bookish_calirican's reviews
476 reviews

American Negra: A Memoir by Natasha S. Alford

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emotional funny hopeful informative fast-paced

5.0

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

There were too many moments where something unbelievable happens, and it feels very convenient -- like a deus ex machina situation -- that gets explained at a later time. It's supposed to come off as an amazing revelation when you finally know why the events unfolded the way they did. but I just felt cheated. The events came off as gimmicky.

Although Liyen and Zhangwei go through quite an adventure together, I don't think I got to see enough of their relationship develop on page to feel invested in it. These intense feelings (at first) seem to come out of nowhere, and even when I finally understood to deeper context as the story progressed, it again didn't feel like a satisfying explanation.

I loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior, so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately for me it fell short of my expectations.

All Water Has Perfect Memory by Nada Samih-Rotondo

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced

4.75

Flirting With Disaster by Naina Kumar

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I loved many things about this book, about the characters. I even teared up and was on the verge of crying! Nikhil made me swoon, and I found some aspects of Meena’s character annoying. But I appreciate the fact that she was flawed and seemed like a real person.

Kumar is 2 for 2 in my book, and I can’t wait to see what comes out from her in the future 🩵

Shallow Waters: A Novel by Anita Kopacz

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced