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ahartfullofbooks's reviews
628 reviews
Mister Magic by Kiersten White
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This is the second book I’ve read by White and like her other novel Hide, I found this one confusing, too long, and the characters lacked depth and distinction. It took me almost 3 months to get through this audiobook because the pacing was so slow and the plot was stagnant. I was bored a majority of the time and all the character other than Val and Jenny just blended together, I could tell you no details about any of them.
The premise was unique and interesting but the execution was greatly lacking. I wouldn’t recommend this one, I was not a fan.
The premise was unique and interesting but the execution was greatly lacking. I wouldn’t recommend this one, I was not a fan.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Zauner’s memoir touches on her music career and the beginnings of Japanese Breakfast but the main focus is on the loss of her mother to cancer.
Zauner does not shy away from the difficult story of her mother’s decline and being the first line of defense and support as the cancer slowly takes her mother away. This memoir is phenomenal, heart wrenching, and beautiful. It was difficult to read at times from how bleak it is at moments, but Zauner’s prose and focus on moving on despite her loss is inspiring. I have been a fan of Japanese Breakfast for years but I am not also a dedicated fan to her as an author as well. Highly recommend reading and listing to Michell Zauner’s works!
Zauner does not shy away from the difficult story of her mother’s decline and being the first line of defense and support as the cancer slowly takes her mother away. This memoir is phenomenal, heart wrenching, and beautiful. It was difficult to read at times from how bleak it is at moments, but Zauner’s prose and focus on moving on despite her loss is inspiring. I have been a fan of Japanese Breakfast for years but I am not also a dedicated fan to her as an author as well. Highly recommend reading and listing to Michell Zauner’s works!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.5
A Taste of Gold and Iron is the definition of a slow burn! I usually love a good slow burn romance but the pacing was so slow at times it crawled at a snails pace! The slow pacing was really what knocked this one down for me. One moment I’d be so invested and couldn’t put the book down, and the next I’d be struggling to read 2 pages and fighting to keep reading! This one was an up and down roller coaster for me which is why it too me so long to finish.
While the pacing was a big problem for me, I generally enjoyed the rest of the book! The characters, while at first very basic, began to grow and take on their own personalities as they interacted with each other. The characters, and they way they learned, grew, and interacted with each other are what I enjoyed most about this novel.
I appreciated the attempt at the political side plot of the book but it never came together enough to feel like a solid plot point. This book is all about Kadou and Evemer and I kind of wished the author had leaned more into the romance and less into the counterfeit coin conspiracy mystery.
I loved the scenes focused on Kadou and Evemer slowly falling in love and the humorous scenes with side characters like Tadek and Melek. These were my moments of joy in this novel, and the mystery felt boring in comparison.
Overall I enjoyed this one and would recommend as long as you like slow burn fantasy romance.
While the pacing was a big problem for me, I generally enjoyed the rest of the book! The characters, while at first very basic, began to grow and take on their own personalities as they interacted with each other. The characters, and they way they learned, grew, and interacted with each other are what I enjoyed most about this novel.
I appreciated the attempt at the political side plot of the book but it never came together enough to feel like a solid plot point. This book is all about Kadou and Evemer and I kind of wished the author had leaned more into the romance and less into the counterfeit coin conspiracy mystery.
I loved the scenes focused on Kadou and Evemer slowly falling in love and the humorous scenes with side characters like Tadek and Melek. These were my moments of joy in this novel, and the mystery felt boring in comparison.
Overall I enjoyed this one and would recommend as long as you like slow burn fantasy romance.
Men, Women, and Chainsaws by Stephen Graham Jones
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
A fun short story about family, revenge, a woman’s rage, and a haunted car. Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite horror authors but I don’t always love every book. This one was short, sweet, and gruesome in all the right ways!
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First of all, if you’re someone that needs answers I’d caution you on reading this one. Everything is ambiguous and speculative and there are no clear cut answers or revelations, only theories. I love speculative fiction and while I do love answers, I can still appreciate a good book that gives you nothing but questions.
I Who Have Never Known men is a feminist dystopian tale from the 90s that starts with questions and ends with questions, all asked and attempted to be answered by the main character who has no name and is only referred to as “the child”. She is the youngest of 40 women trapped in a cage, in an unknown location, tormented by unknown men, for unknown reasons, until one day…. They’re not.
This one kept me reading in hopes of figuring out what was going on, and what felt at first felt like your normal dystopian quickly turns into a speculative story about what it means to be a human. I loved this one and am still thinking about it!
I Who Have Never Known men is a feminist dystopian tale from the 90s that starts with questions and ends with questions, all asked and attempted to be answered by the main character who has no name and is only referred to as “the child”. She is the youngest of 40 women trapped in a cage, in an unknown location, tormented by unknown men, for unknown reasons, until one day…. They’re not.
