woolgathering_jane's reviews
167 reviews

dark emotional 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? No

4.5

“But you built me dreams instead.”

The Night Circus was such a dreamy story. I instantly fell in love with the charming, mysterious atmosphere and the characters. The Night Circus itself was the best part for me, the relationship between the two main protagonists is a close second. I adored their scenes and gestures for each other. But, sadly, there were two reasons I didn't give this book 5 stars - the confusing timeline and the unsatisfying finale. The timeline was often jumping from place to place, and I was fine with it for the most part until I had to consciously keep track of what chapter happened when and do the math to understand the story. It completely took me out of the story when I had to figure out where in the story I'm now. And the finale was just disappointing. It felt like another chapter that could be in the middle of the book, felt like it wasn't the proper end. With all of the magic and wonder I read about in the chapter before, I expected something far greater. But I would still happily recommend this book to anyone, I haven't read something so beautiful and magical in a while.

Má chudinka Jane by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-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

“Of course I’ve been lying. I’m a politician.”

This was a perfect vacation read. I laughed out loud many times, but the story still managed to have a somewhat emotional and shocking finale. I loved the word choices (although that might be thanks to the wonderful translator) and the comments from the writers. Although I guessed who the main villain was, I didn't figure out anything else and I had no idea how the story would end, despite it being the lighthearted charming supernatural chaos that it was.
Overall, I'd say I even enjoyed this book better than My Lady Jane, something I didn't think was even possible.

Content Warnings

Spasitel Duny by Frank Herbert

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

Reason is the first victim of strong emotion," Scytale murmured.

Content Warnings

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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

“The entitled assholes of the world are sustained by girls who forgive too easily.”

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

“The palace underestimates the resourcefulness of women forced into a dark and dangerous place.”

I had high hopes for this book, but it was so... bland. It felt like the main character was just pushed from place to place for most of the book, parts of the story felt strangely disconnected, and for some reason, everyone seemed unmotivated. I guessed most of the story and the one plot twist I didn't see coming felt so casually revealed. The romance was definitely the best part (apart from the stunning cover)

Content Warnings

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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challenging emotional sad 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? Yes

4.75

“Never let anyone make you feel ordinary.”

I couldn't give this book 5 stars because the Monique chapters were average at best, but Evelyn's story omfg it was so good-

Content Warnings

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.5

“You know me. Running around. Living life. Committing arson.”

This is clearly a gen-z story and I loved everything about it! From the setting and the characters to the importance of languages. There were some universally-loved tropes, a beautiful romantic storyline and the mystery plot was done so well! The only flaw for me were the loong chapters. I don't know what it is about them, but it took me longer to read.

Content Warnings

Mrazivá Kletba by Jen Calonita

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

“Riches come and go, but no one can take away your education.”

It was a cute fanfiction, nothing more, nothing less. I was a little disappointed because I expected a darker story, but I can't blame the book for that - I should've known what to expect since I'd read this author in my childhood.
The author handled the missing songs well, and I enjoyed that she had used some original lines from the movie, but I think I was too old for this one.

Content Warnings

Antigoné by Sophocles

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

“We have only a little time to please the living. But all eternity to love the dead.”

Antigoné was a surprisingly enjoyable read! It asks interesting questions, and the themes didn't feel outdated, like with some other classics. The only thing I didn't like was that sometimes the characters would have these endless monologues that were hard to follow after a while. But overall, it was pretty great!

Content Warnings

Duna by Frank Herbert

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”

While I can see why this book was such a hit, I was surprised by how boring this was. I expected to be a little bored, as I am with most classics, but this was something else. I was listening to the audiobook, almost always doing something else while listening, and it still took me three months to get through. And the worst part is that in hindsight, it wasn't a bad story at all. It was just buried under words and words of unnecessary... words. I don't know what exactly made the pace so painfully slow.
I'm still not sure if the story was worth it, but hey, I can say I read the Dune. And this is one of those rare occasions when the movie (released in 2021) is better than the book.
I will be reading the second book, but just because I've heard that it makes the Dune worth it and it's only like 200 pages, why not (just in case you wanted to know lol)
Now I feel a little bad for thrashing a classic, so here are two of the many quotes I liked from the book.

“There is no escape—we pay for the violence of our ancestors.”
“Try looking into that place where you dare not look! You'll find me there, staring out at you!”

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woolgathering_jane's reviews 167 reviews

woolgathering_jane's reviews
167 reviews