anni_banani's reviews
65 reviews

What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World by Prentis Hemphill

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective

5.0

Read it. There’s so many reasons to

A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.75

Wow y’all
I laughed (then I kept laughing 😂) I cried (then I kept crying 😭) I loved I swooned I gasped I said “well duh” I learned i got hungry I raved …. I just fell hard in love with this book from page one and it never stopped

Such a fun predictable YA novel with real feelings, relationships. The world was fully in the world 😍
Never before have I read an adventurous or historical sapphic novel that hit like this
If you have ever wondered “why can’t I just read a book where two girls fall in love in a fun rich world or have an adventure and there’s no toxic tropes” look no further, you can finally rest, sit back and fall in love like I did. I did not expect to love the couple as much as I did or have other queer characters or the queer experiences described in a way that made me feel seen 😩😩😍😍😍🥹🥹

As predictable as this book was, there were a few surprises that got me at the climax!

And I loved learning about Zheng Yi Sao and the South China Sea at that period of time amazing. Also the authors note was so amazing in every way. Really looking forward to the 2025 new book

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Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

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dark emotional

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? Yes

4.0

did you come to this book for the sapphic romance like i did? if so-

wow this is my favorite book girlfriend of all time. I will absolutely marry her. She's a queer witch's dreams
but
we do have a but which is the case with like all sapphic stories sigh. --We don't get enough time we the romance. Love interest doesnt get to have the character development and potential met.
also homophobia free!

book overall- its a very predictable but entertaining YA story. Loved the emotional themes, the sisterhood between the women characters and the rich cultural story from the persian historical settings to the mythological creatures. Theres a few very big plotholes or times the MC is annoying too.

why did soraya put out the whole fire in the beginning, couldnt she have set some aside??

I gave it a pass for a fun YA read. I enjoyed the ending
Persian mythology is totally new to me and it was such a treat how the author took real historical mythology and created something her own with it. also so fun to learn about this mythology if you never have before
--> the author's note at the end was a great resource.

biggest critique - give this author more pages! a second book would be amazing!!! the story didnt get to reach its full potential and was a bit rushed which
-makes the plot development a muddled, chapter 22's themes lost me until the end but also still didnt get fleshed out even then
- the romance stifled, she did not get enough page time and fell flat sometimes.
- also the MC's development was a little clunky around the climax too
- i absolutely neeedd more of the 13 sisters, should i write the spin off myself?

given this; wow she made me fall so hard for the love interest in such a short time and i loved the couple together.

even though Soraya was making dumb decisions way too late into the book and Parveneh stood by her side even when she should have called Soraya out. that was just too convenient for soraya

There was so much time spent with the villian though so maybe there would have been enough pages if we replaced one of his chapters with making the love interest more 3D

id interested to see what this author would do going forward but im reading this 5 years after publication and she has no upcoming books :(

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When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson

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Did not finish book.

Just a little juvenile in the narrative voice. I loved the story and characters l. I’d try this author if they have something skewing older

The Loophole by Naz Kutub

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.

So cute! Had a lot of cool stuff going for it. Written for actual teens not adults who read YA. I would try this author for something aged up, they dont atm

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

One of the lost unique books I’ve ever encountered. I did not know what to expect chapter to chapter

Wang had me so invested, hated so hard, raged so hard, cried so hard, evolved so hard. I was in love with the MC. This was my second Wang book and can’t wait for more! The magic and combat blew my mind, what a treat. The relationships are juicy juicy. I’ll be chewing over this book and re reading it for sure.

The reason to read this book is everything about it.

I recommend looking up information on Wang’s website about the series this book is a prequel of to help contextualize the ending.

<spolier>where Misaki ends up with her husband was an ending I loved for her, not myself I would have left. The ride there was rocky and low grade triggering for me and ultimately worth it

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

If I had to describe this book in a sentence, “ Which characters are heroes and which are villains? Yes”
Lol
For real though this book made me hate to love it and maybe least likeable MC in the most amazing book ever! How dare Wang make me obsessed with this book and pick it back up every time I through it across the room in frustration with the protagonist. I could hardly stay in my seat by the climax of the book, it was a whirlwind. The magic is exceptional and unique.

The book has ruined me so much for other books that I wonder if I ever want to like another MC again?

Thomil and carra forever. Love them sooo much

This was my first ML wang book and I’m already on my second!

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