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A New York Tate of Mind
A New York Tate of Mind
In which this reader and explorer reviews books, muses on literary (and other) matters, and shares some of her adventures.

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My 1-5 rating system:
1 = I did not like it and would not recommend it.
2= It was fine. Read it if the subject matter interests you.
3 = I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
4 = I really liked it, and think you should read it!
5 = One of the best books I've read.
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Review: For the Wolf
1/5 stars For the Wolf, by Hannah Whitten (2021) Cover - good. Idea for story - good. Execution - terrible. I read this a while back and...
tatedecaro
Jul 10, 20243 min read


Review: The Familiar
3/5 stars The Familiar, by Leigh Bardugo (2024) I'm not mad, Leigh. I'm just disappointed. You can do so much better! This gets a 3/5...
tatedecaro
Jul 5, 20243 min read


Review: Even Though I Knew the End
4/5 stars Even Though I Knew the End, by C.L. Polk (2022) At barely over 100 pages, this was a quick read, but Polk manages to create an...
tatedecaro
Jun 27, 20242 min read


Review: Book of Night
3/5 stars Book of Night, by Holly Black (2022) First of a series which.... I think I'd be interested enough in to keep reading? Not...
tatedecaro
Jun 4, 20242 min read


Review: The Salt Grows Heavy
4/5 stars The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw (2023) A mermaid with no tongue, who's run away from her prince husband, leaving behind...
tatedecaro
Apr 18, 20242 min read


Review: The Parliament
4/5 stars The Parliament, by Aimee Pokwatka (2024) "First it was one girl, then a second joined in. It felt good to scream - little girls...
tatedecaro
Mar 14, 20242 min read


Review: Our Hideous Progeny
3/5 stars (ish) Our Hideous Progeny, by C.E. McGill (2023) If I did half stars this would be a 2.5, but I'm rounding up to 3 because this...
tatedecaro
Mar 8, 20242 min read


Review: The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley
3/5 stars The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley, by Sean Lusk (2022) Zachary is born in London in 1754 to Abel Cloudesley, a renowned...
tatedecaro
Mar 3, 20242 min read


Review: When Women Were Dragons
2/5 stars When Women Were Dragons, by Kelly Barnhill (2022) This would have been a fantastic short story! Like, really compelling and fun...
tatedecaro
Feb 25, 20242 min read


Review: Gallant
3/5 stars Gallant, by V.E. Schwab (2022) I really love the worlds that V.E. Schwab creates - while also recognizing that all of her plots...
tatedecaro
Feb 19, 20242 min read


Review: Ink Blood Sister Scribe
5/5 stars Ink Blood Sister Scribe, by Emma Törzs (2023) Fabulous. So fun! This is a fantasy-thriller with gothic libraries filled with...
tatedecaro
Feb 10, 20242 min read


Review: Arc of a Scythe series
4/5 stars Scythe, Thunderhead, & The Toll, by Neal Shusterman (2016, 2018, 2019) I'm going to start with a review of only the first book,...
tatedecaro
Jan 28, 20244 min read


Review: Babel
2/5 stars Babel, by R.F. Kuang (2022) Oh, gosh. I dunno, guys. Am I just too weirdly picky about books? Or does the hype get me too...
tatedecaro
Jan 16, 20243 min read


Review: The Fragile Threads of Power
4/5 stars The Fragile Threads of Power, by V.E. Schwab (2023) Spoiler Alert: If you have not read the Darker Shades of Magic series by...
tatedecaro
Dec 23, 20232 min read


Review: Other Birds
4/5 stars Other Birds, by Sarah Addison Allen (2022) This book is a delight. It's somehow utterly fanciful and has its feet firmly...
tatedecaro
Oct 18, 20232 min read


Review: The Cat Who Saved Books
2/5 stars The Cat Who Saved Books, by Sosuke Natsukawa (2017) Translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai A 2-star book with a...
tatedecaro
Oct 6, 20232 min read


Review: The Girl Who Drank the Moon
3/5 stars The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill (2016) This is written in the style of a classic fairy tale, complete with...
tatedecaro
Aug 21, 20232 min read


Review: Mexican Gothic
2/5 stars Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2020) TW: Allusions to sexual assault, incest, suicide, cannibalism, murder...
tatedecaro
Jul 13, 20232 min read


Review: Weyward
5/5 stars Weyward, by Emilia Hart (2023) I absolutely LOVED this book, but let me get some trigger warnings out of the way first: sexual...
tatedecaro
Jul 7, 20232 min read


Review: Kaikeyi
3/5 stars Kaikeyi, by Vaishnavi Patel (2022) In the Indian epic story, The Ramayana, Queen Kaikeyi is the villain. She is the third wife...
tatedecaro
Apr 18, 20232 min read

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