Litsy

The Lovely and the Lost | Jennifer Lynn Barnes

so-so

I listened to the audiobook of this via Borrow Box, I didn't love the audiobook narrator,
but the story was interesting enough, but I have definitely outgrown YA books I think...

3.75/5

8 likes

Amiable

The Favorites: A Novel | Layne Fargo

pan

400+ pages of immature characters, eye-rolling plot points wrapped around a “documentary” that was telling the story years after all the events occurred and So. Much. Drama. I kept reading only to see if I could accurately predict the ridiculous “twists” that came next. (Spoiler alert: I did.) Books like this are why I avoid the romance genre. Blech.

49 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Nine Goblins | T. Kingfisher

pick

Bit of whiplash from the tone shift, but I did love the story that was told.
Not sure how much of this is really a spoiler, but covering the themes involved does mean talking about the plot.

The nine goblins truly define 'ragtag bunch':
The 'whining Nineteenth' division of the Goblin army consisting of long-suffering leader Nisilka, the female goblin sergeant; 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Murray, the genius inventor in the mix, hampering the usual odds of goblin inventions creating mass casualties by being actually good at it; new recruit twins, Mishkin and Mushkin who complete each other's sentences; Algol, who makes a regular event of ostentatious desertment including clothing removal, Blanchette, who takes advice from the teddy bear affixed to his helmet ever since the incident with head trauma, and all involved agree the 2w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? teddy bear affixed to his helmet ever since the incident with head trauma, and all involved agree the bear's judgement is preferable; Weasel, the shy, stuttering gender indeterminate one who's good with a slingshot, Thumper as muscle; and Gloober who's only role throughout the narrative is to be admonished not to insert his finger or anything else in various parts of his person. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Yeah, they're a little gross which appears to be a natural outgrowth of goblin habits from a human reader perspective, but it also quickly becomes clear the violence exhibited in conflict is a necessary part of the ongoing war, and not something that comes as second nature to the group. 2w

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? Separately we're introduced to Sings to Trees, an elf, and naturally a babe, but a bit more down to earth than the himbo variety his looks and kindness to animals might otherwise suggest. He ends up characterized as a black sheep among his own kind as he doesn't just love the pretty, delicate, nicely smelling animals, but gives shelter, care and rehabilitation to any animal, domestic or mythic that needs his help, regardless of biting, oozing, 2w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? pilfered sandwiches, or trashed living quarters and wardrobe.

A magical snafu transports Nisilka's bunch into the same neck of the woods as Sings to Trees, and just having those meet each other would have been enough story for me, but Kingfisher has more she wanted to say.
While we have adorable moments with Algol and newly rescued Wiggles the kitten, as well as Sings to Trees and the troll Frogsnoggler, 2w

Robotswithpersonality 7/? it also becomes clear as Nisilka's group navigates the land between their unexpected portal journey and Sings to Trees' cabin that something sinister is going on that's leaving a community abandoned and portions of the forest silent.

While the goblins' introduction covers the woefully familiar territory of one people encroaching on the native lands of another resulting in prolonged war, and the uselessness of military bureaucracy, 2w

Robotswithpersonality 8/? the mistaken journey via panicked wizard establishes the lore that wizardry is endemic to some humans, and is akin to a range of mental health conditions with varying power levels and abilities that they cannot automatically understand or navigate that can hamper their connection to the people around them, and may even present a danger to themselves or others, identifying a need for support and structure that is not always met in a community, 2w

Robotswithpersonality 9/? that some decide they'll find in the army.
In the course of uncovering the mystery, the reader is exposed to just how tragic an end can result from unchecked power/unmanaged health concerns without anyone to understand or guide.
Sings to Trees is a one-elf argument for animal welfare, and his hen-mounting, crowing hen is a sparkly bit of a challenge to gender normativity. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 10/? The stumble between species, goblins and elves and humans, to identify gender at first sight in the groups they initially see as other also makes me happy - let's normalize not deciding you know someone else's gender identity as soon as you clap eyes on them! And obviously, tensions and prejudices between groups thanks to a history of conflicting interests is a given human analogy present in most settings with fantasy races. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 11/? The hope for better relations in the future without requiring a big torrid romance to draw people together, this works for me.
I think the shift from: 'bodily function humour-agents of chaos -they mean well' goblins who really don't want to fight a war wandering into 'cozy but lonely' elf property and being able to communicate and accept best intentions on both sides to; 2w

