cclift1114's reviews
1321 reviews

The Wishless Ones by Hafsah Faizal

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

This is the first Hafsah Faizal book that I didn’t absolutely love. I want to attribute it to the fact that she was writing about existing characters in was constrained by that. While I did find it interesting how she was tied in some of the elements from Aladdin into this book, and how she showed the parallels between Aladdin and Jafar, this book just did not do it for me. It felt like it was all over the place with the writing and with the way the characters acted. I’m just going to pretend this one doesn’t exist and will hope for a return to form with A Steeping of Blood. 

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

challenging dark tense medium-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

3.0

I’m of two minds when it comes to this book. I do think that the writing improved from the first one to this one, which I appreciated. I’m also glad that it addressed how rushed it was for Zetian to topple government at the end of the previous book. I think it was good to show that Zetian had a great deal of growing and learning to do in this book. It was disappointing to see that some of that “progress” on her part was actually justifying morally questionable actions, but I’m going to hope that she will start to see the error of those decisions in the third book. 

I think the hardest thing about this book is that it is almost completely unrelated to the first one. So any of the things that you might have liked in the first book are pretty much absent, aside from the push for feminism. I was so excited in the last one to have some representation for polyamory, but that is completely gone here, because of what happened to Shimin at the end of Iron Widow. If Shimin happened to be your favorite character, well, he is all but absent in this book. Did you like Yizhi’s character in the last one? Well, get ready for his entire character to be destroyed. The only hints at romance that we get are between Zetian and Qin Zheng, and their relationship is toxic as hell. I guess there’s some potential for the better relationships to be recovered in the third book, but I’m not going to hold my breath on that.

I also felt like the first book had more in interspersed action, where is this one is so focused on the politics and the revolution that it drags for about the first 75% of the book. It was somewhat interesting to see how a revolution like this would happen, but it felt like too much. There are a few battles that happen earlier on, but there isn’t much excitement to them. It is only in the final confrontation that any significant tension due to action in the book happens.

I am still curious about where things might go, so I will give the next book a chance, especially because I do appreciate Xiran Jay Zhao as a person, as well as the messaging in the acknowledgments. 

On Freedom by Timothy Snyder

challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Through history philosophy, and personal anecdotes, Snyder explores the concept that many of us believe in a freedom from something, which is negative freedom. Snyder posits that there are five key characteristics of true freedom, those being sovereignty, unpredictability, mobility, factuality and solidarity. I found his arguments reasonable and sound and appreciated the hopeful overall tone. I do worry, though, that many of the things he warns against have come to pass in just the last two weeks of the current presidency. 

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

Wow, this book is decidedly feminist and feels especially pointed for the times we are in right now. Set in 1970, this book is all about choices, especially the impossible choices left to pregnant girls before Roe v. Wade. It was so interesting since some of the most gruesome “horror” descriptions from this horror book are centered around childbirth. And yet, the book does not paint a wholly negative picture of this experience, as these girls ultimately would have wanted to keep their babies had that option been viable to them. It was also intriguing that the cast of this book is made up almost entirely of women, with the few men being almost completely absent, even though their actions have had indelible ramifications in the lives of the women. 

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

This book had a lot of valuable information about the cyclical nature of societies going through more liberal times and swinging back towards authoritarianism. I appreciated how it covered several different countries and what has led to their current state. There was some awkwardness with the writing, and I don’t think it would be quite as accessible to your average reader who isn’t more in tuned with current politics worldwide, but overall it is a worthwhile lesson, especially at the current moment here in the United States. 

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

challenging informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

In this very short book, the author offers a clear and concise argument for exactly what is espoused in the title. Through personal anecdotes of her own experiences in Nigeria as well as the experiences of her friends, she shows the ways in which women and men are negatively affected by the patriarchy. While her perspective is that of a Nigerian women, the book is relatable for everyone because these themes are true across the world. 

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

3.5

I really appreciated the mix of the magical and the technological in this book. I thought it was an interesting treatment of colonialism and its effects. I also appreciated all of the positive representation of minority groups, whether those be racial minorities or the LGBTQIA community. I do think that Cole may have been a bit ambitious with how much ground to cover in this book, both from a world building and plot standpoint. 

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book left me speechless and made me feel all of the emotions. I had to keep stopping because I was afraid of what was going to come next. The whole thing was such a rollercoaster, with so many ups and downs, and twists and turns. I wanted the best for Patch and Saint and was continuously afraid of them not getting it. I still don’t fully know how to feel about this book, other than that the hype is very much merited, with everything being written so beautifully. Also, Sammie is the type of side character I live for. 

Longshadow by Olivia Atwater

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed coming back to this world in this book, especially with having more from Dora and Elias, this time as the parents of our heroine. I liked the queer representation and the twist at the end. I did it first find some of the interactions, especially between Hugh and Abigail, to be on the juvenile side, but then I actually started to appreciate it, because he is an actual child and Abigail is only recently not a literal child. Nevertheless, this book just didn’t hook me in the same way that the first book did. 

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.0

Well that was a wild ride. I think we all have the right to sue Rebecca Yarros for emotional damage after this one. I thought the first two books left off in unfair places, but this one takes the cake.

I will say this book was a bit much, from the amount of characters to the places they went to the different side plots and quests. It was a tad excessive, so I ended up just letting things wash over me eventually.