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ameliainthelibrary's reviews
54 reviews
Summer Crossing by Truman Capote
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This book was written on and off throughout Capote’s career and published after his passing without being finalized by him. And you can tell. With Grady’s motivation seemingly being very clear at the beginning but frequently changing to fit the story line with no clear explanation given. But that’s still more motivation than we get for most of the other characters. It is also painfully obvious, especially when talking about non-white characters that this book is a product of the 50s and 60s. I wish I could tell more of the plot except spooky girl gets hit with reality and can’t handle the choices she’s made but honestly the words were out of my mind as soon as they entered it. I truly do not know what the point of this book was and even though it only took about an hour to read I still feel robbed. Also dear god man use a period. I have never truly understood the frustrations of run on sentences until I read this book. If nothing else though, I now know what a swizzle stick is I guess.
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
First and foremost if you read no other part of this review read this: this books is neither a ‘feminist Lord of the Flies’ or a work of queer fiction as it advertises itself to be, I wanted to like this book so much. And I’ll give Powers this, she writes well. The language used was beautiful and flowed well even when describing body horror. The body horror was deserved and added to the plot of the story in a meaningful way and didn’t feel shoehorned in for shock value. I enjoyed how the characters were written and developed and found Hetty to be incredibly believable in the extreme setting of the books. Other than that I hated it. At best the queer representation that has landed this book on so many LGBTQ+ recs lists is at best queer bating. A kiss and then the two characters not interacting again until the final scene. (I know we’re desperate for whatever we can get but we deserve better than this.) I have no idea how to discuss the pacing except to say that it was as if Powers remembered half way through that she needed a plot, hyper fixated on it for a few chapters really giving it her all, then got bored and just tried to throw a bow on it. I was able to guess the nature of the disease in the first hundred pages and when I had my suspicions confirmed I just ended up disappointed more than anything. I don’t agree with the people who lived being brought back to life, largely due to the fact that it’s never shown if the knowledge them being alive brought had any impact on the ending. We were given numerous false starts that played back to nothing. Was the worm the true villain? Is it connected to the heart? The papers found in the office? You’re guess is as good as mine because Powers seems to have forgotten about them. We’re lucky she didn’t forget to throw in the rushed paragraph on the second to last page ‘explaining’ the events of the entire novel. The premise is there and Powers is clearly a talented enough writer to really have done something with it but she just repeatedly failed in my eyes. 2/5⭐️
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The story was great and the writing was well done with good flow but the charterers, particularly Dawn, were so dislikable that I nearly DNFed. As a non binary queer person I was particularly excited about a story with an older character coming to terms with their identity but I just couldn’t form any relation to Dawn or her self spiraling hatred. Were it not for the writing of Gertrude’s story and my curiosity of if we’d find out what happened to Marta I would not have been able to finish this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, and Xenophobia
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Was stuck on what to give this. The first 100 or so pages (large type edition) I’d give a 2 a best but the last 300 I’d easily give a 4 or 5. When I had finished the book the pay off felt worth it but it was a struggle to get through the build up. I was deeply invested in Em and Mari’s story, Chess gave me such a strong reaction of distrust that the ending truly did surprise me. Initially I hated how her character turned out but after reflecting on it and how it reflects the story as a whole I actually grew to quite like the ending. Will absolutely be reading this again. Aside from story I found the writing to be accessible, especially for a thriller/mystery. I definitely felt suspense throughout the story but at no point did I feel confused which is a problem I tend to have with this genre. This is my first book by Rachel Hawkins and I am excited to read more from her!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-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
3.75
A good summer beach read, definitely enjoyed but probably won’t pick up again.