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chioma_a's reviews
20 reviews
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 3 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I've honestly spent too much time thinking about these guys to not give this book 5 stars. I don't think all of the books in the series are 5/5, but this one does so much to deepen the stakes, to thicken the plot politically, and to build the romantic tension that I literally couldn't stop reading it. I do have to knock a half star off tho bc the kiss scene is a mess (an issue echoed lots in later books).
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Shabili explores the experience of erasure and restriction with an incredibly deft hand. it reminds of Toni Morrison's quote about the bluest eye, which i cant remember word for word but talks about how in trying to make pecola sympathetic, she realized that people engaged with her only in pity, and spent more time feeling sorry for her than investigating in themselves the beliefs that brought her to harm. i think Shabili is navigating those same waters, both with her protagonist and the lost story that she seeks. She does it very well.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence and Violence
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
adventurous
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
4.0
i'd never heard of the the water margins before reading this and it was a really cool introduction to the story and to the wuxia genre as a whole. loved the evolving motives of lin and the bandits, it felt like a perfectly lined up domino effect. and huang didn't pull any punches in the fight scenes, i could really see the cinematic over-the-top style in their movements. really enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Solo leveling, Volume 13 by Chugong
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
very fun time, very cool worldbuilding. some really good action scenes. boooo to jin woo becoming a cop at the end
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
this book is a philosophical treatise in a science fiction trench coat. one of the first books ive gone in and marked up in a while. love the point she comes to about revolutionary movements needing to remain adaptable and fluid, and the importantance of balancing individual will with collective need.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It feels like when writing this book Clark took the time to really consider "what does a Black American epic fantasy look/smell/taste/sound like. " He has some fantastic ideas that he brings to life with a deft touch. The image of Maryse and the Aunties sipping a perfect cup sweet tea under the swinging branches of a magnolia tree, the strength and energy and affirmation of life come together in the shouts, the way that folklore and stories brought together Black folks living and dead.
My only con to this book is that the it felt very neat. I think a good part of that owes to it being a novella, but I wanted a few more curveballs along the way. Regardless theres a lot to love here!
My only con to this book is that the it felt very neat. I think a good part of that owes to it being a novella, but I wanted a few more curveballs along the way. Regardless theres a lot to love here!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Le Guin writes about humanity with an unparalled amount of care and understanding. She chisel warmth, comraderie—home even—from the bleak and frozen landscape of winter on an alien world.
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval by Saidiya Hartman
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
File this one under books that give you a new framework to view the past and the future and who you are as a person and who you want to be.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? Yes
5.0
It' honestly hard to put into words how good this books is, but I'll try.
Adjei-Brenyah does exactly what great fiction is meant to do in this book, he looks unflinchingly towards the posts of our society that are intentionally obscured and distorted. He calls upon the fear and anger living inside each of us that makes it so easy to turn away from abolition, to believe that our saftely depends on the disposal of the millions of people currently caught inside of the ever-churning prision industrial complex. Where many would turn away, Adjei-Brenyah urges us to look with compassion and belief in the human capacity for change and love and forgiveness. That hasn't even begun to touch on the deft hand with which Adjei-Brenyah breathes life and dimension into his characters, or the way his action scenes grip everything in you. I genuinely believe that every person alive today needs to read this book, and that we'd be much better off if we did.
Adjei-Brenyah does exactly what great fiction is meant to do in this book, he looks unflinchingly towards the posts of our society that are intentionally obscured and distorted. He calls upon the fear and anger living inside each of us that makes it so easy to turn away from abolition, to believe that our saftely depends on the disposal of the millions of people currently caught inside of the ever-churning prision industrial complex. Where many would turn away, Adjei-Brenyah urges us to look with compassion and belief in the human capacity for change and love and forgiveness. That hasn't even begun to touch on the deft hand with which Adjei-Brenyah breathes life and dimension into his characters, or the way his action scenes grip everything in you. I genuinely believe that every person alive today needs to read this book, and that we'd be much better off if we did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Suicidal thoughts