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cherylwav's reviews
130 reviews
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I finally finished “An Education in Malice” and as expected I immediately felt drawn to S.T. Gibson’s writing. Being the follow up to “A Dowry of Blood” sure ain’t easy, but AEIM doesn’t have to hide as a fantastic sapphic vampire romance.
There were two things that bothered me a little, first of the lack of academia setting in a dark academia novel. It’s probably not easy to impress someone when they read Babel before, but I really wished for a little bite more detail on the academia setting, a little more description on the school and life as a student in this particular setting. The second thing is the pacing which is suddenly a little off in the last quarter of the book and takes away the tension and anticipation that was so carefully built.
Nevertheless I cannot wait to indulge in S.T. Gibson’s next novel which is already waiting on my shelf, because nobody does tragic and toxic love dipped into gothic settings as she does.
There were two things that bothered me a little, first of the lack of academia setting in a dark academia novel. It’s probably not easy to impress someone when they read Babel before, but I really wished for a little bite more detail on the academia setting, a little more description on the school and life as a student in this particular setting. The second thing is the pacing which is suddenly a little off in the last quarter of the book and takes away the tension and anticipation that was so carefully built.
Nevertheless I cannot wait to indulge in S.T. Gibson’s next novel which is already waiting on my shelf, because nobody does tragic and toxic love dipped into gothic settings as she does.
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Robin Brooks
4.0
rating for the audio play only. not the book.
decided to listen to it for and before going on with An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
decided to listen to it for and before going on with An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
What. A. Ride.
I cried at the end of the last chapter and through the Epilogue.
With Babel R.F. Kuang wrote one of the best researched, most gut-wrenching pieces on colonialism, classism and its impact on academia while carefully implementing fantasy parts throughout the story.
I am seriously blown away. As a PoC ex-linguistics-student who has been betrayed of money by institutions and who came to hate the pretentious very white dominated territory that is academia, Babel was cathartic in the most tragic way.
I was also wondering on how or if the silver works could be a comment on maybe AI.
(I didn’t research it (yet))
R.F. Kuang offers an exciting dark academia novel with clever fantasy elements, a peak into linguistics, but most importantly a very good explanation on how colonialism, racism and classism are intertwined, how systems work including academia, but also what antifascist work and resistance could - to some degree - look like.
I cried at the end of the last chapter and through the Epilogue.
With Babel R.F. Kuang wrote one of the best researched, most gut-wrenching pieces on colonialism, classism and its impact on academia while carefully implementing fantasy parts throughout the story.
I am seriously blown away. As a PoC ex-linguistics-student who has been betrayed of money by institutions and who came to hate the pretentious very white dominated territory that is academia, Babel was cathartic in the most tragic way.
I was also wondering on how or if the silver works could be a comment on maybe AI.
(I didn’t research it (yet))
R.F. Kuang offers an exciting dark academia novel with clever fantasy elements, a peak into linguistics, but most importantly a very good explanation on how colonialism, racism and classism are intertwined, how systems work including academia, but also what antifascist work and resistance could - to some degree - look like.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
3.0
Apparently "Convenience Store Woman" is a comedic approach to criticism of (Japanese) society and expectations but I couldn't help thinking that Keiko Furukura seems to be on the Autism Spectrum and that this book is more about masking than anything else.
It is not ever mentioned, but I feel like a lot of autistic people can (partly) relate or at least see how Autism is an involuntary topic in Sayaka Murata's bestseller and I wish there was more room for actual conversations and discussions about indirect portrayal of autistic people in this very cliché way of comedic appoaches to "weird people" in a lot of pop culture since it is directly affecting the reality of people on the spectrum and the perception of them.
Having a lot of mixed feelings here.
It is not ever mentioned, but I feel like a lot of autistic people can (partly) relate or at least see how Autism is an involuntary topic in Sayaka Murata's bestseller and I wish there was more room for actual conversations and discussions about indirect portrayal of autistic people in this very cliché way of comedic appoaches to "weird people" in a lot of pop culture since it is directly affecting the reality of people on the spectrum and the perception of them.
