amerid's reviews
30 reviews

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? N/A

4.25

I love Becky Chambers' work so much. I would have loved to see each of these planets fleshed out more and find out what Earth decides! A very enjoyable read, and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Grief

Minor: Suicide attempt

The Arch's Prism: El Arco del Prisma by Lane Carnes

inspiring reflective

3.5

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

My biggest problem with this book is the pov shifts without warning, but it was a decent story overall. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Classism

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.

I couldn't stay engaged with the story.

Interference by Sue Burke

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

One of the things I really enjoyed about Semiosis was how it wasn't focused on tech, and this book is much more tech-heavy than the first. It's an interesting story nonetheless. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Semiosis by Sue Burke

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

4.75

I love this concept so much! It reminds me of something I read in Sapiens by Yuval Harari suggesting that it is in fact wheat that domesticated us and not the other way around. This is the first sci-fi book I’ve encountered that is not heavy on technology, which was refreshing! I loved the generational aspect of it, but it did make the pacing a bit strange—speeding through some things and trudging through others. That's the only real complaint I have and why I didn’t give it a full 5 stars, otherwise the story is interesting, unique, and fun!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Infertility, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Abandonment

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

It's a slow start, but I was captivated by the end! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Classism

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

hopeful informative inspiring

4.5