arrcristi's reviews
421 reviews

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-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? No

4.75

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.0

2/5 - My first read of 2023 wasn't as good as I expected, but I'm still glad I read this book because it made me reflect on many issues, and they still occupy my mind now that I've finished it. So for all that's worth it, I'm happy I picked up this book.

In Little Fires Everywhere, the author presents us with a dichotomy: on the one hand, we have the perfectionism of Shaker Heights, a utopian suburb where everything is planned, and Elena Richardson as its best standard bearer; on the other hand, a chaotic mysterios artist with no intetion whatsoever to follow regular conventions.

This story is a brutal critique of the American Way of Life, which has been overly idealized for a long time now. The differences between the two main characters (as well as the themes of race, social class, money and family) were more than enough to write a book about them...but one of the biggest problems for me is that there're too many things going on at once, too many discussions and reflections on such important issues that in the end I was left feeling overwhelmed by it all. That and the less relevant subplots that drove my attention away from the real interesting things, those I was actually eager to read more about.

While I get the author's intention to confront both ways of life and sending out the message that only one of the characters is correct, I think that in all the situations they're put in, not everything is black-and-white. I don't think everything Mia did was right* and her 'redeeiming' herself doesn't mean she's a flawless character and every other position is terribly wrong.

* Another thing I struggled with  was coherence.

Please, don't tell me a girl would rather be a surrogate mother for money because she's just "too proud" to accept money or a loan from a really good friend. Sorry, it makes no sense to me. Also, making Mia regretting her intial choice and changing her mind her biggest 'mistake' is troublesome for me, as I don't think surrogacy should be legal anywhere (and I'm glad it's illegal in my country). Sorry, but children shouldn't be bought as goods. Becoming a parent is a wish, not a right. Furhermore, I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of reading about a couple who didn't want a test-tube baby but would want to do basically the same using another woman's body. I'm sorry, but you're terrible people because you're taking advantage of someone else's economic situation to your advantage. ADOPT! And instead of complaining about how long it takes to adopt a child, fight to make some changes so that the process can be improved for everyone.

The subplot about the custody battle of May Ling was actually what really hooked me. SO INTERESING AND HEARTBREAKING! I would read a book only dealing with this. About this topic, there were some reflexions made by the author that I completely disagree with:

"It came, over and over, down to this: What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?"

I think this question is deceiving. A mother in a bad economic and/or mental situation can still love theis child. As can do adoptive parents, even if they haven't created their child biologically speaking. The matter is not about love, but MONEY and stability. As long as the minor can be provided with food, shelter and have their basic needs covered, they should be with their biological mother. Otherwise, most children around the world would be taken away from their biological parents and be sent into rich families because "it's about love" and the wish to have a child, right? This irked me a lot, in case you haven't noticed LOL

I wasn't going to mention this, but I was also deeply disturbed when I read that, after losing the baby they were going to adopt, May Ling...and after realizing they were totally unprepared and (I think) unwilling to really make Chinese heritage an important part of the child's life...they went ahead and started the process to adopt another Chinese baby. As if they were glasses that could be simply replaced when lost or broken. Sorry but NO.

Apart from everything aforementioned, maybe my rating would've been higher if the writing had been excellent...but it wasn't. It wasn't anything special. Furthermore, the beginning was a bit boring and it didn't become engaging until I was almost halfway done, more less.

I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not a bit curious to see the TV show and find out if they approached all this in a different way. So maybe I'll watch it someday, who knows. But to be honest, this book is  highly overrated.

This Winter by Alice Oseman

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

2.5/5 - Let me start by saying that I think this novella, as well as other books I've read by this author, deal with topics and themes that are of vital importance. I'm glad there's an author out there telling this story in the way she does. Awesome job, Alice Oseman! That being said, I do feel a bit disappointed after reading this. While it's just as cute as all her other Nick and Charlie books and it deals with a super important yet uncomfortable topic for many people...when I finished it I was left feeling this didn't meet my expectations.

In This Winter, we get to see how Charlie, his family and Nick deal with Charlie's disorder during Christmas, which for many of us is a complicated time. What did I enjoy the most? Honestly, it was Tori's support. I think the more I read about her, the more I like her. Go, Tory!

In my opinion, this novella should've been included in one of the volumes as a bonus...or maybe all the spin-offs could've been published as a whole different volume. Maybe then the reading experience would've felt more wholesome. What I felt was that this was a way to continue profiting from this story and characters without really putting the effort into crafting a more ellaborate story. And I believe that if you go ahead and explore eating disorders in your works, it shouldn't be done superficially and casually. If you really do want to make a difference, I mean.

As for the other novella, Nick and Charlie, I think I'll use the audiobook version because I'm not spending 12 euros on something like this...or maybe I'll just stick to the main Heartstopper volumes and not bother with these ones. Who knows...

Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

5.0

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

emotional sad medium-paced

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

1.5

The Visitor by Sergio Gomez

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

 3/5 - Last week, I felt in the mood for Christmas stories, so I decided to give this novella a shot. I'd been seeing it all over the place for weeks, so I figured it wouldn't be too bad. Plus, the cover really caught my attention, so I ended purchasing the Kindle version.

As you can already tell by simply looking at the cover, the plot is quite obvious. Therefore, I think I'll just include one of my favorite parts of the book (since it's one of the very few things I highlighted lol):

"Norman raced through the trees and, as he closed in on the alien, he hopped up and bit him in the crotch."

  I mean, can it be any better than this? THIS is the type of book with dogs that I wanna read, not those tear-inducting ones. In this short story, you'll find five strangers who end up together in a restaurant in the middle of a horrible snow storm at Christmas...and you'll also meet an unexpected guest on this special occasion. And you also get a dog that's brave enough to take on an alien. What else would you want to read in December?

It's a quick read, so you'll be able to finish it in an hour or so. Despite from the obviousness of the cover, you can still have fun while reading this story...it made me smile a few times, in fact! If you're looking for something fun and light to read these holidays, you should give it a chance too. 

Best Nerds Forever by Chris Grabenstein, James Patterson

adventurous emotional inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

Malas / Bad by Noemi Casquet

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

1.0

Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers by Helena Dea Bala

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.75