booksonmars's reviews
645 reviews

The Golden Raven by Nora Sakavic

challenging dark emotional hopeful slow-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? No

5.0

what a sequel! thank goodness it wasn't as traumatic as the raven king. this was definitely more tender, but i think its because we are following a more vulnerable character: jean is adjusting to his new life at usc, away from the ravens and riko and everything it used to represent. he's becoming more aware of the abuse he suffered, and is coming to terms with its injustice. what jean goes through is multifaceted: there is the grief towards the ravens, towards the person he was forced to be, and there is also hate too. this book is him navigating through that. throughout the book you see him start to build relationships with his teammates and coach (coach rhemann i love you), while realising he has a support system that is there for him and his wellbeing. it was so heartwarming to see jean become an active member of the team, allowing them to help them and helping them in return. i particularly enjoyed his friendship with cody and tanner. 

the bonds he made with cat and laila truly become family in this book. i love them so bad. i love how fond and protective and loving they are of jean, and the fact that jean becomes more affectionate towards them had me in near tears. like that's family in law!! (fozes you are always first in my heart!! speaking of the kevjean moments in this book has me so fond of them; the way they both deal with their trauma is starkly different and i hope there are more healing moments with them in the third book.) 

this book has much more jeremy chapters, almost half, which helps in understanding his character more, making him more human. you do get to see behind the smile, and you can see how much this team means to him, how much he's there for his teammates. the jerejean moments had me gnawing at my fingernails the tension is so good but also the platonic love there is so?? jean being protective of jeremy, and witnessing it in jeremy's pov is so sweet.

nora please don't make us wait so long for the nezt book! reading this one has made me realise i absolutely love these characters and this unnecessarily violent fake lacrosse adjacent game that i will never understand and all the drama in between.  

Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide by Tahir Hamut Izgil

challenging emotional informative sad slow-paced

5.0

" In this life, perhaps it is my fate to leave those closest to me with no goodbyes."

this book gives a raw insight into the silenced genocide that has been happening in china and the insidious ways a culture and a people are being removed through means of stifling their way of life in the country. the author of this book is a poet, and by being a poet is a recorder of not just his culture's history but the stories of his friends in the literary world, and his familial neighbours too. the majority of the book outlines the harsh and dystopian treatment of uyghurs that is told so matter-of-factly despite its brutality. towards the end i really got swept into the author's bid for freedom that comes both with relief but also heartbreak from those he has left behind. one of those deeply necessary books to understand the world today and the people that still fight for justice.

The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes

3.0

a smooth combination of jazz, poetry and blackness where you could lose yourself to its rhythm seamlessly. some favourites are: cross, when she wears red, the negro speaks of rivers and proem. 

The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic

challenging dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

i cannot believe i left this unrated, especially because it was one of my favourite books of 2024! i'm writing it now after i've finished my re-read the day before the golden raven comes out, and where we begin with jean in this book hits even harder. in my reading journal i wrote that this a character study on him, how he wades through the aftermath of the king's men, and navigating this new world where he can, tentatively, dream of who he is outside of his past and outside of being a raven, of being someone's property. 

one of the reasons i didn't rate it higher was that there were many new characters, most of whom i didn't particularly like. but i appreciate the trojans more this time round, and i do see them being a place of comfort for jean. his relationship with jeremy is tenuous but refreshing, i think i'm rooting for their relationship to deepen but it doesn't have to be romantically! what i am excited for is finding out what is up with jeremy's background(?!), jean actually playing some exy and maybe more cameos of the foxes as well. but given how much of the raven king was an emotional rollercoaster, i am definitely preparing myself for some landslides. 

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

more days at the morisaki bookshop more sun drenched warmth more quaint neighbourhoods more friendly neighbourly faces more soft conversations in the autumn evenings more books more love!! 

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

the plot is very similar to the previous book, with the repetition of jace Going Through It and in consequence, clary as well. i did like the development in

her and jonathan’s relationship

, and clary’s character development; she’s more confident of her shadowhunter abilities. could not care less about maia/jordan plot, they truly weren’t doing anything with purpose. upon reread i’ve realised this is a very filler book, with stagnant characters and a trickling plot. 

Jazz by Toni Morrison

4.5

a literary masterpiece, almost like a ballad of the lives and minute emotions of the characters that reside within this book. i only wish i was in the headspace to appreciate it more, but i will definitely return to it.

Forest of Noise: Poems by Mosab Abu Toha

challenging emotional sad

5.0

unflinchingly paints the stark reality of palestinians today, of their families before them and their history between. there are too many favourites, but to list a few: my dreams as a child, request letter, and we are looking for palestine.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

lighthearted relaxing

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

this book makes you feel like a cat in a ghibli movie watching the comings and goings of this quiet neighbourhood in the drowsy turning of the seasons. life lessons were learned and characters were loved, i adored this book. 

Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

informative lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

the historical aspect of the book was more fleshed out than the romace, which isn't a bad thing! you could tell how much research the author put into 19th century mexican politics, which i appreciated. it did mean however, that the romace felt lacklustre at times, although i did find myself cheesing at times. but i'm a hopless romantic, i can get giggly over just about anything. both characters had strong personalities and development; in regards to ana maria, i liked seeing her come out of her shell, find courage to be herself, and mend her relationships with her sisters. the actual 'thriller' part of the plot doesn't really take place until the last hundred pages, and is sorted out quite quickly. all in all, aside from the political research, not much else was developed.