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eeviee's reviews
971 reviews
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was such a refreshing read in the sense that there are no cheating and lying spouses used as the plot device for the mysterious reveal lol. I can't tell you how sick and tired I've been with this trope. The use of backward time travel was interesting as well, although if you're someone who frets about the details, you either have a fun time pulling the details apart or you get stuck in the plotholes. It's fun and not your run-of-the-mill mystery.
The Lightness by Emily Temple
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Seldom does a book drive me so far beyond my depth that I struggle to distinguish whether I loved it or I hate it? Forget about the levitating -- it is the MacGuffin of the story. The meat of it centers on these girls and how they struggle with their own identities, with a Buddhist version of Gossip Girl Serena at the center of their orbit. So you see how detestable some, if not all, of these characters can be. Good thing we don't gauge our books based on how insufferable the characters are, don't we?
This was advertised as a dark-academia book along the lines of The Secret History with Otessa Moshfegh's prose. The one thing about dark academia you need to know is that the main character, although the plot is written from their perspective, is almost always secondary to the plot. They serve merely as a lens and exposition to the Real Main Character whom they put on a pedestal to the point of deification. They are a spectator to the plot, so to speak. This True MC must lead a clique, and this clique must be mysterious and glorified enough to be sought after. You have to cultivate the feeling of FOMO and then give equal parts of belonging when they finally feel included. Note on included. Because soon enough you find out, in very few crumbs left by the author, that the mc was never considered an insider but only an obligatory member out of their usefulness, or, let’s say, innate ability to suck up. They rebel against this notion once they finally see the shadows in the cave a la Plato, but it’s a childish attempt. This is the catalyst for every high note in the book. The main character steps in and chooses to no longer be passive, which, I think, is the grip that chokes the collective windpipes of the dark academia community. This is what this book has done well, at least from my perspective.
What's disturbing is the ongoing theme of girls pining over older men twice their age, but I see it so often in women’s literature that it’s becoming neurotic. This is the part that I struggle to overlook in the book, although I do think it was done to point us toward the harm it can cause instead of romanticizing it. At one point the author cites the mother's favorite author "Harm is the norm. Doom should not jam." from Pnin by Nabokov, which we can consider as a nod to the author's famous work, and how that was received.
Overall a love-it-or-hate-it book, but definitely something I enjoyed, and at some point, worth revisiting.
This was advertised as a dark-academia book along the lines of The Secret History with Otessa Moshfegh's prose. The one thing about dark academia you need to know is that the main character, although the plot is written from their perspective, is almost always secondary to the plot. They serve merely as a lens and exposition to the Real Main Character whom they put on a pedestal to the point of deification. They are a spectator to the plot, so to speak. This True MC must lead a clique, and this clique must be mysterious and glorified enough to be sought after. You have to cultivate the feeling of FOMO and then give equal parts of belonging when they finally feel included. Note on included. Because soon enough you find out, in very few crumbs left by the author, that the mc was never considered an insider but only an obligatory member out of their usefulness, or, let’s say, innate ability to suck up. They rebel against this notion once they finally see the shadows in the cave a la Plato, but it’s a childish attempt. This is the catalyst for every high note in the book. The main character steps in and chooses to no longer be passive, which, I think, is the grip that chokes the collective windpipes of the dark academia community. This is what this book has done well, at least from my perspective.
What's disturbing is the ongoing theme of girls pining over older men twice their age, but I see it so often in women’s literature that it’s becoming neurotic. This is the part that I struggle to overlook in the book, although I do think it was done to point us toward the harm it can cause instead of romanticizing it. At one point the author cites the mother's favorite author "Harm is the norm. Doom should not jam." from Pnin by Nabokov, which we can consider as a nod to the author's famous work, and how that was received.
Overall a love-it-or-hate-it book, but definitely something I enjoyed, and at some point, worth revisiting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry
Minor: Suicide
Delphi by Clare Pollard
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The use of Prophecy as plot device was clever at first, and then everything else fell flat.
Pure Colour by Sheila Heti
adventurous
challenging
funny
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? No
3.25
This book takes place in what it calls several drafts of existence where our main character lives in different iterations until the gods deem its creations perfect. The main character explains this in simplistic terms, as though the lore and context of their world have been biblical canon. It creates for itself a reality that is both surreal and magical until we reach the final iteration, where everyone loves everyone, a utopia of sorts. Then, we are treated to an ambiguous ending of them asking their father to read the story of the first iteration, implying that everything was part of a storybook a parent was reading to his child.