Having a lot of mixed feelings here.
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis
4.0
How To Keep House While Drowning is not particularly written for neurodivergent folks, but I’m pretty sure that it will help a lot of people struggling with mental health and disorders.
KC Davis is so understanding with a lot of struggles and does a great job of not only offering tips but also explaining how guilt is manifested and how we can try to get rid of it.
I was positively surprised that this book touches the topics of self-care, hygiene and nutrition too and that a black person was included in giving tips for taking care of black hair. Another part that I highly appreciated was the explanations on how parents and caregivers can not only build a lot of shame and guilt around house keeping but also use it against us in an abusive way.
all in all I really enjoyed this much different approach to a self-help book and I will definitely be going back to it and implement some tips into out neurodivergent household.
KC Davis is so understanding with a lot of struggles and does a great job of not only offering tips but also explaining how guilt is manifested and how we can try to get rid of it.
I was positively surprised that this book touches the topics of self-care, hygiene and nutrition too and that a black person was included in giving tips for taking care of black hair. Another part that I highly appreciated was the explanations on how parents and caregivers can not only build a lot of shame and guilt around house keeping but also use it against us in an abusive way.
all in all I really enjoyed this much different approach to a self-help book and I will definitely be going back to it and implement some tips into out neurodivergent household.
The Magic Border: Poetry and Fragments from My Soft Machine by Arlo Parks
2.0
The Magic Border was way shorter than I thought it would be.
This book was on my to read list but I still accidentally bought the e-book via one click so I thought, whatever, let’s just do this but sadly this didn’t really click with me.
Arlo Parks published her personal poetry and stream if thoughts and that is what it is, very cryptic thoughts and messages to me that lack a general connection to it’s readers.
This book was on my to read list but I still accidentally bought the e-book via one click so I thought, whatever, let’s just do this but sadly this didn’t really click with me.
Arlo Parks published her personal poetry and stream if thoughts and that is what it is, very cryptic thoughts and messages to me that lack a general connection to it’s readers.
Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert
4.0
There’s not a lot to complain about, quite the opposite actually. Will is the most lovable Himbo ever written, the parts that annoyed me made a lot of sense in the end and there were CATS! The descriptions and explanations of certain feelings and fears really hit home for me.
I coincidentally stumbled across “Wrapped Up In You” when I looked for a different Holiday romance so I picked this up as well and I enjoyed Talia Hibbert’s writing so much. Funnily enough I stumbled upon one of her other books a few months ago but wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it, but now I want more.
I coincidentally stumbled across “Wrapped Up In You” when I looked for a different Holiday romance so I picked this up as well and I enjoyed Talia Hibbert’s writing so much. Funnily enough I stumbled upon one of her other books a few months ago but wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it, but now I want more.
The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
4.0
I'm giving "The Mistletoe Motive" the 4 stars on here out of generosity because I really, really loved this enemy to lovers, grumpy / sunshine delight of a romance novel.
I mean autism and T1D rep? Meta and nerdish bookish themes? Come on, it's like this was made for me!
On top of that, Chloe Liese's writing style was so easy, so smooth to read and I really enjoyed all the festive mood building. The autistic representation is very well done, too but it's no surprise since the author is autistic herself.
There were a few points that threw me off a bit and these were the very early reveal of the "twist" - I already knew what was gonna happen throughout the whole book by Chapter 3 - then the weird Ex situation, it just felt a little out of place and 3rd point is the sex scenes. They felt awkward to me and not as well written as the rest of the novel and I honestly didn't need them as they are placed in this story.
"The Mistletoe Motive" is still perfect for those Christmas and winter days, where you might be longing for a cute, little romance novel.
I mean autism and T1D rep? Meta and nerdish bookish themes? Come on, it's like this was made for me!
