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anastasia_raf's reviews
133 reviews
Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women by Geneve Flynn, Lee Murray
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
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? Yes
3.5
Thank you to Netgalley and the RDS Publishing for providing me with an e-book!!
"In Black Cranes: Tales of unquiet Women, Southeast Asian writers of horror both embrace and reject these traditional roles in a unique collection of stories which dissect their experiences of 'otherness,' be it in the colour of their skin, the angle of their cheekbones, the things they dare to write, or the places they have made for themselves in the world."
This collection of short stories was very enticing and intriguing. Some of the stories I loved and some I think, would benefit better as a novella or even a novel.
The foreword by Alma Katsu was my favorite part of this anthology. It was passionate, so unflinchingly real, and so unapologetic. It was a statement that "Asian women can be many things. The only thing we can't be is defeated." Here are more quotes from it:
"We are expected to attend to the psychical needs: lifting, carrying, feeding, bathing. We change their diapers and wipe up their diarrhea, the insult stinging twice as bad for knowing we were always the less-favored child, being women."
"These stories demonstrate the diversity of Asian life as reflected in its storytelling. Just as there is no one type of woman, there is no single, all-encompassing notion of Asia. It is too multifaceted to be contained in one identity."
My favorite stories were:
1. The Genetic Alchemist's Daughter by Elaine Cuyegkeng. The storytelling was flawless. I want a whole book dedicated to this story.
2. A Pet is For Life by Ganeve Flynn. A horrifyingly delicious story.
3. Fury by Christina Sng. I'm a sucker for anything dystopian, and this delivered on so many levels; especially the characters. They were so well rounded and felt like we even got a backstory for them. I would follow them to every apocalypse.
4.Little worm by Geneve Flynn. Haunting and memorable.
An honorable mention is Mark by Grace Chan. I liked the atmosphere of this story and how unrevealing it was but I believe it was way too short for it to actually stay with you.
The only criticism I have, as with most horror books, is the use of some ableist phrases and/or words, but on that we all have to check further with disabled reviewers, readers,writers.
I had a splendid time reading each and every last one of these stories, and I can't wait for more people to experience them and love them.
"In Black Cranes: Tales of unquiet Women, Southeast Asian writers of horror both embrace and reject these traditional roles in a unique collection of stories which dissect their experiences of 'otherness,' be it in the colour of their skin, the angle of their cheekbones, the things they dare to write, or the places they have made for themselves in the world."
This collection of short stories was very enticing and intriguing. Some of the stories I loved and some I think, would benefit better as a novella or even a novel.
The foreword by Alma Katsu was my favorite part of this anthology. It was passionate, so unflinchingly real, and so unapologetic. It was a statement that "Asian women can be many things. The only thing we can't be is defeated." Here are more quotes from it:
"We are expected to attend to the psychical needs: lifting, carrying, feeding, bathing. We change their diapers and wipe up their diarrhea, the insult stinging twice as bad for knowing we were always the less-favored child, being women."
"These stories demonstrate the diversity of Asian life as reflected in its storytelling. Just as there is no one type of woman, there is no single, all-encompassing notion of Asia. It is too multifaceted to be contained in one identity."
My favorite stories were:
1. The Genetic Alchemist's Daughter by Elaine Cuyegkeng. The storytelling was flawless. I want a whole book dedicated to this story.
2. A Pet is For Life by Ganeve Flynn. A horrifyingly delicious story.
3. Fury by Christina Sng. I'm a sucker for anything dystopian, and this delivered on so many levels; especially the characters. They were so well rounded and felt like we even got a backstory for them. I would follow them to every apocalypse.
4.Little worm by Geneve Flynn. Haunting and memorable.
An honorable mention is Mark by Grace Chan. I liked the atmosphere of this story and how unrevealing it was but I believe it was way too short for it to actually stay with you.
The only criticism I have, as with most horror books, is the use of some ableist phrases and/or words, but on that we all have to check further with disabled reviewers, readers,writers.
I had a splendid time reading each and every last one of these stories, and I can't wait for more people to experience them and love them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Misogyny, and Blood
Moderate: Stalking and Pregnancy
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Dementia, Classism, Ableism, Gaslighting, and Death
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Sorry, I cannot form words right now...let alone a whole review. I'll write one soon. Right now I just want to curl up with the book in my chest and never let it go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Classism, Death, Medical content, Rape, Blood, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, Kidnapping, and Slavery
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, Misogyny, Colonisation, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Minor: Vomit, War, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
I must say I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the others in the series, but I wouldn't say it was bad.
It just felt a bit lacking for me. I was left with the impression of the author trying to develop a complex story with high stakes within a small amount of pages and even smaller depth to what was actually happening in this book. It felt like when you have to copy a whole board full with words and the teacher just erases it and moves on. Things were being told that happened but I never actually felt them happening!
I liked the new characters introduced in this book. My favourite characters were Nadya and Cora. Nadya I believe, is one of the best characters we've met so far.
I think Seanan McGuire did a good job with the discussion around fatphobia and how society actually treats skinny people with more respect and value. I felt my heart breaking thinking how many times I have had the same thoughts Cora has.
Speaking of representation,I know Seanan McGuire has acknowledged the ableism in her books and is constantly educating herself. So, big trigger WARNING ⚠️ for ableism, ableist words. On that note, I read and am going to read lots of reviews from disabled reviewers on this book,and you should too!
Overall it was a fine book. The absence of Jack was noticeable and I kept searching for her inside the dialogue between the group of friends, just expecting for her to appear...
My only dilemma is.. if I want to continue on with the series?
It just felt a bit lacking for me. I was left with the impression of the author trying to develop a complex story with high stakes within a small amount of pages and even smaller depth to what was actually happening in this book. It felt like when you have to copy a whole board full with words and the teacher just erases it and moves on. Things were being told that happened but I never actually felt them happening!
I liked the new characters introduced in this book. My favourite characters were Nadya and Cora. Nadya I believe, is one of the best characters we've met so far.
I think Seanan McGuire did a good job with the discussion around fatphobia and how society actually treats skinny people with more respect and value. I felt my heart breaking thinking how many times I have had the same thoughts Cora has.
Speaking of representation,I know Seanan McGuire has acknowledged the ableism in her books and is constantly educating herself. So, big trigger WARNING ⚠️ for ableism, ableist words. On that note, I read and am going to read lots of reviews from disabled reviewers on this book,and you should too!
Overall it was a fine book. The absence of Jack was noticeable and I kept searching for her inside the dialogue between the group of friends, just expecting for her to appear...
My only dilemma is.. if I want to continue on with the series?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Ableism, Fatphobia, Death, and Bullying
Minor: Transphobia
Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-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
3.75
This was a very sweet, delicate and tender story!
We follow two teenagers Brian and Ezra, while they get through high school and life in general. Discovering that parents aren't perfect, that family can mean more than the people who raised you, but also the people who support you and stand by you right now. Friends can be family. (Found family trope!) Making peace with the fact that sometimes summer can have rain and winter sunny days! Finding out who you are without your parent's ideas, society's expectations and people's fantasies. Who you are when building who YOU want to be, all tools and ingredients your own.
I truly loved all the characters! Expept Colby... I get how and why he exists I just don't LIKE HIM AT ALL. Now that this is out of the way, I loved Brittany and her boyfriend so so much probably my favorite characters! I wanted more of Ezra in general and I felt that the ending was a bit rushed? The book in general took its time and -deservingly so- because with so much discussions and topics to unpack such as racism, micro-aggressions, homophobia, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, bullying, etc, it's important not to hurry, to just mentioned them and that's it...
With that being said, I wanted more of the ending, I think some things could've been explored and leave a dash of curiosity about the future instead of just ending the past and waiting out the present.
We follow two teenagers Brian and Ezra, while they get through high school and life in general. Discovering that parents aren't perfect, that family can mean more than the people who raised you, but also the people who support you and stand by you right now. Friends can be family. (Found family trope!) Making peace with the fact that sometimes summer can have rain and winter sunny days! Finding out who you are without your parent's ideas, society's expectations and people's fantasies. Who you are when building who YOU want to be, all tools and ingredients your own.
I truly loved all the characters! Expept Colby... I get how and why he exists I just don't LIKE HIM AT ALL. Now that this is out of the way, I loved Brittany and her boyfriend so so much probably my favorite characters! I wanted more of Ezra in general and I felt that the ending was a bit rushed? The book in general took its time and -deservingly so- because with so much discussions and topics to unpack such as racism, micro-aggressions, homophobia, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, bullying, etc, it's important not to hurry, to just mentioned them and that's it...
With that being said, I wanted more of the ending, I think some things could've been explored and leave a dash of curiosity about the future instead of just ending the past and waiting out the present.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Bullying, Mental illness, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Just another white man displaying ignorance and romanticizing it by dreaming up stories. He's criminally overrated.
If you're interested in reading his whatever we should be aware of:
"He was an explicit white supremacist and his racist views were apparent in his writing."
Please take the time to read this https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5883881
If you're interested in reading his whatever we should be aware of:
"He was an explicit white supremacist and his racist views were apparent in his writing."
Please take the time to read this https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5883881
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Classism and Colonisation
Maame by Jessica George
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Biphobia, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Racism, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racism, and Abandonment
Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman - The Wind in the Rose Bush by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
Meh.
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Honestly I liked the story. I have many theories for it, many symbolisms I would've liked to explore, and maybe it's given more credit than it truly deserves. It's the author I have a problem with. After some research it seems that the so called "feminist" only cared about white women since she considered herself and other white people superior and was only interested in "liberating" only white women. I'm not surprised...but I let myself have hope.
Not picking up anything else by this author.
Not picking up anything else by this author.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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? No
3.5
A really touching and important book! I only wish it was longer... I loved the anagrams the whole uniqueness of it, truly clever and profound.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Murder, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Murder, Gun violence, Blood, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use