anastasia_raf's reviews
133 reviews

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

2.75

I don't hate this book, but I don't like it either.
There were a lot of things that I was feeling icky about... I don't think the demisexual rep is well done and some other  things that bothered me about the characters...

I didn't like the writing, I found the story... Well, meh? I liked the whole podcast thing but that was about it.

I'm one of those people who enjoyed solitaire a lot more. Not that I don't have my problems with it as well but in comparison I like it more than radio silence.

It's moody kind of read, I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot but that's about it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Stalking

Ace Voices: What it Means to Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace by Eris Young

emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

** Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC**

Ace Voices by Eris Young is the representation I've been waiting for my whole life. It's the blanket my young ace self would use to warm themself up and hide under to find a world where I'm not weird. I'm unique. I'm not immature. I'm just different. I am not loveless. I'm precious. I'm ace, and that describes me in my wholeness, not lackness.

 In this book, Eris set out to crush conventionality in its whole meaning and use the ground to build a safe space for me. For us. "To not prove to allosexual people we exist but to prove it to ourselves," As they put it.

 This book discusses asexuality, aromanticism, demisexuality, grey-asexuality and even more identities and language used by a-spec people. It redefines love, romance, relationships without actually imprisoning them into conditions or actual immutable definitions. The flexibility given to the meaning of everything is truly refreshing and freeing.

 The only critique I have for this book is that it was too short. The thoughts, discussions, the voices of a-spec people, the ace joy, everything! I wanted more of it. This book had me stopping every five minutes to write down quotes, personal experiences, feelings, and to just feel the joy pouring out of me at the realization that I'm not alone. I'm not lost anymore in the expectations of this society, but rather flourishing at my own pace, my own way.

 It changed me in a fundamental way. Or maybe it just assured me it was okay to finally see what was there all along.

 Here are some of the quotes I loved:

"A network of friendships is like a garden, full of variety and therefore more healthy, robust and sustainable than a single crop. And like a vegetable garden, if you put work and energy into it, it will nourish you in return."

"...and to understand asexuality, aromanticism and all the spectrum identities for what they really are: nothing more than different ways to be human."

"If sex is considered by mainstream society to be a normal and universal function of a healthy body or mind,then romance and romantic coupling - its sexual nature often left unsaid but still implied- is framed as a natural function of a healthy personality."

"In the face of so much pressure to explain ourselves, pressure to be certain, the ease with which so many a-spec people hold into ambiguity, blurriness and changeability of human experience is both a strength and a radical act."

By Grace B Freedom: "while my erotic seat does not rest on the legs of white supremacist cis heteropatriarchal allosexuality, there is indeed an erotic seat and it is indeed hot."

"...and perhaps ironically, realizing I'm not alone has made me more comfortable with being on my own."

Great points of discussion:

"...a feeling of aloneness in who I was."

"We are taught that once a relationship has become very close, it becomes "something more," and ceases to be a friendship. Once a friendship reaches a certain level of intensity, intimacy or closeness, "it evolves'' into a romantic relationship, a different beast entirely."

"When you're desperate to communicate you use the words available to you even if they're not the best ones."

"Born-this-way language risks alienating or even erasing people whose sexualities or genders are fluid or developing."

By LG " Are we really creating stereotypes based on behaviour the same way cis straight people create gender stereotypes?"

By Vaid-Menon "Part of white supremacy as I understand it, is the privilege of being a subject of desire: one who can feel in control of one's desires and one who has more agency to act on said desires." 

 Go preorder it and make room for it in your bookshelf because I assure you, once you've read it, it will never leave yourself and shelf. ( Proud of what I did there.)  I am in actual NEED of a physical copy of this book and counting down the days till I can have it in my hands.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Genocide, Sexual assault, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Τι θυμάσαι απ' τον θάνατό σου; by Πυθαγόρας Κ. Ελευθεριάδης

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

It was okay. I can't speak on the disability rep, if it's actually good or problematic...
The LGBTQIA+ rep was good!
It's an okay story. Very heavy. Very sad. It was difficult to read at times. I have some problematic things I would like to point out in a more in depth review...
The writing wasn't the best. I'd say it was a mediocre book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Beautiful. Just beautiful. Wish I haded it growing up.

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

challenging emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I've just finished this book. Like, literally not five minutes have passed and I'm already trying to process everything so I can write a somewhat decent review. It's not the perfect book in any way. I found it lacking in many things and some problematic,for me, stuff... But,
The truth is words fail me. I think this book has said everything. My darkest thoughts, my lowest days, my reality. As a pessimist I identified very much with Tori.  While thinking she's not the best person but not the worst? I identified to her in a entirely "human" way. Like is anyone truly bad or entirely good? Who's to judge that? Without having undertaking the circumstances, sympathizing with many factors and justifying many actions?

What breaks me is the " having noticed, expected it but didn't do anything." How many have I thought of that? How many times have other people thought of that? Yet again I wonder if s*ic*de is such an illogical action? Not to say that this book romanticizes it or anything... But as a depressed person with s*ic*da* thoughts I wonder why people take such pleasure in hearing a person thirst and will to live, and such horror in hearing the opposite? Since when one become normalized and the other an illness? Since when is wanting to leave all this pain behind, the hating, racist, homophobic, all in all messed up society- considered a sin, a sickness, selfish... and wanting to live in that very society is praised?
Since when it's okay to ask people to stay just because you love them, you need them even though they are in incredible pain? And when a person decides to not stay because of that very pain is selfish????
It's always "it's your life, do what you will with it," but your de*th? Is not yours. It's the universe's, your god's, your illness's, your fate's...
This book hugs me in a way of saying that not that everything is going to be okay, but I'm here to read me when they are not, because they're not.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Misogyny, Vomit, and Alcohol

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

I really wanted to get in to this ,but every time I picked it up I only made it through ten pages or so before putting back in the tbr self. I finally decided to dnf it. The story seems so interesting but I just can't into it for some reason... I really liked the writing though 

Persuasion by Jane Austen

challenging hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

3.25

I must say, I am enjoying Jane Austen's book more and more. I quite enjoyed pride and prejudice and persuasion shares the sentiment!
There is something about her writing that makes me feel things. That makes me feel warm, hugged.
I admire the way she writes inspiring and powerful women, though with not missing errors- but I could hardly judge in any way a book so rooted in her reality and at the same time -not by far, but still- very far from mine. Honestly Anne should have ended up with Lizzie!( pride and prejudice,)THAT WOULD BE ONE OF MY MOST FAVOURITE SAPPHIC COUPLES.
They way she writes romance, feelings, passionate dialogues, debates. I'm just saying that I would understand if someone aspired to write like she can. And can we appreciate some of the cleverly,not hidden but discreet, points she makes.
I can now understand what all the fuss is about with classics. CERTAIN ONES. 

One for All by Lillie Lainoff

adventurous inspiring 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

3.0

Unique story. Loved the chronic illness representation( finally!!) I didn't love the queer rep though... Felt rushed and forced. 

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Did not finish book. Stopped at 79%.

I tried so very hard!!! It's a good book. And for a debut, I think it's excellent! I just don't care about the characters at all... Maybe a bit for Marshall and Benedikt but that's it... I think it's too political for my tastes, I loveeeee political conflicts in books but I need the books to be character-driven. So, it's really just a case of it's not you, it's me

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

fast-paced

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

2.5

Nope.