On top of that, Chloe Liese's writing style was so easy, so smooth to read and I really enjoyed all the festive mood building. The autistic representation is very well done, too but it's no surprise since the author is autistic herself.
There were a few points that threw me off a bit and these were the very early reveal of the "twist" - I already knew what was gonna happen throughout the whole book by Chapter 3 - then the weird Ex situation, it just felt a little out of place and 3rd point is the sex scenes. They felt awkward to me and not as well written as the rest of the novel and I honestly didn't need them as they are placed in this story.
"The Mistletoe Motive" is still perfect for those Christmas and winter days, where you might be longing for a cute, little romance novel.
She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
2.5
I really wanted to love “She Is A Haunting” so badly.
This haunted house story could’ve been a great piece on colonisation, Vietnamese culture, diaspora and coming of age as a queer teenager juggling all these themes and problems, but I had such a hard time letting myself immerse into the story. The main character Jade is supposed to be a graduate about to enter college but some of her decisions seemed so immature to me that I couldn’t help thinking that maybe she resembles a 15 year old more. This is also why I had a hard time rooting for her. Don’t get me wrong protagonists, especially young ones, are supposed to make mistakes, it’s what makes these stories so attractive but at some point I just got so annoyed by everything. To not spoil anything I won’t be going further into the characters, just know that I really struggled to understand some dynamics and if the author wanted to redeem them or not.
Another thing that made me go from 3 stars to 2,5 stars is the pacing. especially the last third was so exhausting because everything happened too slowly, it drags on and on and on… I had to really push myself to not bring this book with me into the new year.
All in all I’m simply disappointed and that makes me so sad.
This haunted house story could’ve been a great piece on colonisation, Vietnamese culture, diaspora and coming of age as a queer teenager juggling all these themes and problems, but I had such a hard time letting myself immerse into the story. The main character Jade is supposed to be a graduate about to enter college but some of her decisions seemed so immature to me that I couldn’t help thinking that maybe she resembles a 15 year old more. This is also why I had a hard time rooting for her. Don’t get me wrong protagonists, especially young ones, are supposed to make mistakes, it’s what makes these stories so attractive but at some point I just got so annoyed by everything. To not spoil anything I won’t be going further into the characters, just know that I really struggled to understand some dynamics and if the author wanted to redeem them or not.
Another thing that made me go from 3 stars to 2,5 stars is the pacing. especially the last third was so exhausting because everything happened too slowly, it drags on and on and on… I had to really push myself to not bring this book with me into the new year.
All in all I’m simply disappointed and that makes me so sad.
Different, Not Less: A Neurodivergent's Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Finding Your Happily Ever After by Chloé Hayden
3.0
While I really enjoyed Chloé Hayden’s story I just couldn’t get over how all over the place “Different Not Less” felt to me.
The book consists of autobiographical parts while it simultaneously tries to be a guide to autistic people. This doesn’t have to be a contradiction but in “Different Not Less” these two genres feel so isolated and don’t play well together.
This is also reflected in the missing part of “neurodivergence”. The title and the word “neurodivergent” suggests that this book is about different conditions that fall under the umbrella term, but it is mainly about Hayden’s own experiences with her being autistic. Even though she mentions that she also has ADHD there is rarely any mention of other neurodivergencies and I feel like we’re washing away the meaning of the word Neurodivergence by over-using it instead of stating the exact condition we’re talking about (here: autism).
(Neurodivergence also includes: OCD, BPD, Bipolar Disorder, CPTSD, Dyslexia, Dyspracia, Dyscalculia, Shizophrenia, Epilepsy, Tourettes and more)
Additionally I noticed that Hayden tries to use Disney fairytales as an analogy and stylistic device throughout the book but she’s not very consistent with it.
I feel like this book is for other autistic people, whether you learn something new about (your) autism or just want to hear another story that might be similar to yours, “Different Not Less” is an interesting read, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it to my friends and family to be honest, because it’s just not coherent enough.