annoyedhumanoid's reviews
152 reviews

Cosmoknights: Book Two by Hannah Templer

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

the art is gorgeous as always—especially the colors. although, sometimes the fight scenes were hard to parse, devolving into plotless mosaics of action poses. but overall 🤌🤌

the story, on the other hand, is confusing. the first book’s plot holes are not resolved here; in fact, some new ones join the fray. i think i need someone to answer several questions. but i’m for sure still reading the third book when it comes out (hoping it’s the final)

and now i can finally delete my one-year-overdue countdown for this book’s release.

The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis

Chlorine by Jade Song

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

the narrative wasn't cohesive, the writing wasn't my favorite, and the dialogue felt unnatural. i think i wanted more of a revenge story but we didn't really get that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Self harm, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Pedophilia, Gore, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Medical content, Sexual content, Abandonment, Classism, Racism, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Toxic relationship, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Abortion

Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World by J. R. McNeill

informative medium-paced

3.75

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

4.5

i found the clinical tone of the first part challenging, in contrast to the extreme readability of the second part with its masterful choice of narrator. the motifs seemed sparse, even for a novella, and a little heavy-handed, especially in the first part. but overall it was a worthwhile, important, haunting read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Sexual assault, War, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gore, Animal death, and Torture

The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz

adventurous dark hopeful slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexism

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Kidnapping, Vomit, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, and War

Minor: Abandonment, Cursing, Islamophobia, Stalking, Ableism, Bullying, and Child death

Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

2.5

i love Heartstopper but the angst and poor communication were grating. just talk to each other idc. i appreciate the illustrations though

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

just under 4 stars. nothing happened for the longest time—which i knew to expect but it still bored me—until things picked up right at the end. i love Dr Tuttle

Ecological Imperialism by Alfred W. Crosby

challenging informative slow-paced

3.0

concision, mi amor. i'm begging you

Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code by Ruha Benjamin

informative medium-paced

3.5