Randi

More predictable than the first two, which wasn't bad at all. These books have a coziness that still allows for stakes to play out and keep your attention. The sweet romance and self-discovery were delightful, but I loved the comeuppance even more. Abigail is forever my introvert queen.

Very interesting world, but I found my mind wandering during intense portions. This is first in a series, but it ended in a way that I feel comfortable not continuing. I might return to the series later when I want to immerse myself in the unique world again.

A fun, shallow read that exquisitely rode that line between entertaining and “is everyone in this book stupid?!”

Can't wait for the second book.

When I say I sent at least 10 “I can't handle the cuteness” gifs to the friend who recommended this to me...
Seriously, this is sweet and soft with the lightest touch of dark faerie and dark humanity and it's WONDERFUL

Such a delightful book. I loved Dora so much and hope to see more of her? Yes?

A charming, cozy fantasy that has me giggling and anxious for the characters without the stakes of books like Harry Potter or the Scholomance (both of which I adore).

Despite an irregular publishing schedule I am eagerly awaiting then next installment and encourage EVERYONE else to join me!

So delightful

Very descriptive and excellent use of diverse subjects. A little too much projecting from Hersey himself for my taste, otherwise would've given another star.

A wonderful rivals-to-lovers read. Especially refreshing that the female lead isn't burdened with the typical “I'm not pretty/smart/rich/talented enough for him” garbage. She's good at what she does and everyone else sees and acknowledges it. Started giggling with relief when I saw the next book comes out this year!

How could I not have rated and reviewed this yet? I read it years ago and think of the series often. Definitely worth the read!

Such a refreshing spin on a fairy tale. I've been lucky to find several good ones and this is definitely included in that list.

This cookbook has it all! Down-home recipes, fancy recipes, exotic recipes. It's so fun and easy to navigate.

It honestly took me having no distractions while driving on a road trip to give this book the attention it deserves. And boy am I glad I did! I blazed through it and the rest of the trilogy in less than a month and now I have nothing to read!

It took a long time to sit down and read this. I'm easily made uncomfortable by religious zealotry, and at least one early character introduction made it clear that that was “their thing.” But, after years of cringing away from it, I finally read the book. And I really liked it! I'm excited to continue the story and see where Vasya goes from book one.

Despite the enticing cover and promising subject matter, this did not hit the spot. Yes, there are fairytales (4 of them, and refreshingly not all common ones), and yes there are recipes, but that's about it.
There was no narrative - story or otherwise - connecting the fairytales to the recipes. The author is kind enough to include both metric and US measurements, but flips back and forth within each recipe which comes first. That's less an actual problem and more a peeve while trying to bake.
All in all, not the best literary inspired cookbook I've come across.

I have a desire to be a poetry person. I'm not sure why. This didn't exactly convert me, but it wasn't a chore to read, either. There were lines that I hope to keep with me forever.

Listened on Audible. Left me emotionally compromised at Target next to the drain cleaners. Sanderson is a magician.

I saw the twist coming but it did NOT depreciate when the big reveal came. Such a fun book! I was 50 pages from the end and begging my friend for the next one. Currently working on that one. Can't wait to see everything play out!

Just WOW! Came for “Stories of Your Life” but was blown away by the others in the collection, as well. Definitely going to be looking into other collections of his work.

So, I was introduced to this book through a podcast. It had been focusing on the addictive and mind altering qualities of caffeine and that's what piqued my interest. It became clear VERY quickly that the book's focus was not that at all, so it's just hitting me in the wrong frame of mind at the moment. I will likely come back to it later.

My kids haven't experienced any close losses in their lives yet, so this was actually great to read with my 7 year old. She asked questions and loved the imagery the words evoked and illustrations displayed. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and educational read.

Tl:dr beautiful cover leads reader to story that expands cultural horizons but not much else
Beautiful book, gorgeous artwork on the cover. I fell deeply in love with all the vocabulary being thrown around that I had to hunt for, which only further drew me in and helped with the imagery. It was refreshing to not have the author giving me a mini history or culture lesson every time something culturally specific came up.
There were some problems for me with dialogue and action occasionally. Placement of characters being closer or further than I'd thought making the next sequence of events highly impractical if not improbable. Natural human reactions to fire being left out completely (I'm sorry, if there's fire then a person's going to back up) and adding to the placement issues. Also I didn't feel like anything was actually resolved in Sheetal's favor?

It was an enjoyable book. I liked that it was basically the background of every YA fantasy novel set in modern times. That part was utterly hilarious.

I enjoyed it enough to download the next book, though if I'm honest it's mostly because I'm still trying to figure out who is who in this tale of time travel and wiped memories.

This was enjoyable. Some developments that were a bit too unrealistic, but still a very entertaining and quick read.