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amirahazhar's reviews
420 reviews
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
3.0
Took me almost 2 months to finish. Plenty to like and dislike. Great political intrigue but not very fun. It was agonisingly slow, chock full of word soup and bizarre mysticism from characters who seemed somewhat robotic, basically a lot to digest (re: Leto Atreides II). I think at book 3, the Dune chronicles are starting to wear on me a bit. May take me a while to read God Emperor of Dune...
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
3.5
Not sure if it was just me but the writing style was a bit detached and ran dry at times. I was only truly gripped in perhaps the last 15-20% of the book.
Still, I'm not leaving the world of Dune any time soon and I can't wait to see what Children of Dune has in store for me.
Still, I'm not leaving the world of Dune any time soon and I can't wait to see what Children of Dune has in store for me.
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Extremely well-written, plot dense and intense. From the get-go, this was already heavy and dark. It's more graphic than other thrillers I've read so far and the grape parts were disturbing. Hillier did not skimp on the details. It's a story that doesn't leave your mind and I catch myself now thinking about how fucked up it was sometimes.
This was my first glimpse of Hilier who is a fantastic writer, so I'll definitely be reading more of her work. I will however be bracing myself.
This was my first glimpse of Hilier who is a fantastic writer, so I'll definitely be reading more of her work. I will however be bracing myself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks
5.0
A very accessible piece of work on intersectional feminism, and necessary for us to understand the historical context of sexism on black women which dates back to the time of slavery, the devaluation of black womanhood, as well as racism within the feminist movement.
Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
4.0
What a ride! So many twists and turns, I was completely enthralled. At times, some parts of the plot didn't seem realistic but still addictive regardless. This is my first Cavanagh book and he's a fantastic writer so I'm excited to read his other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim
3.5
Not nearly as good as the first book, which for me was perfect in all aspects. Some parts of the plot weren't as thoroughly developed despite the book's length and even the ending seemed a tad bit convenient for me. Still an enjoyable book regardless.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I don't remember the last time a book made me cry, but Elizabeth Lim broke my stoic streak.
Everything about this story was lush and oozing with magic. Dragons, a Ghibli-esque setting, Shiori's loyal paper bird, the curse her stepmother put on her and her brothers, the budding romance, everything was perfect. The plot twists were spectacular, too. I was enchanted from the start.
The beautiful cover was also a bonus point.
I'm so stoked for the sequel!
Everything about this story was lush and oozing with magic. Dragons, a Ghibli-esque setting, Shiori's loyal paper bird, the curse her stepmother put on her and her brothers, the budding romance, everything was perfect. The plot twists were spectacular, too. I was enchanted from the start.
The beautiful cover was also a bonus point.
I'm so stoked for the sequel!
The Family Experiment by John Marrs
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
What do you do when world's population is soaring, the economy is tanking, and you can barely afford to start a family, let alone raise one?
In a dystopian (but not so distant) society, a company called Awakening Entertainment provides a service where you can create an AI child and raise them through VR for a monthly fee of £19.99. The same company creates a reality show called The Family Experiment, in which 6 couples compete for a lucrative cash prize and are given a chance to raise a child in the MetaVerse from the infant stage to the age of 18 in a condensed 9-month period.
This was exhilarating, Black Mirror-esque and a wild ride from start to finish. Its themes tackling the repercussions of AI with regards to job displacements, socioeconomic insecurity, ethical dilemmas, breaches of security and privacy, as well as the loss of human influence are eye-opening.
It was a bit difficult to get into at first because the author gives an in-depth background of all the participating couples, and it was tricky to remember who's who. I struggled to connect with the characters because it was hard to keep track of all of them but my patience rewarded me. Once I got into the groove of it, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages.
Every bit of this was mind blowing, it was unlike anything I've ever read. I loved all the twists and turns, and the ending was phenomenal.
In a dystopian (but not so distant) society, a company called Awakening Entertainment provides a service where you can create an AI child and raise them through VR for a monthly fee of £19.99. The same company creates a reality show called The Family Experiment, in which 6 couples compete for a lucrative cash prize and are given a chance to raise a child in the MetaVerse from the infant stage to the age of 18 in a condensed 9-month period.
This was exhilarating, Black Mirror-esque and a wild ride from start to finish. Its themes tackling the repercussions of AI with regards to job displacements, socioeconomic insecurity, ethical dilemmas, breaches of security and privacy, as well as the loss of human influence are eye-opening.
It was a bit difficult to get into at first because the author gives an in-depth background of all the participating couples, and it was tricky to remember who's who. I struggled to connect with the characters because it was hard to keep track of all of them but my patience rewarded me. Once I got into the groove of it, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages.
Every bit of this was mind blowing, it was unlike anything I've ever read. I loved all the twists and turns, and the ending was phenomenal.
Black Dog of Fate: An American Son Uncovers His Armenian Past by Peter Balakian
2.0
I wanted to like this so bad, but it just wasn't for me.
Being a genocide memoir, my expectations were that I'd learn a lot more about the Turkish expulsion of the Armenians and how Turkish denial is still rampant. I wanted a more in-depth analysis of the genocide, more insights from a second generation Armenian who grew up in the United States.
I think my main grievance with this book is that there was no cohesiveness. The first part of the book was a lot of drudgery, recollections of his childhood that I found somewhat uneventful. I mean at this point, he didn't even know much about his Armenian identity. Sure, he has a few heartwarming moments with his grandmother but that was mostly it.
The second half is when he starts learning more about Armenia and the Turkish government's war crimes. However, it just seemed very textbook, like he was just regurgitating information. Some of the information was very surface-level. He includes his aunts' traumas of the genocide but he didn't add any insights. Isn't that what a memoir is about? Like I said, I wanted more.
But the time I got to the part where he visits Syria to see places where Turkey forced out the Armenians (which is the part I was looking forward to), I was already so disconnected.
Balakian failed to connect with me on an emotional and intellectual level, and I guess I looked to the wrong place to learn more about the Armenian genocide.
Being a genocide memoir, my expectations were that I'd learn a lot more about the Turkish expulsion of the Armenians and how Turkish denial is still rampant. I wanted a more in-depth analysis of the genocide, more insights from a second generation Armenian who grew up in the United States.
I think my main grievance with this book is that there was no cohesiveness. The first part of the book was a lot of drudgery, recollections of his childhood that I found somewhat uneventful. I mean at this point, he didn't even know much about his Armenian identity. Sure, he has a few heartwarming moments with his grandmother but that was mostly it.
The second half is when he starts learning more about Armenia and the Turkish government's war crimes. However, it just seemed very textbook, like he was just regurgitating information. Some of the information was very surface-level. He includes his aunts' traumas of the genocide but he didn't add any insights. Isn't that what a memoir is about? Like I said, I wanted more.
But the time I got to the part where he visits Syria to see places where Turkey forced out the Armenians (which is the part I was looking forward to), I was already so disconnected.
Balakian failed to connect with me on an emotional and intellectual level, and I guess I looked to the wrong place to learn more about the Armenian genocide.