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damalireads's reviews
223 reviews
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really strong collection of stories. My favorite was probably Snakes, tied with Robert E. Lee is Dead. But truly every story had something special.
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
5.0
A Place for Us is a touching family saga exploring themes of identity, belonging, and reconciliation within an Indian-American Muslim family. At the heart of the story is Amar, the estranged youngest son, whose struggles with substance abuse have created deep rifts with his parents and siblings. Through shifting perspectives and timelines, the novel intricately weaves moments of love, pain, and regret, offering a heart wrenching story on family bonds and the search for acceptance.
<b>I absolutely adored this book & personally found it to be virtually flawless.</b> The author is extremely precise in the way that she reveals the motivations and actions of deeply complex characters, and yet there is an honest simplicity to her writing. While lyrical, the prose never feels flowery, and Mirza finds the most poignant and direct way to describe scenes. The story itself is told in bursts; multiple POVs spanning multiple points in time before and after the wedding central to the story. Although it was occasionally hard to follow on audiobook, the woven nature of the book juxtaposes the good and bad moments for each character to paint a picture of a uniquely flawed person.
<b>Mirza does a masterful job of capturing the brokenness of people and showing that brokenness is a part of their journey.</b> Amar is shown to lash out at his family and cause harm to himself and others, but also laments at his inability to fit into the mold the family and culture he loves has made for him. Rafiq, mainly characterized by his anger through most of the book, is the focus of the latter (& best part!) of the book. You learn about a father who is afraid to fail his children and his wife, who is carrying a broken heart from his own family, and who is both selfish and selfless. There is a level of honesty in this book that reminds me of Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson, but APFU takes it to a new level.
<b>I really wish I could put into words how much this book moved me.</b> You can tell that Mirza cared deeply for each character and extended so much grace to each of them in their weakest moments. I think seeing that sort of compassion in a book caught me off guard & made this one of my all-time favorite novels. I truly cannot recommend this book enough.
Shoutout to my friends who have been champions of this book – you were right & MAYBE I’ll start listening to your reccs more. 😊
<b>I absolutely adored this book & personally found it to be virtually flawless.</b> The author is extremely precise in the way that she reveals the motivations and actions of deeply complex characters, and yet there is an honest simplicity to her writing. While lyrical, the prose never feels flowery, and Mirza finds the most poignant and direct way to describe scenes. The story itself is told in bursts; multiple POVs spanning multiple points in time before and after the wedding central to the story. Although it was occasionally hard to follow on audiobook, the woven nature of the book juxtaposes the good and bad moments for each character to paint a picture of a uniquely flawed person.
<b>Mirza does a masterful job of capturing the brokenness of people and showing that brokenness is a part of their journey.</b> Amar is shown to lash out at his family and cause harm to himself and others, but also laments at his inability to fit into the mold the family and culture he loves has made for him. Rafiq, mainly characterized by his anger through most of the book, is the focus of the latter (& best part!) of the book. You learn about a father who is afraid to fail his children and his wife, who is carrying a broken heart from his own family, and who is both selfish and selfless. There is a level of honesty in this book that reminds me of Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson, but APFU takes it to a new level.
<b>I really wish I could put into words how much this book moved me.</b> You can tell that Mirza cared deeply for each character and extended so much grace to each of them in their weakest moments. I think seeing that sort of compassion in a book caught me off guard & made this one of my all-time favorite novels. I truly cannot recommend this book enough.
Shoutout to my friends who have been champions of this book – you were right & MAYBE I’ll start listening to your reccs more. 😊
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
the shock value wore off and became tiring. i feel like the point was a bat that was being smashed into my head. that being said, the ahegao story still haunts me to this day.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
There were some really bright spots prose wise, and some good concepts of plot (lol) but I really did find it to be all over the place and I didn't get the point of that. so much showing and not enough telling. can spark some good discussion but idk man, it just wasn't hitting for me at all.
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It took a book about a sex robot gaining sentience to break my 7 month reading slump.
Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The last quarter of the book saved it from a 3.5 rating. audiobook is an absolute must. I have many questions and some critiques but you know, it was a wild story that still maintained a level of craft that is admirable. I was locked into the story the whole time. I'd give the author's next book a try too.
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
At a high level, SPEAR follows the journey of two warriors as they escort a goddess across a kingdom in order to end the reign of an oppressive family. At it’s core, it’s a love story. Jimenez goes to extreme lengths in storytelling format, prose, and stylistic choices to weave together multiple storylines that connect these two ideas together.
I have never read a book like this in my life. It’s a truly singular reading experience with an intricate format of storytelling that is deeply immersive. SPEAR is really a myth, within a play, within a story. The speaker (referred to as “You”, some parts are told in 2nd person) visits a theater that exists outside of time and space in a dream, and watches a play on the warrior’s journey, which includes the myths told by the speaker’s family through the years. It took me about 50-60 pages to really get into the swing of things, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Effortful reading that pays off is a difficult balance to strike and Jimenez did a great job.
