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catlandia91's reviews
551 reviews
Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Drug abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, War, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Racism
Minor: Toxic relationship and Physical abuse
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
There is so much to like about this book-- the setting is unique, the world is fairly well-developed, the story itself is very intriguing, and even the characters show a lot of promise. The structure of the narrative was pretty cool, I liked the back and forth time jumps a lot. I really loved Xiala, she is a feisty, queer sailor woman with since self-destructive tendencies. Serapio and Naranpa feel pretty filled out as characters. Okoa was the only narrator that felt a little underdeveloped, but I think he'll get more time in the next book.
The story unfolds at a steady pace, but this is definitely the first book of the series -- the cliffhanger at the end makes this a little dissatisfying, but only in the way that I want to jump into the second book immediately.
Overall, this pre-Columbian inspired fantasy is a winner!
The story unfolds at a steady pace, but this is definitely the first book of the series -- the cliffhanger at the end makes this a little dissatisfying, but only in the way that I want to jump into the second book immediately.
Overall, this pre-Columbian inspired fantasy is a winner!
The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine by Jen Gunter
challenging
funny
informative
slow-paced
4.5
Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Rape, and Physical abuse
Under Capitalism If Your Head Aches They Just Yank Off Your Head by Ariel Francisco
5.0
As always, Ariel wrote a fantastic collection. Ariel has always been able to strike a balance between imagery, heavy concepts, accessible poetic language, and a distinct voice. Many of these poems deal with family and their history in different countries, and these are among my favorites. There's a level of intimacy that makes these especially strong in an already amazing collection.
Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
I really had a fun time with this collection. I thought the short story and the second novella were the most interesting and engaging. They filled in some of the things I was missing from the first installment. The third novella was interesting, but definitely jam packed. I liked the character of Binti a lot, her willingness to grow and change on so many levels created such a unique world and vibrant stories.
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Sierra is a high school student who becomes involved in a world of spirits and power, but she must stop the person who is trying to take her family's legacy.
This story was a blast! I thought Sierra was fleshed out nicely for a fairly quick read. The shadowshaping was unique and perfect for this world, I'm interested to see how things evolve in the later books. The antagonist's attempt to take over another culture's spiritual practice for power and thoughtless curiosity is also a good basis for conflict.
The other characters were fun, but some of them would have benefitted from more involvement in the story. For example, I wanted to see more interaction with Juan, Sierra's brother, in the second half of the book. It seemed like he faded into the background after the concert chapter, even though he was involved in the fight towards the end.
Nevertheless, I recommend this compelling YA read.
This story was a blast! I thought Sierra was fleshed out nicely for a fairly quick read. The shadowshaping was unique and perfect for this world, I'm interested to see how things evolve in the later books. The antagonist's attempt to take over another culture's spiritual practice for power and thoughtless curiosity is also a good basis for conflict.
The other characters were fun, but some of them would have benefitted from more involvement in the story. For example, I wanted to see more interaction with Juan, Sierra's brother, in the second half of the book. It seemed like he faded into the background after the concert chapter, even though he was involved in the fight towards the end.
Nevertheless, I recommend this compelling YA read.
Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
This was a great read-- I enjoy seeing familiar themes from Butler's other works and new ideas I wish we could have seen more of. Octavia was taken from us too soon, but her work is as prescient now as it was when she wrote it
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr., E.B. White
informative
3.0
It's hard to really rate this book, but I'll stick with 3 stars. There's a lot of helpful advice for writers that is mostly relevant to modern readers. Reading this really reminds me of how lackluster my English education was-- I am unfamiliar with some of the technical grammar terms, so that made some of the guidance hard to understand. I did appreciate the glossary in the back for this exact reason.
While I did not agree with some of the guidance offered by Strunk, I appreciated the brief and snappy format of the rules.
As for my issues-- while some of the examples helped illustrate a point, others were bad. Some of the "bad" examples were convoluted messes that might not help the reader recognize more natural mistakes and errors in their own and others' writing. Other examples would greatly benefit from a breakdown of what's right/wrong or what makes one sentence better than the other sentence.
The evolution of language makes some of this guidance feel obsolete or fussy, but I still learned quite a bit.
White's chapter on style made excellent points, but I think it could have been shorter. Nevertheless, this is a great jumping off point for all writers.
While I did not agree with some of the guidance offered by Strunk, I appreciated the brief and snappy format of the rules.
As for my issues-- while some of the examples helped illustrate a point, others were bad. Some of the "bad" examples were convoluted messes that might not help the reader recognize more natural mistakes and errors in their own and others' writing. Other examples would greatly benefit from a breakdown of what's right/wrong or what makes one sentence better than the other sentence.
The evolution of language makes some of this guidance feel obsolete or fussy, but I still learned quite a bit.
White's chapter on style made excellent points, but I think it could have been shorter. Nevertheless, this is a great jumping off point for all writers.
Finna by Nino Cipri
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? Yes
4.0
This was a touching, funny, and creepy sci-fi romp in an IKEA-esque store that just happens to have wormholes pop up. Ava and Jules, workers at LitenVärld, have just broken up and are forced to go on a multidimensional rescue mission together. This was a lot of fun!