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biancarogers's reviews
903 reviews
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
5.0
Amal El-Mohtar’s The River Has Roots is a spellbinding novella that intertwines fairy tale wonder with the emotional gravity of familial love. Centered on sisters Ysabel and Esther Hawthorn, the story unfolds in the dreamy village of Thistleford, where the willow-lined River Liss borders a shimmering Faeryland. El-Mohtar’s prose is lush and lyrical, infused with folklore and magic, creating a world where the boundaries between the human and the fae blur. Love in many forms pulses through the narrative—between sisters, between humans, and non-binary fae beings who shift fluidly between states of being—rendering this brief tale emotionally expansive and profoundly affecting.
The audiobook edition, narrated by Gem Carmella, deepens the enchantment. Her soothing voice is complemented by soft music, song, and ambient sound effects that enhance the dreamlike atmosphere without overpowering it. The result is a rich sensory experience that draws the listener completely into El-Mohtar’s world. Despite its modest length, The River Has Roots carries remarkable emotional weight, offering a story of sisterhood, transformation, and love that endures beyond death. It’s a gentle, haunting, and wholly captivating journey—perfect for those who long for magic wrapped in intimacy.
The audiobook edition, narrated by Gem Carmella, deepens the enchantment. Her soothing voice is complemented by soft music, song, and ambient sound effects that enhance the dreamlike atmosphere without overpowering it. The result is a rich sensory experience that draws the listener completely into El-Mohtar’s world. Despite its modest length, The River Has Roots carries remarkable emotional weight, offering a story of sisterhood, transformation, and love that endures beyond death. It’s a gentle, haunting, and wholly captivating journey—perfect for those who long for magic wrapped in intimacy.
The World As We Knew It by Tajja Isen, Amy Brady
The World As We Knew It brings climate change into sharp relief through a striking collection of essays from renowned environmental writers. Rather than framing climate change as a distant or future crisis, these contributors explore its present realities and personal consequences, painting an intimate portrait of a world in flux. The essays range from reflective personal narratives to sharp analytical pieces, each adding depth to a larger, urgent conversation.
4.0
The World As We Knew It brings climate change into sharp relief through a striking collection of essays from renowned environmental writers. Rather than framing climate change as a distant or future crisis, these contributors explore its present realities and personal consequences, painting an intimate portrait of a world in flux. The essays range from reflective personal narratives to sharp analytical pieces, each adding depth to a larger, urgent conversation.
This anthology stands out for its balanced perspective—it avoids apocalyptic despair and unwarranted optimism. Instead, it encourages readers to engage deeply with the complexities of our ecological reality. Essays like Elizabeth Rush’s exploration of Antarctica highlight both pressing environmental threats and broader questions about humanity’s relationship with nature, consumption, and shared responsibility. By anchoring climate discourse in lived experience, the collection cultivates awareness and a sense of connection—one that can inspire readers to move beyond concern and toward meaningful action.
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry
5.0
In Black in Blues, Imani Perry explores the deep ties between the color blue and Black identity across the diaspora. Weaving history, culture, and personal narrative, she reveals how Black communities shaped not just the Blues but an entire cultural language around blue’s complexities. From indigo-dyed West African fabrics to the oceanic routes of the enslaved, Perry examines blue’s dual nature—both sacred and sorrowful. She traces indigo’s transformation from a revered symbol to a cash crop that fueled white wealth, exposing its entanglement with heritage and exploitation.
Blending historical research with poetic analysis, Perry explores blue’s presence in blues music, Hoodoo, and Black artistic expression, demonstrating how it embodies joy, grief, and resilience. More than a cultural study, Black in Blues is a testament to Black survival—how a color once tied to oppression became a symbol of power and pride.
Blending historical research with poetic analysis, Perry explores blue’s presence in blues music, Hoodoo, and Black artistic expression, demonstrating how it embodies joy, grief, and resilience. More than a cultural study, Black in Blues is a testament to Black survival—how a color once tied to oppression became a symbol of power and pride.
Isaac's Song by Daniel Black
4.0
Daniel Black’s Isaac’s Song is a powerful exploration of identity, family, and reconciliation, made even more compelling through JD Jackson’s masterful narration. Black’s prose is both direct and deeply introspective, delving into Isaac’s journey of self-discovery as he unpacks his complicated relationship with his deceased father in therapy. Jackson brings this emotional depth to life, seamlessly shifting between timelines and lending each character a distinct voice. His portrayal of Isaac is raw and vulnerable, while his measured delivery of the therapist’s wisdom adds gravitas to the story’s most introspective moments.
Together, Black and Jackson create an audiobook experience that is both intellectually rigorous and profoundly moving. Jackson’s nuanced performance enhances Black’s examination of religious trauma, internalized homophobia, and the challenges of navigating academic spaces, ensuring that Isaac’s Song resonates deeply with listeners confronting their own struggles with identity and belonging.
Together, Black and Jackson create an audiobook experience that is both intellectually rigorous and profoundly moving. Jackson’s nuanced performance enhances Black’s examination of religious trauma, internalized homophobia, and the challenges of navigating academic spaces, ensuring that Isaac’s Song resonates deeply with listeners confronting their own struggles with identity and belonging.
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán
3.0
Alia Trabucco Zerán’s Clean is a slow-burning psychological drama anchored by Estela, a cleaning lady whose unreliable narration blurs truth and perception. The novel adopts a García Márquez-inspired structure, revealing a death upfront before unraveling events in a long, winding flashback. The first half lingers on Estela’s employment with a wealthy Chilean couple. It tests the reader’s patience with its meandering pace, even as tension simmers beneath the surface, much like the domestic French thrillers it evokes.
But the novel’s gradual build pays off. As the second half unfolds, its scattered threads tighten into a sharp critique of Chilean class divides, with Estela’s shifting account exposing the tangled dynamics of privilege and complicity. While a more restrained approach could have made its impact sharper, Clean ultimately rewards perseverance—mirroring the overlooked labor and quiet resistance at the heart of its story.
But the novel’s gradual build pays off. As the second half unfolds, its scattered threads tighten into a sharp critique of Chilean class divides, with Estela’s shifting account exposing the tangled dynamics of privilege and complicity. While a more restrained approach could have made its impact sharper, Clean ultimately rewards perseverance—mirroring the overlooked labor and quiet resistance at the heart of its story.