_fallinglight_'s reviews
485 reviews

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I do admit the world building had me entranced for a good minute or two and that's when the story was at its strongest albeit a lot of the whimsical buildup of this world came at the cost of most of it being confusing lol I also think Laini Taylor created so much conflict in here that sounds horrible but the systematic oppression of the people of Weep and its repercussions don't make a lot of sense and weren't explained here saving it for book 2, but then, that makes reading this and the endless two-day love story between Lazlo and Sarai a huge waste of time. Plus, there's a lot of strange messaging here. Idk this book isn't among the worst books I've ever read but the forced, affected whimsical writing and abandoning chunks of the plot for Lazlo and Sarai dreams brought it pretty close

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abandonment

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, War

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual content

Not a Nation of Immigrants: Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and a History of Erasure and Exclusion by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

10/10 no notes. A super insightful book about the horrors of the founding of the white supremacist, fiscal-military settler-colonialist United States and its continued subjugation of Indigenous, Black and Brown people the world over. A timely read despite being published in 2021 that helps dispel egregious myths that hold back accountability of the crimes committed by various racist groups and politicians against Black people within ths USA, and this country's countless wars against Indigenous nations, Mexico, Asia, and Cental America and how all that ties to the deeply hateful anti-migrant rhetoric that gave us a Trump second term. I learned so much and even when I already knew some other stuff it still added even more horrific context. I will definitely try to reread bc it's a lot of centuries of harm and trauma to keep track of but definitely a well-researched and exhaustive book. This book should be a mandatory anticolonial and anti-settler starter read for everyone in the USA, honestly.

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, the Flesh, and L.A. by Eve Babitz

dark informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Morning Is a Long Time Coming by Bette Greene

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee

dark emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I almost let out a real scream reading that ending!! Min Jin Lee you will always be famous 😘 (sneaking in this short story to my 2024 reading challenge was so worth it lmao but I almost felt my heart bursting that ending is so, so tragic, man 💔)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

medium-paced

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

2.5

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

emotional lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

One of those "great gowns, beautiful gowns" vibes book.
Could've been a one star but I will admit I liked the unsettling body horror of turning into water 💦 and that's where Julia Armfield should've focused more on bc all the attempts at "lush, romantic prose" were pathetic.