catalyst226's reviews
199 reviews

We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson

5.0

This read like a dissertation in the best way. The author takes care in laying out her thesis and sharing a perfect balance of personal anecdotes, historical context, and connections between topics.

I really enjoyed how much this book is making me think about the history of revolution within Black communities and how it can inform our actions in what continues to be trying times.

Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi

adventurous mysterious 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? No

4.0

Starting out this review incredibly similarly to my review of book one because I have similar opinions. I liked this book and enjoy this series and am but a humble critic.

This definitely has middle book syndrome in that it feels primarily like a setup for the final act of the trilogy. Many of the plots were not major and needed to be resolved quickly or within this novel. That or they specifically were setting up for book three.

That being said, I like the new lore revelation about humans, obeah, Alder, etc - although the pacing was very rushed on this discovery as a bit of a wrap up/cliffhanger to this entry in the series. Book three I'm sure will be pretty satisfying in terms of plot!

Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden by Camille T. Dungy

informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

This memoir was a deep dive into the intersections of environmentalism, motherhood, and race to state a few themes. It took me a while to get through between library holds but it's definitely inspiring in the interest of being a casual gardener.

A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories by Mariana Enríquez

dark mysterious

3.0

A chilling set of short stories translated into English. These stories did not shy away from dark topics and had a lot of range in said topics. My favorite was "Metamorphosis" as it hit on some of my personal interests in body modification.

Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America by Laila Lalami

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I will be recommending this book to EVERYONE. I didn't expect it to be so intersectional and it's a great informational deep dive on topics like feminism, suffrage, class solidarity, voter rights, as well as citizenship.

Chosen by Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I remember reading this as a teenager and being weirded out by the Zoey- Loren relationship and it reads even worse now. Straight up grooming behavior. Also, this entire series has taken place in about 2 months. These friendships are hellishly surface-level. The characters feel like plot devices with no concrete personalities that change on a whim (especially Neferet).

Bruh. Loren grooms Zoey, is her first sexual partner, imprints with her, and dies all in the span of an evening...

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

emotional reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This felt like a chill soap opera but no one was angry enough with Henry for leaving Ebby at the altar for my taste - with the exception of a single slap far too late in the story.

The story jumped through timelines and POV characters quite a bit but it never felt... jarring. I'll see myself out. There was quite a bit about slavery in the United States, the death of a family member, and discussions of trauma but never anything too in depth that it would turn you away with any of those topics.

I'd recommend if you like light drama and history.

The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A look into a past adventure featuring Nightingale in New York.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

The writing style and characters didn't catch my attention.

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

adventurous dark mysterious medium-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? Yes

5.0

This absolutely scratched every itch I had for a good vampire novel. I loved the take on vampire mythos and integration of West African aspects as well. It was quite gorey and violent as well.

The plot jumped around quite a bit before settling into a rhythm and it was hard to tell who the antagonist actually was until about 75% in but that made for a very intriguing read in my opinion.