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cognitivebats's reviews
39 reviews
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cried a lot. The story is so beautifully written, and it is so easy to get attached to the main characters. Only small quibble I have is I didnt really care so much for the romance but is a nonissue honestly. Make sure to read the trigger warnings before starting!
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Queen of writing characters that end up as problematic faves. Despite the simple plot, this book is absolutely gripping and a great short piece to read to get yourself out of a reading slump. Highly recommend.
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book felt very unfocused to me: too many POV'S and too many different subpoints made it drag way too long and made it difficult to really understand each of the characters. Hence, I was unable to really care for them, which only added to the draggy feelings I had while teading the book. Another thing i wasnt a huge fan of was the romance. Like I definetely saw it coming (Suri made sure we knew the Mcs were gay and into each other which was good) but I guess I didnt really feel anything for them because of how detached I felt from all the characters in general and because there wasn't really anything that made me want to root for Malini/Priya's relationship. I did like the plot and the worldbuilding which accompanied it; it was nice to see the traditional "Indian epic" story with females being the action makers instead of supporters which was good. Overall, the story was great but the so what factor was missing, and because of this i have no desire to continue the series.
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
This is purely on me but i find it hard to read REALLY long books like this one :( did enjoy what i got through though but the length is putting me off...i might pick it up another day though
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
thematically, this book is excellent. i appreciated how kuang addressed important topics, such as racism, colonialism, sexism, and elitism, that should be discussed when talking about the history of the British Empire and the history of academic institutions like Oxford. i also found the magical system quite interesting, and it lended towards some very insightful discussions on the role of language as a tool to help colonizers take advantage of and ruin the lives of those they colonize to improve themselves. i also really love kuang's writing in general, her writing is very gripping and there are many quotes that i have highlighted in my copy to look back on in the future. i even appreciated the footnotes, i loved seeing the research and passion kuang had for the topics at hand and i felt that i learned a lot from them.
however, i felt that this book was very academic and read like an assigned reading for one of my history classes more than an actual story. in fact, it was a slog to get through the middle of the book because it was mostly lectures about the topics i mentioned above instead of any real plot. the story picks up at the end but because there was not much buildup to it in the beginning; i didn't feel the impact of these events. the characters were all very flat and underdeveloped, and to me, a great majority of them felt like plot devices to explore the themes in the novel rather than characters to get attached to. additionally, the relationships in this novel all felt very unconvincing due to the fact we were told they existed rather than being shown moments where we got to see the relationships come to life.
overall, i think the ideas in the book were excellent, but i do wish the execution of them was more similar to kuang's previous work the poppy war, which explored many similar themes but also had gripping character development and a more engaging plot rather than being purely academic in nature.
however, i felt that this book was very academic and read like an assigned reading for one of my history classes more than an actual story. in fact, it was a slog to get through the middle of the book because it was mostly lectures about the topics i mentioned above instead of any real plot. the story picks up at the end but because there was not much buildup to it in the beginning; i didn't feel the impact of these events. the characters were all very flat and underdeveloped, and to me, a great majority of them felt like plot devices to explore the themes in the novel rather than characters to get attached to. additionally, the relationships in this novel all felt very unconvincing due to the fact we were told they existed rather than being shown moments where we got to see the relationships come to life.
overall, i think the ideas in the book were excellent, but i do wish the execution of them was more similar to kuang's previous work the poppy war, which explored many similar themes but also had gripping character development and a more engaging plot rather than being purely academic in nature.
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
omg....i need this to be the next big thing like now, like this deserves a show and everything. this story tackles so many issues and does them well. it's balanced too...heavy and lighthearted. i felt like even the triggering topics were handled well. it felt so real, like all of these characters were just so real to me. wow. this is officially one of my favorite lgbtq+ books and i need everyone to read this and/or i need a show and movie adaptation of this to blow up so everyone can be exposed to this story.
i think the only SMALL criticism i have was that the pacing at the end was really fast, and a lot of themes were introduced and ended a bit too quickly...but nonetheless it was still fantastic
i think the only SMALL criticism i have was that the pacing at the end was really fast, and a lot of themes were introduced and ended a bit too quickly...but nonetheless it was still fantastic
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Suicide
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
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? No
3.0
hmmm...
on one hand, I loved the way Patel wrote relationships. literally all the dynamics were good and i honestly think that the relationships between all the characters is what motivated me to finish reading this book.
on the other hand, i will admit that there is a lack of proper worldbuilding and the pacing is quite disjointed...i had to use my background of the Ramayana, the indian epic this novel is a retelling of, in order to really be able to get into this story but for people who this is their first time even looking at this story, it would be really hard to get involved.
i also thought that the feminist take on the Ramayana, while super refreshing, was too black and white at certain places. I think that simply just flipping the Ramayana's assignments of heroes and villains around was kind of a cop out tbh, and would have preferred a more nuanced take than the one given in this novel.
overall, the concepts really cool but i personally think that the execution of its themes could have been a lot better.
on one hand, I loved the way Patel wrote relationships. literally all the dynamics were good and i honestly think that the relationships between all the characters is what motivated me to finish reading this book.
on the other hand, i will admit that there is a lack of proper worldbuilding and the pacing is quite disjointed...i had to use my background of the Ramayana, the indian epic this novel is a retelling of, in order to really be able to get into this story but for people who this is their first time even looking at this story, it would be really hard to get involved.
i also thought that the feminist take on the Ramayana, while super refreshing, was too black and white at certain places. I think that simply just flipping the Ramayana's assignments of heroes and villains around was kind of a cop out tbh, and would have preferred a more nuanced take than the one given in this novel.
overall, the concepts really cool but i personally think that the execution of its themes could have been a lot better.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
4.0
this book was so funny and engaging i enjoyed it so much