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bookish_afrolatina's reviews
371 reviews
Marriage & Masti by Nisha Sharma
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-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
5.0
*squeal* This was a wonderful conclusion to the If Shakespeare Were an Auntie series! I loved Veera's intelligence, sense of style, and ability to embrace her emotions when it matters most. Deepak was definitely giving epic romantic lead, too. His dedication to her was intensely satisfying and I love that they had their friends input all along the way. It can be hard to meaningfully discuss strained familial relationships within cultures that value family above all else but I think Nisha Sharma did so perfectly. That topic is touchy in my culture (Caribbean/Latinx), too.
This book was the perfect mixture of romance, culture, family drama, and finding oneself. I highly recommend the entire series!
This book was the perfect mixture of romance, culture, family drama, and finding oneself. I highly recommend the entire series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Gaslighting
Daydreamer by Rob Cameron
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A fantastical story that tackles hard topics!
Thank you to Rob Cameron for sending me a copy of your book in exchange for an honest review.
Daydreamer is about a sweet, misunderstood, Black boy named Charles growing up in New York in 1986. Charles seems to have undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia. He lives with his mom, a single parent who has a demanding work schedule at a local hospital. As the title implies, Charles has an active imagination and often gets in trouble for it. During this time, crack cocaine is devastating many people in the city and Charles's community becomes increasingly dangerous.
As Cameron states in his message at the beginning of Daydreamer, this novel depicts addiction, violence, verbal and physical abuse if a child, and references to death. Since there are a lot of heavy themes throughout this story, we see that Charles frequently escapes into his fantasy world which makes complete sense to me. I think that Cameron did a great job with approaching this material through a child's eyes!
It took me a while to get through this book for a few different reasons, one of them being that I'm easily distracted and that gets worse when I'm in my feelings! So if you have ADHD, like me, I recommend you listen and read the physical copy together.
Thank you to Rob Cameron for sending me a copy of your book in exchange for an honest review.
Daydreamer is about a sweet, misunderstood, Black boy named Charles growing up in New York in 1986. Charles seems to have undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia. He lives with his mom, a single parent who has a demanding work schedule at a local hospital. As the title implies, Charles has an active imagination and often gets in trouble for it. During this time, crack cocaine is devastating many people in the city and Charles's community becomes increasingly dangerous.
As Cameron states in his message at the beginning of Daydreamer, this novel depicts addiction, violence, verbal and physical abuse if a child, and references to death. Since there are a lot of heavy themes throughout this story, we see that Charles frequently escapes into his fantasy world which makes complete sense to me. I think that Cameron did a great job with approaching this material through a child's eyes!
It took me a while to get through this book for a few different reasons, one of them being that I'm easily distracted and that gets worse when I'm in my feelings! So if you have ADHD, like me, I recommend you listen and read the physical copy together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, and Drug abuse
Minor: Gun violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Creative world-building and lovable characters! There were also plenty of twists. My only issues with this book are that I felt like I didn’t get enough character building for much of La Sirena Negra’s crew and this book could have been split into two books. It felt long and felt like non-stop action sometimes which kind of desensitized me.
Hathor and the Prince by J.J. McAvoy
dark
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was super entertaining, as the first two books were, but I was a little disappointed with the ending.
I was hoping it would cover Hathor having a public wedding with the Prince in front of the Ton who had spent so long talking shit.
I was hoping it would cover Hathor having a public wedding with the Prince in front of the Ton who had spent so long talking shit.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a really intriguing book! I watched the show first, just because I knew that it wouldn’t be as detailed as the novel. The show left me on a cliffhanger, so I decided not to wait for the next season. I needed answers!!
Anyway, I think that the story is really well done. I just found it confusing a few times because there were times when I thought the format was a little confusing. Mostly because I kept expecting the flashbacks to only be from Eleanor’s perspective as she was the one telling the story on the recording. So when it jumped to other characters whose stories she could not have known yet, I had to pause.
Aside from that, I was very wrapped up in this book. I’m actually kind of sad to leave Covey behind.
I definitely recommend y’all read this, especially the audiobook!
Anyway, I think that the story is really well done. I just found it confusing a few times because there were times when I thought the format was a little confusing. Mostly because I kept expecting the flashbacks to only be from Eleanor’s perspective as she was the one telling the story on the recording. So when it jumped to other characters whose stories she could not have known yet, I had to pause.
Aside from that, I was very wrapped up in this book. I’m actually kind of sad to leave Covey behind.
I definitely recommend y’all read this, especially the audiobook!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Biphobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This was an incredibly personal and yet measured and succinct book on Palestinian struggles since 1917. I learned so much about the creation of Israel, the failings of past Palestinian freedom movements, and the current state of affairs.
Khalidi’s conclusion is powerful and offers ways to move towards peace.
Khalidi’s conclusion is powerful and offers ways to move towards peace.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Super informative and funny! Schrefer also did a good job of arguing why it's important to understand the natural world and the implications that the diversity of animal sexuality have on our acceptance/understandings of human sexuality and morality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This short story is split between 1949 and the present but the parallels are haunting. Shibli handles the experiences with care despite how painful a lot of the content is. While the descriptions of the events on the page don’t seem emotionally charged, I couldn’t help but empathize with the women in part 1 and part 2. This book will sit with me for a long time.
If you don’t know much about the landscape of Palestine and Israel, i.e. the checkpoints, I highly recommend you read this.
If you don’t know much about the landscape of Palestine and Israel, i.e. the checkpoints, I highly recommend you read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape
A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Mind of My Mind by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0