe I got that attached to the characters only after 100 pages.
I'd rate  The Young Queens 3 stars and The Oracle Queen 5 stars.
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