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arieslofi's reviews
102 reviews
The Female Gaze: Essential Movies Made by Women by Alicia Malone
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
liked this one way better than the first because im a big jacob apologist and enjoyer, though the ending with her talking back at charlie made me so angry like homegirl he literally is right in being mad at edward 💀 anyway. enjoying these way more than i ever thought i would ngl
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Torture
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
dark
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
well! i want to say that the premise is something that i really enjoyed, and it's only its execution that i wasn't an absolute fan of, including some of the writing, though not all. the writing itself felt very "try-hard" with its weird britishifcations that reminded me of 2013 when everyone was obsessed with the uk and everything british (as i mentioned in a previous update), with repetition that happened far too often, not the kind that serves as some sort of writing device (this does happen and i do enjoy it), but the kind that makes you wonder if there was any kind of editing involved in the publication of the book. besides that, the writing isn't too bad and didn't get on my nerves too much, and i actively enjoyed some parts of it.
i really liked the character of mary ann especially, though i'll say cath was neither here nor there and jest completely failed to be compelling to me,which made his death kind of pointless to me. speaking of pointless: the romance.
this book could have been really good, personally, if we hadn't had any type of romance involved, only a girl losing her dreams and having to deal with being stuck in a loveless marriage with the king until she snaps. i would even have enjoyed it if there had been romance involved, though differently. if, for example,instead of jest taking her away and the last 30% happening the way they did, she had, just like before, stuck with the king, a fool (which could have served as a callback in dialogue!) only for jest to come back and her, tired and betrayed, called for his head. he was, after all, a wanted criminal, it would have worked perfectly, and it was how i was expecting the book to end.
the ending itself felt unsatisfactory to me,there was no real build-up to this sudden change in her behavior (though we are given a reason) and we only get a glimpse of it some chapters before. i feel like showing her ability to be genuinely evil and ruthless throughout the book would have worked better—even if we kind of get those moments in very small doses, like her stealing from the pumpkin patch and her intensity at playing croquet, although this latter felt more like a "this happens in the original story!" bit.
generally, not a bad book, per se, but it left me wanting a lot more, so i can't say i'm exactly happy with it. the premise is much better than the execution itself, though it only goes south around 70% of the book for me.
i really liked the character of mary ann especially, though i'll say cath was neither here nor there and jest completely failed to be compelling to me,
this book could have been really good, personally, if we hadn't had any type of romance involved, only a girl losing her dreams and having to deal with being stuck in a loveless marriage with the king until she snaps. i would even have enjoyed it if there had been romance involved, though differently. if, for example,
the ending itself felt unsatisfactory to me,
generally, not a bad book, per se, but it left me wanting a lot more, so i can't say i'm exactly happy with it. the premise is much better than the execution itself, though it only goes south around 70% of the book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Eating disorder, Gore, and War
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
pleasant surprise ngl turns out if everyone insists a book is shit for almost 2 decades you'll go into it w 0 expectations or even lower and when it turns out to be an actually not horrid piece of literature u'll have fun
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
dark
informative
slow-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
3.5
como character study é incrÃvel. a repetição, no entanto, torna-se muito exaustante. gostei de forma geral, gosto imenso de character studies em geral, e especialmente de personagens de merda, por isso até aà tudo bem. as descrições chegam a ser um bocadinho de mais, como já disse, mas nada que me fizesse parar. o problema aqui, para mim, foi o facto de o grenouille ser o equivalente a uma mary sue. ele literalmente não tem qualquer fraqueza. chega a ser frustrante e tirou-me da imersão várias vezes.
acho que o subtÃtulo de "história de um assassino" faz sentido mas é, também, enganadora. eu já tinha visto o filme (que adorei, mas já foi há alguns anos, vou revê-lo hoje), por isso sabia que o livro não iria conter assim tantos homicÃdios. no entanto, do que me lembro, no filme, os assassÃnios são bastante mais impactantes. aqui, são apenas uma nota de rodapé na vida do grenouille. achei engraçado no fim o narrador dizer que os pensamentos não são o forte da personagem principal, quando ele pensa imenso durante o livro, mas enfim.
