ashliesydel's reviews
1177 reviews

The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar

adventurous emotional informative reflective 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

 I'm not crying, you're crying.

Anyone who knows me in real life knows I am terrified of birds. I have been attacked multiple times throughout my lifetime by many different species. And I'm not proud of it, but they refuse to let me ever forget, but I have used my children as a shield in aviaries. TWICE. So yeah...

This book has 3 POVS that are all connected by culture, death, and birds.

Our MC is a young artist that sees the dead, including their mom who was an ornithologist when she was alive. The MC honors their mom by painting birds all throughout NYC specifically Little Syria.
The mom died in a fire. Not really sure how that went down yet but it's suggested she had received numerous threats in connection with her work. Since her death the birds have been doing strange things. Creepy things... like RED FLAG Alfred Hitchcock things...

Then we have Laila Z. She is a Syrian Artist who went missing. Our MC has found her journal which eerily has similarities to their mom's largely in part that both seem to have witnessed a non-existent bird.

This is marketed as Historical Fiction, Contemporary Queer, and Adult Fiction. But for someone like me who suffers from a mild case of Ornithophobia I feel like this can be listed as Light Horror as well.

This is such a fantastic story of self-acceptance and love. All love, lost love, forbidden love, self-love, familiar love, just love. It's beautiful and how it came together was soo unexpected. Not only did I push through the discomfort of the birds but a bitch is thinking about getting a quote and bird tattoo. LOL

HIGHLY RECOMMEND 

Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency by Chen Chen

fast-paced

3.5

OMFG this book is soo random and weird and a little unsettling but also really smart and real and I'm soo conflicted. 

I randomly selected this book because I was craving poetry. I had to run out of town and saw this as an available audio book. 2 hours run time. I figured I could start it in the car and finish it off on my night walk. 

This book seriously has me questioning the subjectiveness and art form of poetry.  
Themes in this collection include Homophobia, Racism, Parents, Self-Discovery, Remembrance of Lives Lost to Violence, Interracial Dating, Childhood, Sex/Intimacy, and Covid. So, all of that is really heavy, well written, emotional, relatable, made me say wow. 

But then sprinkled in we have random pieces about poop. Yep poop, skat play, keeping a good diet and maintaining a healthy anus, the smell and consistency of poop, how you shouldn't write about poop but he's totally going to do it. Like what?! His eggroll penis, Like I'm sorry but where did this come from?? There are more really random things like loving someone so much you will eat their hair.

But just when you're like, this guy is weird af I think I need to stop reading, BAM something thoughtful and emotional about a man who died at Pulse. 

I checked the ratings this morning and there were several 5 Star Ratings. I'm finna finish this, not sure of what my rating will be because it's like as much as I want to say ewww poop, I can't not acknowledge the beauty of the other works in this collection.  

He knew what he was doing with this one. 

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

 Three years ago my friend said OMG you have to read this book. There's a cat and she's crazy. Me being a dog person and believing cats are assholes put this book on my TBR but let it sit because honestly who wants to read a book narrated by a cat?

OMFG let me tell you, I can kick my own ass for waiting so long to read this. Right from the jump this book was Weird AF, but I had questions and was developing theories. Was the cat an alien, imaginary, a killer, all three? Does she know Salem from Sabrina??

Her owner Ted was just as weird and I couldn't figure out if he hired a sex worker for some weird cosplay, was he an incel, was he gay, was he cousins with Norman Bates??

Look, this book pushed me down a rabbit hole. I couldn't look away, I couldn't stop trying to crack the code, I loved it, I hate it, I wasn't even sure why I was reading it. But the twists, the reveals, the ending. It was 1000% worth my time and I would read the sequel if it was written.

Highly Recommend, Loved it, and Would watch the movie on opening night if ever made. 

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

 

Almost 10 years ago a group of young impulsive young friends entered sacred ground and took what they had no right to.  With the passing time Vengeance has laid in wait. And it's ready to take action. 

I knew this was going to be a good book. The casualties both human and not were unexpected, sad, and shocking. I wouldn't recommend this to any animal lovers. 

Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

 

For 70% of this book, I had no idea what was going on BUT I was super entertained. 

Damani is messy, funny, speaks without filter, is a bisexual wonder, and exudes main character energy. 

She's an NYC Uber driver that cares for her sick mother.  My favorite parts of this book were how she would just say whatever random shit that came to mind and when she would talk to herself in the mirror while flexing. She loves lifting weights and checking out her body. 

After the introduction of Jolene, a trust fund baby do gooder who has read an article on this and that and believes she's more qualified to take on the injustices of the world than the people who actually experience them I saw the plot. 

Jolene is a basic oblivious bitch. She's the type of person who hosts million-dollar fundraisers for the orphaned children overseas only giving 10% of what was raised and calls the cops on the children begging at the subway.  She's a young Karen and I just couldn't with her. And her actions cause Damani to lose her shit. 

The ending was great. Shout out to Micheal Douglas. IYKYK 

The Other Americans by Laila Lalami

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

 This is a thriller/mystery about a man who was killed in a hit and run and the reader gets to see the POV of everyone involved as well as past moments/words of the dead man.

His wife, daughter, the eyewitness who is too scared to come forward, the detective, a cop who isn't investigating the hit and run but keeps getting drawn in.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the multiple POVS of the many people this death impacted. The FMC Nora is the daughter of the victim, and she was literally the only person I didn't care for. With that said my dislike for her didn't take away from this story or my enjoyment.

I just side eyed her thoughts and actions more than once.

Very good read would make an excellent drama series or movie adaptation.

  

Ward D by Freida McFadden

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? Yes

3.0

 This is the first time a Freida book did not meet expectations. As always the plot twist, twisted but it wasn't that impressive or strong. Like literally Spider Dan was the only likeable character in this book.

This is a tv movie quality Freida book. 

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective 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

3.5

 

I want a third book. The first book in this duo was action packed, exciting, and kept me on the edge of my seat. The cliffhanger left me wanting more. 

This second book follows Jane and Catherine on their separate journeys crossing the zombie infested country both enroute to Sacramento. 

In comparison to the first book this second one was lacking. It missed the dynamic of the two women together and the adventure level was limited. 

We were introduced to several likable characters whose roles were short lived or limited. 

At 56% I had considered DNFing at 75% I was excited and believed with all my heart that there was no way this could be wrapped up and that all the personal growth and slowness in the book was a set up for a third.  Which to me made sense. There was soo much potential. 

While I am not happy with the haste that this book wrapped everything up. I will say it was incredibly entertaining. and I am glad I read it. I would 1000% recommend the first book in this series Dread Nation but I'm not so sure if this second one is a must read. 

The creativity, historical, and scientific aspects were much appreciated. I feel like this would be a very entertaining series if adapted. 

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5