The prose in this book is BEAUTIFUL and lyrical. There’s a very clear rhythm to the writing that makes it easy to flow through 50 pages. There are also some intentional choices that add to the emotional depth of the story. Amidst the face paced and violent journey the warriors embark on, italicized thoughts/commentary/backstory are offered in the text to give life to unnamed characters that are in the background. Also mixed in are the perspectives and commentary of the speaker’s life, their relatives, and side stories tied to them as well. It mimics the slightly wandering nature of oral storytelling, that initially takes a lot of effort to follow, but ultimately pays off by keeping the reader engaged.
I really enjoyed all the characters, even if I didn’t form a deep emotional connection to all of them. The main antagonists, the Three Terrors, absolutely lived up their names. The warriors, Keema and Jun, are initially strangers that grow to trust one another with their lives in a beautiful way. One critique I will say is that much of the characterization is more telling rather than showing, which sometimes made certain character decisions or reactions sudden to me. At the same time, I still loved how the characters developed over the course of the story.
The core critique I have for this book is with the world building. The world of Spear is sprawling with magic, political strife, majestic creatures, all spanning a large geography. There are times through the book where we get more context on why this world exists as it does, and some backstory to make sense of what’s seen, but I did struggle to really grasp the why behind a lot of these choices. Part of me wonders if this is just an element of the oral storytelling style, where myths are not necessarily explained in detail, even though you wish they were. It did cause multiple moments of confusion for me where the twists in conflict felt almost random, albeit exciting. The final 20% of the book had most of these instances for me, but the thrilling ending made me look past these confusing elements. I do wish more time was taken for some deeper world building, but I also think the story was amazing anyway.
All that being said, I’m so glad I read this book. I truly don’t know if I’d recommend it widely because it’s so unique, but if anything peaked your interest, I say you should give it a shot. I would 100% check the trigger warnings for this book before diving in. Ritualistic cannibalism is a theme, so yeah! So are pretty gory scenes. As someone who is very squeamish, I definitely had to skim through some parts.
4.75 stars
<i>Initial Thoughts: One of the most confusing, insane, electric, and moving books I've ever read. Probably the best experience I had reading a book? I'm still a little in shock so I'm sure there's more pointed critiques I could outline but until then! I had the time of my life.</i>
I have never read a book like this in my life. It’s a truly singular reading experience with an intricate format of storytelling that is deeply immersive. SPEAR is really a myth, within a play, within a story. The speaker (referred to as “You”, some parts are told in 2nd person) visits a theater that exists outside of time and space in a dream, and watches a play on the warrior’s journey, which includes the myths told by the speaker’s family through the years. It took me about 50-60 pages to really get into the swing of things, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Effortful reading that pays off is a difficult balance to strike and Jimenez did a great job.
The prose in this book is BEAUTIFUL and lyrical. There’s a very clear rhythm to the writing that makes it easy to flow through 50 pages. There are also some intentional choices that add to the emotional depth of the story. Amidst the face paced and violent journey the warriors embark on, italicized thoughts/commentary/backstory are offered in the text to give life to unnamed characters that are in the background. Also mixed in are the perspectives and commentary of the speaker’s life, their relatives, and side stories tied to them as well. It mimics the slightly wandering nature of oral storytelling, that initially takes a lot of effort to follow, but ultimately pays off by keeping the reader engaged.
I really enjoyed all the characters, even if I didn’t form a deep emotional connection to all of them. The main antagonists, the Three Terrors, absolutely lived up their names. The warriors, Keema and Jun, are initially strangers that grow to trust one another with their lives in a beautiful way. One critique I will say is that much of the characterization is more telling rather than showing, which sometimes made certain character decisions or reactions sudden to me. At the same time, I still loved how the characters developed over the course of the story.
The core critique I have for this book is with the world building. The world of Spear is sprawling with magic, political strife, majestic creatures, all spanning a large geography. There are times through the book where we get more context on why this world exists as it does, and some backstory to make sense of what’s seen, but I did struggle to really grasp the why behind a lot of these choices. Part of me wonders if this is just an element of the oral storytelling style, where myths are not necessarily explained in detail, even though you wish they were. It did cause multiple moments of confusion for me where the twists in conflict felt almost random, albeit exciting. The final 20% of the book had most of these instances for me, but the thrilling ending made me look past these confusing elements. I do wish more time was taken for some deeper world building, but I also think the story was amazing anyway.
All that being said, I’m so glad I read this book. I truly don’t know if I’d recommend it widely because it’s so unique, but if anything peaked your interest, I say you should give it a shot. I would 100% check the trigger warnings for this book before diving in. Ritualistic cannibalism is a theme, so yeah! So are pretty gory scenes. As someone who is very squeamish, I definitely had to skim through some parts.
4.75 stars
<i>Initial Thoughts: One of the most confusing, insane, electric, and moving books I've ever read. Probably the best experience I had reading a book? I'm still a little in shock so I'm sure there's more pointed critiques I could outline but until then! I had the time of my life.</i>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Cannibalism, War