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dododenise's reviews
404 reviews
Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
Oh my god this was so cute! I love the characters, I love the relationship, I love the development. I don’t know how such a short graphic novel was able to do all of that so well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
I'll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K. Boone
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
This was fine.
I adored the scenes with the new friends Clover made in San Fransisco. I could’ve read a lot more about the shenanigans they’d get up to. The relationships, however, did very little for me. I never fully invested in them. So I was reading this romance book mostly for the characters in their own, their friends, and character development, not the romance 😅
I adored the scenes with the new friends Clover made in San Fransisco. I could’ve read a lot more about the shenanigans they’d get up to. The relationships, however, did very little for me. I never fully invested in them. So I was reading this romance book mostly for the characters in their own, their friends, and character development, not the romance 😅
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent
The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic
dark
emotional
medium-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
4.75
I loved this book a lot more than I ever thought I would.
Jean turned out a bit different than I expected him to be after the previous three books. I characterised him differently. But I learned to really care for the Jean given to me in this book.
Most of the other characters introduced and characters that are a lot more fleshed out now were awesome.
I love a good grumpy x sunshine dynamic so all the Jean and Jeremy scenes were a delight. Can’t wait to see more of them.
Not sure what to think of the dual pov. I probably would’ve preferred it to just be Jean’s pov.
I still wonder why Nora’s writing style makes me such a slow reader. It reads quite easily but for some reason it takes me ages to get through a page.
I’m scared what future books will bring. I don’t want these characters to encounter more traumas and instead become happy and heal but I’m not sure that is what Nora will give me.
Jean turned out a bit different than I expected him to be after the previous three books. I characterised him differently. But I learned to really care for the Jean given to me in this book.
Most of the other characters introduced and characters that are a lot more fleshed out now were awesome.
I love a good grumpy x sunshine dynamic so all the Jean and Jeremy scenes were a delight. Can’t wait to see more of them.
Not sure what to think of the dual pov. I probably would’ve preferred it to just be Jean’s pov.
I still wonder why Nora’s writing style makes me such a slow reader. It reads quite easily but for some reason it takes me ages to get through a page.
I’m scared what future books will bring. I don’t want these characters to encounter more traumas and instead become happy and heal but I’m not sure that is what Nora will give me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Eating disorder and Torture
Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The pacing threw me off sometimes. I wanted longer chapters most of the time and starting a new chapter always took a little to get into it. I could’ve been a lot more in the story if things took their time more.
I still really liked the story and characters themselves though.
I still really liked the story and characters themselves though.
Castle Swimmer, Season 1 by Wendy Lian Martin
3.0
This didn’t really do a lot for me. I couldn’t get invested.
Les Normaux by S. Al Sabado, Janine Janssen
emotional
lighthearted
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
5.0
AAAAAH THIS WAS SO CUTE!!! I loved everything about this: the characters, the relationships, the world, the art style. It’s all stunning!
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
The King's Men by Nora Sakavic
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love this book and this world more than I should.
One thing I can’t let go of is the way mental health and mental illness is dealt with. Doing some googling and looking at fandom statements, apparently Nora didn’t do research in mental illness and just made shit up??? It makes a lot of sense now since I just couldn’t figure out how the pieces were supposed to fit together.
Ngl I’m deeply troubled by that. So we’re just sitting here pretending Andrew is psychotic even though that makes zero sense. Thinking that psychosis makes you dangerous?? Those are some dangerous stereotypes.
Other characters and aspects of the story regarding other characters’ mental health also make little sense. If we were to pretend the foxes are very resilient people, at least half of them should still have severe PTSD. Yet I just see chaotic bits here and there that don’t really fit together. Perhaps you can use headcanons to make it work somehow but what the book is giving us is frustrating.
I also just wanted to state that the ravens living on 17 hour days is so ridiculous. Every single one of them should be falling apart like Neil did after those 2 weeks. The human body is not made for that and can’t get used to that. Even if they were in the nest 24/7, which they aren’t, it wouldn’t work.
One thing I can’t let go of is the way mental health and mental illness is dealt with. Doing some googling and looking at fandom statements, apparently Nora didn’t do research in mental illness and just made shit up??? It makes a lot of sense now since I just couldn’t figure out how the pieces were supposed to fit together.
Ngl I’m deeply troubled by that. So we’re just sitting here pretending Andrew is psychotic even though that makes zero sense. Thinking that psychosis makes you dangerous?? Those are some dangerous stereotypes.
Other characters and aspects of the story regarding other characters’ mental health also make little sense. If we were to pretend the foxes are very resilient people, at least half of them should still have severe PTSD. Yet I just see chaotic bits here and there that don’t really fit together. Perhaps you can use headcanons to make it work somehow but what the book is giving us is frustrating.
I also just wanted to state that the ravens living on 17 hour days is so ridiculous. Every single one of them should be falling apart like Neil did after those 2 weeks. The human body is not made for that and can’t get used to that. Even if they were in the nest 24/7, which they aren’t, it wouldn’t work.
Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
A cute christmas romcom. It’s all it is and all I needed it to be. A good time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Abandonment
The Raven King by Nora Sakavic
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a reread.
This book has no right to get me this invested. It’s like a drug. It’s hurting me and yet I just keep going faster, wanting more. I still stand by my previous review: The second half of this book made me physically hurt. It just had its claws in me. And yet I love it.
I also remembered even less of this book than I thought I did so the fact that this was a reread didn’t help with preparing me at all.
This book has no right to get me this invested. It’s like a drug. It’s hurting me and yet I just keep going faster, wanting more. I still stand by my previous review: The second half of this book made me physically hurt. It just had its claws in me. And yet I love it.
I also remembered even less of this book than I thought I did so the fact that this was a reread didn’t help with preparing me at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Minor: Death of parent
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book made me think a lot.
My mom asked me to read this to hear my opinion as a psychologist. I definitely sent her some very long messages as I was reading.
Now looking at the whole product, I am not entirely sure what the point was. A lot of things happen. But in the end they illustrate the same story: troubled people need help instead of being treated horribly. And a misogynistic overly policing system like that will also not know about basic pedagogy and psychology or how to teach it (that school was filled with horrible teachings).
I think what makes it a bit lacklustre now that I am finished is that I feel like this story could have been told in a more “enjoyable” manner. Writing a book about how policing mothers will be more damaging for everyone involved is an important one. Yet I sit here disliking every single character other than the daughter. All this book really gave me was thinking about parenting and how child protective can be improved, and being upset about how stupid the people and system in the book are. This might as well have been a nonfiction book philosophising about pedagogy/child protection and I wouldn’t have to deal with the unbearable characters (I understand the point of the unlikable characters but that approach rarely ever works for me and it didn’t now either).
My mom asked me to read this to hear my opinion as a psychologist. I definitely sent her some very long messages as I was reading.
Now looking at the whole product, I am not entirely sure what the point was. A lot of things happen. But in the end they illustrate the same story: troubled people need help instead of being treated horribly. And a misogynistic overly policing system like that will also not know about basic pedagogy and psychology or how to teach it (that school was filled with horrible teachings).
I think what makes it a bit lacklustre now that I am finished is that I feel like this story could have been told in a more “enjoyable” manner. Writing a book about how policing mothers will be more damaging for everyone involved is an important one. Yet I sit here disliking every single character other than the daughter. All this book really gave me was thinking about parenting and how child protective can be improved, and being upset about how stupid the people and system in the book are. This might as well have been a nonfiction book philosophising about pedagogy/child protection and I wouldn’t have to deal with the unbearable characters (I understand the point of the unlikable characters but that approach rarely ever works for me and it didn’t now either).