chluless's reviews
648 reviews

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

informative reflective

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and War

Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, and Classism

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark emotional tense

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, and Pregnancy

Minor: Pedophilia

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicidal thoughts

Daydream by Hannah Grace

4.5

loved it. no notes. 

The Ladies Are Upstairs by Merle Collins

3.75

i really enjoyed the collection, but the stories started losing momentum by the end  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Abandonment

Minor: Racial slurs and Alcohol

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

fast-paced

2.5

a little cute, but a quick and mediocre read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Pregnancy

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

adventurous challenging mysterious

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Going into this read blind is infinitely rewarding. Don’t read the reviews, just trust the process. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death and Gun violence

Minor: Excrement and Vomit

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Minor: Death and Gun violence

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I folded.

And suddenly I understand, ‘I didn’t say it was good, I said I enjoyed it.’ Icebreaker has a flimsy plot, the pacing is off, and the characters are too numerous to be distinguishable, but you know what?

I had FUN

Not all of this was my cup of tea. I had several icks, but as a notorious contemporary romance hater, I actually enjoyed this a lot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Sexual assault and Death of parent

Queens of the Conquest: England’s Medieval Queens by Alison Weir

informative

3.0

Weir presents a lot of good material, a reasonable scope, and a vivid picture of the period. She uses excerpts from letters, quotes from chronicles, and lists from charters or other surviving documents. While these sources give readers a detailed understanding, sources supporting the narrative can become an obstacle. Weir often loses her narrative thread in overly lengthy quotations. 

My main issue is the inconsistent critical analysis. The most glaring example is Weir’s treatment of Empress Maud. The majority of her turbulent life in England is presented in contrast with the Good Queen Matilda. I assumed this dual narrative was building to a neat conclusion on perceptions of women in power, but Weir's conclusion urges readers NOT to use a feminist lens on the past. Similarly, I appreciate Weir’s note on the very real and untreated medical issues medieval women may develop from childbirth. Yet it’s quite a leap to suggest Empress Maud’s political blunders were due to menopause. She was thirty-seven.

Queens of the Conquest is unarguably interesting and extensively researched. However, it's more of an overview than a dedicated analysis of five queens.