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bisexualwentworth's reviews
753 reviews
The Color of Revenge by Cornelia Funke
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Inkheart was one of my most formative reads as a child, and the whole series was very important to me (though the romance in book three pissed me off as a Meggie/Farid shipper and diehard hater of endgame love interests and major villains being introduced in the last installment of a series). I was thrilled when I saw that there was a new book set in the same world.
Ultimately, The Color of Revenge was fine. It's a one-off book with a plot mostly centered around Dustfinger, though Dustfinger does very little and has no real character development. The real character development belongs to the Black Prince (I'm not gonna spoil anything cause I legitimately recommend reading this book just for his story) and somewhat to Orpheus, who is the primary antagonist. There are some evil women and there's also a fun lesbian (yay!), but this book is overall pretty focused on the adult man characters.
Overall, glad to have spent time in this world again, and it's definitely better than other unasked-for continuations of middle grade faves I've read recently (looking at you, Rick Riordan), but overall not something I think you need to read and definitely not Cornelia Funke's best.
Ultimately, The Color of Revenge was fine. It's a one-off book with a plot mostly centered around Dustfinger, though Dustfinger does very little and has no real character development. The real character development belongs to the Black Prince (I'm not gonna spoil anything cause I legitimately recommend reading this book just for his story) and somewhat to Orpheus, who is the primary antagonist. There are some evil women and there's also a fun lesbian (yay!), but this book is overall pretty focused on the adult man characters.
Overall, glad to have spent time in this world again, and it's definitely better than other unasked-for continuations of middle grade faves I've read recently (looking at you, Rick Riordan), but overall not something I think you need to read and definitely not Cornelia Funke's best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Violence
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
I really don't know how to feel about this book. It did a lot that I really liked. I also majorly struggled with the Keiko/Shiraha dynamic (more than we were already supposed to) because it hit way too close to home as an autistic misogyny-affected person who had a relationship with a deeply horrible and misogynist autistic man. I did ultimately love Keiko's arc, and the writing style really really worked for me. Overall, I would definitely recommend this odd little book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Classism
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Absolutely wild ride. Chaotic and fun and queer and mystery-filled. I gasped at several points. I'm fully hooked on the series now. I did get kinda bogged down a couple times, but the entire ending section had me locked in and screaming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
Incredible braided memoir. Very glad I read it, despite the Sherman Alexie of it all.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
- 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
5.0
I adored this book. It had maybe the best worldbuilding of any contemporary fantasy I've ever read. I loved the characters. I loved the way that Darcie Little Badger integrated the many different lore/magic systems. The vampires were especially compelling, especially when put in contact with the indigenous people of the land they were occupying. Kirby is best ghost dog. I will be reading everything this author writes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Racism, Blood, and Colonisation
The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
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? Yes
5.0
One of the best books I've read this year, maybe even one of my new all-time favorites. With The Maid and the Crocodile, Jordan Ifueko has cemented her place as perhaps the best current writer of YA fantasy. She is phenomenal, and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.
Small Sade is a teenage girl living in Oluwan City, ten years after the events of Redemptor. Her time at the orphanage has come to an end, and she is sent out to figure things out for herself. She seeks work as a maid and spirit cleaner for anyone looking to hire. She quickly finds herself involved with a mysterious figure called the Crocodile (if you've read Redemptor, you will know who this person is almost immediately, but this book can easily be read as a standalone). She gets a job at an inn and finds herself making friends and finding her place in the world--before, of course, things shift around again.
Small Sade is an incredible central character and narrator. The entire narrative plays out as a story she is telling to someone in-universe, and oral storytelling plays a major part in the story as a whole. Sade starts the story as small as she can be, in every way, and Ifueko shows us exactly how she got so small and what is needed for her to get bigger.
The Crocodile is a revolutionary from a privileged background, and his theory bro tendencies, good intentions, and incompetence with all things practical form an incredible contrast to Sade (and other working-class characters in the novel).
Jordan Ifueko weaves together a brilliant story about storytelling, belonging, class, gender, family, mothers and daughters, and so much more in this beautiful little novel. Despite some heavy content and themes, I would still recommend this novel to fans of more layered cozy fantasies like Howl's Moving Castle as well as fans of literally anything Tamora Pierce. Please read it.
Small Sade is a teenage girl living in Oluwan City, ten years after the events of Redemptor. Her time at the orphanage has come to an end, and she is sent out to figure things out for herself. She seeks work as a maid and spirit cleaner for anyone looking to hire. She quickly finds herself involved with a mysterious figure called the Crocodile (if you've read Redemptor, you will know who this person is almost immediately, but this book can easily be read as a standalone). She gets a job at an inn and finds herself making friends and finding her place in the world--before, of course, things shift around again.
Small Sade is an incredible central character and narrator. The entire narrative plays out as a story she is telling to someone in-universe, and oral storytelling plays a major part in the story as a whole. Sade starts the story as small as she can be, in every way, and Ifueko shows us exactly how she got so small and what is needed for her to get bigger.
The Crocodile is a revolutionary from a privileged background, and his theory bro tendencies, good intentions, and incompetence with all things practical form an incredible contrast to Sade (and other working-class characters in the novel).
Jordan Ifueko weaves together a brilliant story about storytelling, belonging, class, gender, family, mothers and daughters, and so much more in this beautiful little novel. Despite some heavy content and themes, I would still recommend this novel to fans of more layered cozy fantasies like Howl's Moving Castle as well as fans of literally anything Tamora Pierce. Please read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I read this shortly after Camp Damascus so kind of can't help but compare them. Bury Your Gays was MUCH stronger in the character department (I loved/hated the supporting characters and antagonists), and I also loved the plot, themes, and worldbuilding (by which I mostly mean where the monsters came from). I understand the choice to include the scenes that were written in screenplay format, but unfortunately they didn't quite work for me. I think the idea has legs, but the execution wasn't quite it. The resolution also didn't quite work for me, but otherwise I very much enjoyed the book and got a lot out of it. I would highly recommended to any queer writers/film workers/TV fans.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, and Homophobia
Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Unfortunately this is my least favorite Aiden Thomas book. I still enjoyed the prose and the characters, but something was off with the plot, and the holes in the worldbuilding really shone through in a way they didn't in The Sunbearer Trials. I was also expecting a very different romantic subplot for Niya than the one we got, and it felt like missed potential. Still satisfying and enjoyable overall.
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wish I liked this book, but unfortunately, it really didn’t work for me. The pacing was weird. The stakes didn’t quite line up. The main character felt unrealistically ignorant and slow on the uptake, which made me feel like I was reading a lower middle grade book rather than an upper YA one. Lots of good elements here, some of which I really enjoyed, but I don’t think this author is for me.
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings
5.0
Excellent look at the evolution of fatphobia in the West over the past 500 or so years, particularly the ways in which it was born from and intersects with slavery, anti-Blackness, and misogynoir. Sabrina Strings draws a thread through Renaissance art, eugenics, health fads, and more to give a complete picture of where our current societal attitudes toward fatness came from. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in history.