p.s.: quero só anunciar que este livro estava na minha tbr e que tinha visto o filme já porque, no 8º ano, a minha professora de português se virou para mim e disse que eu tinha cara de quem iria gostar do livro. ainda hoje sinto que foi um meio insulto a chamar-me de edgelord mas que se pode fazer?
acho que o subtÃtulo de "história de um assassino" faz sentido mas é, também, enganadora. eu já tinha visto o filme (que adorei, mas já foi há alguns anos, vou revê-lo hoje), por isso sabia que o livro não iria conter assim tantos homicÃdios. no entanto, do que me lembro, no filme, os assassÃnios são bastante mais impactantes. aqui, são apenas uma nota de rodapé na vida do grenouille. achei engraçado no fim o narrador dizer que os pensamentos não são o forte da personagem principal, quando ele pensa imenso durante o livro, mas enfim.
p.s.: quero só anunciar que este livro estava na minha tbr e que tinha visto o filme já porque, no 8º ano, a minha professora de português se virou para mim e disse que eu tinha cara de quem iria gostar do livro. ainda hoje sinto que foi um meio insulto a chamar-me de edgelord mas que se pode fazer?
The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Gore and Self harm
Minor: Suicide
self-harm and gore is about a line regarding our main character's great-grandmother. could be nothing, could be a lot, depends on the person.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
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
2.5
it was sweet but the repetition made it super hard to keep reading cause it felt like it dragged when it really didn't. not just the repetition of the stories, but the constant description of what the characters were wearing and the female characters felt... off? i guess. which isn't too surprising given a man wrote them but y'know. could have tried.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
1 star for the interesting premise. i would have been more fulfilled had i not read this book. i would have instead read something good, something not written by someone who took a creative writing course once and applied everything their teacher loved to their debut novel. i refuse to believe this was edited. had it been so, this would have been half of its actual length, if even that.
do you wish to read this book? truly? with your very stupid heart? okay. here's what the entire book is like, repeated throughout 200+ pages, as recreated by yours truly:
She was Nightbitch and she wanted to taste blood, to run free, to feel the wind in her matted, unbrushed, unkempt hair, dirt under her fingernails. She was a dog. But she couldn't tell anyone, they'd think she was crazy. Mentally ill. They'd think these doggy games with her son were abuse, or worse. The working moms didn't get it, so perfect, perfect teeth and perfect clothes and a perfect life she too once had, now down the drain thanks to the child. She loved the child. But she hated him too. She hated her husband more. Couldn't he understand her? Wasn't she worthy of his care? It made her angry, rage bubbling from deep inside her gut, near her womb, that sad, rotten organ. And with anger, she wanted to taste blood.
Just throw in a small and very obvious G-d stand in that is still explained to you, despite how obvious it is, that in the end doesn't truly matter at all (none of this book does, really).
TL;DR: Set back feminism by its lonesome. Congrats.
do you wish to read this book? truly? with your very stupid heart? okay. here's what the entire book is like, repeated throughout 200+ pages, as recreated by yours truly:
She was Nightbitch and she wanted to taste blood, to run free, to feel the wind in her matted, unbrushed, unkempt hair, dirt under her fingernails. She was a dog. But she couldn't tell anyone, they'd think she was crazy. Mentally ill. They'd think these doggy games with her son were abuse, or worse. The working moms didn't get it, so perfect, perfect teeth and perfect clothes and a perfect life she too once had, now down the drain thanks to the child. She loved the child. But she hated him too. She hated her husband more. Couldn't he understand her? Wasn't she worthy of his care? It made her angry, rage bubbling from deep inside her gut, near her womb, that sad, rotten organ. And with anger, she wanted to taste blood.
Just throw in a small and very obvious G-d stand in that is still explained to you, despite how obvious it is, that in the end doesn't truly matter at all (none of this book does, really).
TL;DR: Set back feminism by its lonesome. Congrats.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Animal Farm by George Orwell
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0