angelsubrinaa's reviews
156 reviews

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

4.75

The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

i decided to reread this novella for my coursework (i’m writing up a reflective essay on moral reasoning and cultural/liberation psychology, particularly focusing on the narratives of marginalised and oppressed communities because traditional psychology needs to stop explaining other cultures through a western perspective). i saw other reviews mention how they found the first narrative boring because of how descriptive it was but i think that was the point of the story. to depict the mundane routine of the israeli soldier in excruciating detail only to mention the tragic incident of the rape as something so menial, a ‘minor detail’ which is insignificant to him and eventually becomes a minor detail in history because of the ongoing erasure from the institution. the erasure of narrative is what drew me to reread this book, as the overall message emphasises that reclaiming a narrative within such circumstances is almost impossible. i wanted to refresh my memory on how the second narrator, the woman, is drawn to this ‘minor detail’ and what her narrative depicted of life under occupation. reading the soldier’s narrative highlighted aspects such as the importance of territory, an obsession with the distinction of in-group and out-group identity with the recurrent motif of him killing insects which reflects his pursuit for ethnic cleaning of palestinians whilst the female narrative was more psychologically discursive, as the woman crossed borders which were not only geographical but social and mental in order to search for a voice within life under occupation. 

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-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

4.25

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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

2.25

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

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

4.75

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.5

Asexual Myths & Tales by Elizabeth Hopkinson

adventurous informative inspiring mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

i think the writing style was the main reason why this book isn’t rated as high as well as the flawless characterisation of theodosia which annoys me bc i am desperate to find flaws in characters so i can feel less shitty. drayton is such a smash he is my favourote character i understand why miss dimple is obsessed with him he is a fine man 🤭🤭 i don’t get why haley isn’t featured here as often as drayton bc she is such a girlboss too 😔 the atmosphere of the book was lovely and definitely a great autumn read it’s a nice light hearted murder read