Robotswithpersonality 12/? 'this is the terrible human cost of young people without support acting out and your war isn't helping, even though apparently volunteering to fight in it provides structure to some who need it' felt pretty jarring, even if Kingfisher was true to her group of characters throughout. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 13/? I'm glad it was a novella, though I can't help but wonder if the transition would have been smoothed out if more time was taken to establish the human/wizard side of things. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 14/14 I did this audio only, so if my spelling is off for any character names, that's why! Did this at regular 1x speed with a bunch of chores and it was the perfect accompaniment. Kudos to Johnathan Johns for navigating that many character voices and keeping them distinct.

⚠️Animal abuse, animal death, child death, ableism? (not sure how neurodivergent readers may receive the analogies present in this text) (edited) 2w

11 likes13 comments

Read4life

The Deal | Elle Kennedy

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

46 likes

BookLove4Ever

Under Locke | Zapata, Mariana

so-so

Love this author, but the MMC in this one was cringy.

7 likes

AroundTheBookWorld

All These Bodies | Kendare Blake

In the summer of 1958, the murders that would come to be known as the “Bloodless Murders” or the “Dracula Murders” swept through the Midwest, beginning in Nebraska and sawing through Iowa and Wisconsin before turning back to my hometown of Black Deer Falls, Minnesota.
#AllTheseBodies #KendareBlake #firstline #openingline #book #books #bookbag #bookbags #Horror #Mystery #Thriller #YoungAdult #HistoricalFiction #Paranormal #Vampires #Fiction 🧡🧡🧡

20 likes1 stack add

JuliaTheBookNerd

Dark Notes | Pam Godwin

#Musician 🎶🎼🎵🎹

#CharacterCharm 👸🏻🤴🏽🕵🏻‍♀️👩🏻‍🔬👩🏼‍⚕️🧑‍🍳👨‍🌾👨‍🎨👨🏻‍⚖️🧝🏻‍♀️🧚🏼‍♀️

#BookNerd 🤓📚💙

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

hannah-leeloo Love this display, looks great 4w

AmyG This is so lovely. 4w

Eggs Brilliant 🎼 4w

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful! 😍 4w

44 likes4 comments

Eggs

The Favorites: A Novel | Layne Fargo

pick

“I became a skater because I wanted to feel like that. Fierce. Confident. A warrior goddess covered in glitter. So sure of myself, I could make my dreams come true through sheer force of will.”

WOW! 5 🌟 Think Taylor Jenkins Reid but with multiple narrators, more like readers‘ theatre.

#Read2025 #Bookspinbingo #LitsyAtoZ #Pantone2025

DieAReader, Texreader, Lauredhel, BarbaraBB, TheAromaofBooks

DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 1mo

BarbaraBB 🤩🤩 1mo

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 1mo

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Eggs @DieAReader 🤗😍 1mo

Eggs @BarbaraBB 🙌🏻☀️ 1mo

Eggs @TheAromaofBooks 🥳🥰 1mo

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Loved this audio 💗 1mo

Eggs Yes 🙌🏻 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 1mo

46 likes1 stack add8 comments

Bec_lectic

Hopeless | Colleen Hoover

so-so

I can‘t say this book was terrible but definitely not my fav by Hoover. It‘s just didn‘t capture me in the beginning and once the twist came I was already checked out. This is a series and I will not be reading the others as I just didn‘t feel invested in the characters and don‘t really care to continue their journey. I did like how to story connected in the end and I definitely didn‘t see the end coming.

41 likes

Birdsong28

The Favourites: Lace up for the must-read thrilling love story you�ll be obsessed with in 2025 | Layne Fargo

30 likes

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