alicia_ann_reads's reviews
483 reviews

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

challenging emotional hopeful medium-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

5.0

This is my second book from Etaf Rum, and it did not disappoint.

This one felt like free therapy for childhood trauma, and marital emotional abuse.

It won't resonate with everyone but this book made me cry. Books that can illicit those reactions are 🤌🏼

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a super cute historical sapphic romance. There was a bit of spice that was not overly descriptive. 

I liked some of the banter, but there were a few things towards the end that bothered me... Overall a good read though! 

They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers

challenging informative medium-paced

4.5

I'm struggling a little with how to rate the book because reading it made me angry, but the content is so highly highly important for specifically white women to read. 

I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long while, and reconciling it with what I was taught and what I've learned. 

Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I think I actually liked the second book way more than the first one! 

Here we have multiple POVs, secrets and deceit, but love and family unity. 

An overall excellent read. 

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

emotional hopeful informative fast-paced

5.0

Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This was my first psychological thriller, and it definitely did not disappoint.

We have multiple timelines, and ghosts, and hidden secrets set in a huge Mansion on a lake.

The story kept me on my toes trying to figure everything out.

I will say while I know the purpose of the mothers secretive was, a d how mental health can play a role in standing up for yourself, I could t help but yell at the character!! 

Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger by Lama Rod Owens

hopeful informative inspiring relaxing slow-paced

This book was a good read, slow paced and containing a number of breath and meditation practices to bring yourself back into your body. 

It's definitely a book you read once, and then come back to and read again. 

The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

I started this audiobook this morning while cleaning, and cleaned more than I planned to because I didn't want to stop the book! 

I was a little confused in the beginning (probably an audio issue) because there are several timeline jumps back in history for a back story and then back to the current times but once I understood this it was great. 

There was a small bit of magical realism, and honestly some of the blunders were comical. 

It's a little hard to explain the book aside from it's description without giving anything away because you don't really know what happened until part way through.

Enjoyable!

Who TF Did I Marry by Reesa Teesa

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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A Hundred Vicious Turns by Lee Paige O'Brien
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

This is a DNF at 14% will pick it up again in digital because think the story will be interesting, but cannot handle the narrator's choppy sentences.