This one kept me reading in hopes of figuring out what was going on, and what felt at first felt like your normal dystopian quickly turns into a speculative story about what it means to be a human. I loved this one and am still thinking about it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Torture, Abandonment
Queer Little Nightmares by David Ly, Daniel Zomparelli
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
This story collection features short stories and poems all with LGBTQ characters and monsters. This was a unique collection but not every story or poem was interesting in my opinion. A few good stories here but be prepared to sift through as most are ok at best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood
Burn the Negative by Josh Winning
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Burn the Negative is a horror thriller that starts off strong but slowly fizzles out. I was hooked when I started this horror/thriller. I loved the premise, I loved the homage to classic 80s horror like poltergeist, and I liked the fast pace writing that made the characters initially interesting.
Unfortunately once I reached the halfway point this story began to feel dragged out with the same conflicts appearing with no growth. The mystery part of this was messy and there’s a lot of false culprits which gets a bit exhausting. Where I was at first struggling to put this down, I was now struggling to pick it up.
Along with the lack of momentum, I also was very underwhelmed by the ending. It didn’t make much sense in my opinion and erased all the character growth that occurred making the novel somewhat pointless. This book reminded me of a horror film that starts off with such potential but ends up as a mid b flick.
While I didn’t enjoy this novel all the way though, I did love the first half of this book and recommend to those looking for fast paced analogue horror who has a soft spot for old horror movies.
Unfortunately once I reached the halfway point this story began to feel dragged out with the same conflicts appearing with no growth. The mystery part of this was messy and there’s a lot of false culprits which gets a bit exhausting. Where I was at first struggling to put this down, I was now struggling to pick it up.
Along with the lack of momentum, I also was very underwhelmed by the ending. It didn’t make much sense in my opinion and erased all the character growth that occurred making the novel somewhat pointless. This book reminded me of a horror film that starts off with such potential but ends up as a mid b flick.
While I didn’t enjoy this novel all the way though, I did love the first half of this book and recommend to those looking for fast paced analogue horror who has a soft spot for old horror movies.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I have had The Silent Patient on my TBR for years and was initially very excited to read it. I first added it back when I was naive and thought that being in the Best Seller list actually meant something, but now I know it’s where mediocre and terrible books are highlighted for all the wrong reasons.
The Silent Patient is incredibly mid, it’s your stereotypical thriller that starts off fine, nothing groundbreaking, but unfortunately disintegrates into this poorly written mess. I was interested for about half of the book then it just tanked completely for me.
The writing is erratic, the twist is confusing, the plot is slow and honestly boring, and the main character Theo is a dull man with white savior complex. Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend this, there are far better thrillers out there to spend you time on.
The Silent Patient is incredibly mid, it’s your stereotypical thriller that starts off fine, nothing groundbreaking, but unfortunately disintegrates into this poorly written mess. I was interested for about half of the book then it just tanked completely for me.
The writing is erratic, the twist is confusing, the plot is slow and honestly boring, and the main character Theo is a dull man with white savior complex. Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend this, there are far better thrillers out there to spend you time on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Grief, Gaslighting
Choosing to Run: A Memoir by Des Linden
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
Des Linden’s memoir is one I would recommend to those that are runners or enjoy the sport of running. While she does throw in some inspirational moments, a majority of this memoir is an in depth look at her running career and has a lot of information about professional running that I feel could bore those not interested in the sport.
Since I am a runner, I found this incredibly inspiring and it was motivating to read about Des’s journey prior to her Boston Marathon career while simultaneously reading about her headspace during that life changing race.
While I loved this memoir I do think the pacing was a little off and it was hard to get through at points when the writing became more technical, but never enough to lose my interest. Again I feel if you’re not into running, these parts would definitely bore you!
I can’t wait to see Des Linden in future events! Watching Linden’s 2018 Boston Marathon run again after reading this memoir made the moment even more powerful!
Since I am a runner, I found this incredibly inspiring and it was motivating to read about Des’s journey prior to her Boston Marathon career while simultaneously reading about her headspace during that life changing race.
While I loved this memoir I do think the pacing was a little off and it was hard to get through at points when the writing became more technical, but never enough to lose my interest. Again I feel if you’re not into running, these parts would definitely bore you!
I can’t wait to see Des Linden in future events! Watching Linden’s 2018 Boston Marathon run again after reading this memoir made the moment even more powerful!
Chlorine by Jade Song
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Chlorine is a hauntingly twisted coming of age tale about a girl obsessed with mermaids and professional swimming. Ren is such a compelling character and the sapphic romance is bittersweet and enthralling. I honestly could not put this book down even during some of the most gruesome scenes in the story. I loved the sports centric plot and loved reading about a strong, athletic, female character slowly losing her touch with reality. The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is because the ending fell flat for me, I can see why it ends the way it does and it fits the story but personally it was not to my liking. If you’re looking for a weird, slow burn horror with a strong female lead I highly recommend Chlorine. This book was so disturbing to me, I’ll be haunted by for it months…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail