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bloop's Reviews (102)
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
By far one of the best books I've read this year; I'm so glad I picked this up despite being hesitant about the dense language and limited historical knowledge I have of Mid-19th Century England. I always have qualms about the pacing of books and to me, I don't think there was any reason that Babel should have been longer than 400 pages. A lot of unnecessary fluff could have been cut out but pacing isn't a super huge negative for me unless it's very egregious. It's been a while since I've picked up a fantasy novel, and one that makes important commentary about history at that. R.F. Kuang definitely succeeded in sucking me into the world of silver-working and translation; the latter being something I never really gave a second thought to. Throughout the novel, Kuang makes thought-provoking commentary about white supremacy, racism, colonialism, and imperialism by effectively unraveling the very meat of it. Although the novel is very staunchly in opposition to these aforementioned ideas, Kuang does her best to showcase the ideas of the past and flesh out why these notions are wholly incorrect through several characters' actions. I do agree with other reviewers in that Kuang was very blatant about her commentary (very tell not show) but I honestly feel like I'm one of those that needs the guidance to come to the conclusions she wants us to - this novel is great for people that aren't super knowledgeable in these systems and parses it down in an intelligible yet challenging way that makes it still an accomplishment to read and understand. Will be recommending this book to all my friends.
Edit: I also want to point something out about the title of the book that may or may not be spoiler so if you don't want to take the risk I would advise against reading my review further. The full title of the novel (Babel: or, the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution) is in itself, an encapsulating theme of the book. This book tells the story from the revolutionary side - but why is it arcane? It's because the revolution was most likely lost to white supremacy, and we all know that history is written by the winners. A brilliant message just in the title. Kuang is a genius. ARCANE! Amazing.
Edit: I also want to point something out about the title of the book that may or may not be spoiler so if you don't want to take the risk I would advise against reading my review further.
there were a lot of interesting topics to be covered, to be honest. however, the rambling nature of the book didn’t keep my attention. it probably would’ve fared better for me if i listened to its audiobook equivalent (but then again i don’t like podcasts so im sure i would feel the same way about audiobooks)
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The School for Good Mothers was a very interesting concept that I think could have been executed better. Although very thought-provoking, much of my criticism lies within how long the story was. A lot of events that happened in the school felt repetitive and unnecessary. One that comes to mind is when Chan graphically described the teenage dolls having "sex." It was an unimportant detail that did not need to be explored, and I honestly was super uncomfortable because although they were robots, they're still minors. Can't tell if that's the chronically online speaking but I imagine others felt similarly. I felt like sometimes a plotline or event stopped so abruptly, jumping to the next point of the story; I got confused and had to reread a couple times to make sure I wasn't missing anything.
Jessamine Chan highlights vital shortcomings tied to the very identity of America - disproportionate incarceration of POC, the state being upheld by the patriarchy, etc. - and makes important commentary in a unique way. Overall, I liked TSGM but would not recommend it to others unless they were specifically looking for a novel with similar themes.
Edit: Upon further consideration, this novel seems like one of those books that is begging to be adapted into a TV series. Like it was written for the purpose of being a TV show instead of as a novel to read. Don't ask me how but I just get that vibe... Still doesn't change my rating but something worth noting.
Jessamine Chan highlights vital shortcomings tied to the very identity of America - disproportionate incarceration of POC, the state being upheld by the patriarchy, etc. - and makes important commentary in a unique way. Overall, I liked TSGM but would not recommend it to others unless they were specifically looking for a novel with similar themes.
Edit: Upon further consideration, this novel seems like one of those books that is begging to be adapted into a TV series. Like it was written for the purpose of being a TV show instead of as a novel to read. Don't ask me how but I just get that vibe... Still doesn't change my rating but something worth noting.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't like the discourse about how Taylor Jenkins Reid is doing nothing new in her new release, Carrie Soto is Back. She doesn't have to subvert expectations when our expectations for her are already high, and Jenkins Reid always hits the mark. No need to fix something that isn't broken.
Although I liked Malibu Rising better than this book, I rated it a quarter star higher simply because I sped through this in 4 hours. It was so engrossing; I just couldn't put it down. (I paid for it at work the next day though because I went to bed at 1AM.) I love sports documentaries, and this honestly read like a Netflix sports documentary (think: "The Last Dance" or "The Redeem Team"). Although I knew little about tennis, this didn't stop me from enjoying the book, even through the superfluous tennis jargon. I was always on the edge of my seat reading about the various matches that Carrie was playing.
Additionally, I really liked how the chapters were short and sweet. This contributed to the book keeping my rapt attention and how fast I read it. I felt super immersed in the little universe that Jenkins Reid had created and was sad when it ended.
It's not often that I get to read a book with an unlikeable protagonist, but I loved her. She reminds me of Korra from "The Legend of Korra," and a lot of the criticism that both characters are receiving due to their harsh, unapologetic personalities are so similar. Now, I loved Korra, and even found myself relating to her tendencies at times, so you can imagine why I love Carrie.
This book has a romance subplot which was cute, but not the most well-developed. That's fine though, as it wasn't the main focus of the story. Yes, this was a book about tennis, but it was so much more than that. It was a book on grit, determination, grief, resilience of the human spirit, and humility. 100000% would recommend.
Although I liked Malibu Rising better than this book, I rated it a quarter star higher simply because I sped through this in 4 hours. It was so engrossing; I just couldn't put it down. (I paid for it at work the next day though because I went to bed at 1AM.) I love sports documentaries, and this honestly read like a Netflix sports documentary (think: "The Last Dance" or "The Redeem Team"). Although I knew little about tennis, this didn't stop me from enjoying the book, even through the superfluous tennis jargon. I was always on the edge of my seat reading about the various matches that Carrie was playing.
Additionally, I really liked how the chapters were short and sweet. This contributed to the book keeping my rapt attention and how fast I read it. I felt super immersed in the little universe that Jenkins Reid had created and was sad when it ended.
It's not often that I get to read a book with an unlikeable protagonist, but I loved her. She reminds me of Korra from "The Legend of Korra," and a lot of the criticism that both characters are receiving due to their harsh, unapologetic personalities are so similar. Now, I loved Korra, and even found myself relating to her tendencies at times, so you can imagine why I love Carrie.
This book has a romance subplot which was cute, but not the most well-developed. That's fine though, as it wasn't the main focus of the story. Yes, this was a book about tennis, but it was so much more than that. It was a book on grit, determination, grief, resilience of the human spirit, and humility. 100000% would recommend.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
Starting off 2023 with a bang! This book has been sitting in my TBR list for a long time, and I was finally ready to tackle A Man Called Ove on New Year's Day. I only have good things to say about this novel. The way Fredrik Backman writes about humans doing human things is so mundane and yet written with so much thought and intent. He certainly has a knack for conjuring up the most visceral feelings writing about the most plain, everyday things. Truly the moments that made me tear up the most were when Ove was reflecting on his recently passed wife and how despite how his wife was pretty much the opposite of him, he needed that balance in his life to feel like he was living. Perhaps I was projecting a bit onto this book because the relationship between Ove and his wife really reminds me of my current relationship with my boyfriend. Each character is charming in their own way (well with the exception of the white suits and the Blond Weed) and it was a joy to be able to learn about their backstories. This is definitely a book that I will remember for a while. It is a beautiful and accessible read that I won't stop recommending!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide attempt
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I have a love-hate relationship with this book. While it is a carbon copy of The Love Hypothesis with minor details changed around, it was still entertaining to read. I thought the pacing was pretty good, and Hazelwood nailed the stupid politics of academia. However, as many other readers have pointed out, the whole book hinges on the miscommunication trope. It's tired and boring. I also HATE how millennial the humor was. I guess the characters were around millennial age, but it was still bleh to me. For instance, the excessive ™ phrases. I already returned this book to the library, but if I still had it, I would be able to write so many cringey examples in here, I just can't think of many off the top of my head right now. Furthermore, the last act seemed sooo over-the-top dramatic. Like really? Where did the gun even come from? It just doesn't seem believable to me that someone would want to kill another person over BLINK I also don't think that the spicy scenes hit as hard in this book compared to in The Love Hypothesis. It was a perfectly fine book overall, but nothing more unfortunately. Still, I'm looking forward to reading more of Ali Hazelwood's books. I just hope she shakes it up a bit in regards to characters; academia setting is obviously her niche and I have no problem with that ofc.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This book was such a jumpscare but in the best way. Let's just say I wasn't expecting the level of smut given the really cutesy cover. I actually think the characters were quite well-developed and I enjoyed reading this book a lot! Yes, of course, the smut dialogue is a bit cringey at times but that's just the double-edged sword you tend to encounter when you read spicy books like this. It was grumpy-sunshine love story to a tee, and I absolutely loved it.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
The Stand-In was a cute, fun read, and it was nice to have Asian characters at the forefront. We've seen tropes like this a million times before (think: "Monte Carlo" or "The Princess Switch"), so Lily Chu does not do anything new with this storyline, nor does she really attempt to. It was a sweet book but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone. It felt like a YA novel, and I didn't particularly care for any of the main characters. It is what it is.
funny
informative
lighthearted
I picked up this book because it was raved about on social media, and to my surprise, it was written by my old biology professor’s daughter. Super interesting to see my professor in a lens other than academic. In terms of the actual content of the book, I learned a lot, but it still felt repetitive and unnecessarily long. Literally got me skimming through some parts. Not a read that one can binge because of this fact, and I was actually stuck in a reading rut because of it.
I’m sure that this would have been a very rewarding book to read. Unfortunately it was too slow to hook me in, and I have other books to read that I checked out from the library. Maybe I will try this again on less of a time crunch lol