This will definitely receive mixed reviews -- as my feelings towards it are -- just mixed. It reminds me of Temporary by Hilary Leichter in a way that I'm made to feel like I'm supposed to just accept that the characters are transforming and morphing into different forms of being with no rhyme or reason, and every thread of interaction is supposed to 'ejaculate' something philosophical and deep. Although this one came across as the book equivalent of that one Chastity remark to Bianca Stratford: "I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?" And that's it. I suppose the child-like terms were to signal that this was all in the mind of a girl and her relationship with her father, but I just do not have any energy left in me to read much into that one.
This will definitely receive mixed reviews -- as my feelings towards it are -- just mixed. It reminds me of Temporary by Hilary Leichter in a way that I'm made to feel like I'm supposed to just accept that the characters are transforming and morphing into different forms of being with no rhyme or reason, and every thread of interaction is supposed to 'ejaculate' something philosophical and deep. Although this one came across as the book equivalent of that one Chastity remark to Bianca Stratford: "I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?" And that's it. I suppose the child-like terms were to signal that this was all in the mind of a girl and her relationship with her father, but I just do not have any energy left in me to read much into that one.
I Tamed a Tyrant and Ran Away by yusoy
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Woman becomes a human sword and vows to take revenge against the system that created her by manipulating the prince into becoming a tyrant that destroys its own empire. Then runs away. Tyrant becomes obsessed and the rest is herstory.
NSFW by Isabel Kaplan
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An assistant to a Hollywood exec narrates her experiences in the industry and how she navigates her relationships with her mom, colleagues, and partners. There is something cutting about how acutely self-aware this book is, almost as though it's dancing to the same tune as most of its ilk. Let's be honest, there have been a lot of hyper-feminist books being released, and I'm not complaining, although it has become oversaturated. This book tries to beat itself up with that. It's equal parts funny in a way that's dangerous because you're not quite sure if you should be laughing at all. It talks about privilege, rape, the MeToo Movement, or the works of it, and it's obvious which exec it describes. I can almost hear the hate for this book simmering from the edges of a select crowd, gnashing its teeth at this unsuspecting plot.
I'm glad it was left open-ended. The reader is left to marinate with their thoughts and presumptions on how our main character will decide between two opportunities that will make or break the entire narrative. A small detail that I also like is how their name is never mentioned; the reader floats through the story never realizing that until the very end because how are you supposed to distinguish yourself from such a mediocre character who somehow mirrors the very same hypocritical internal monologue most of us have?
I'm glad it was left open-ended. The reader is left to marinate with their thoughts and presumptions on how our main character will decide between two opportunities that will make or break the entire narrative. A small detail that I also like is how their name is never mentioned; the reader floats through the story never realizing that until the very end because how are you supposed to distinguish yourself from such a mediocre character who somehow mirrors the very same hypocritical internal monologue most of us have?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Sexual harassment
Sorrow & Bliss by Meg Mason
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the kind of book you read to remind you of how much you love reading. The kind that you revisit from time to time and still feel gutted by. That one book you read at different stages of your life and find yourself identifying with another character you were least likely to feel any affinity with. It is a character study of a deeply flawed woman in an equally flawed relationship, and how she comes to mend herself in more ways than one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
4.0
Our main character struggles to find a job she truly loves while she fritters through them over time, and wonders how it is that she has purposefully chosen easy ones but still finds herself in a difficult position. This book was a slow, languorous read that felt like a slice-of-life show in a reel. It's easy to empathize with the mc, and by the end, we end up rooting for her all the same. I would recommend it to anyone who just wants to enjoy a good, light read with no frills, just vibes.
Temporary by Hilary Leichter
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
If "There's No Such Thing As An Easy Job" were set in Alice in Wonderland, then this would be its brainchild. This book was a mixture of jarring, funny, and satirical all the same. It succeeds in criticizing the job market, and how replaceable one can be when one is judged by their merits. The main characters lack a definitive name precisely because they lack character. For me, that was a clever way of showing the loss of identity when the only purpose is to serve a job, to be easily discarded once they lose their purpose. I would love to see this play onscreen as an animated version: I can just envision the colorful palette this book paints and the dark undertones it also tries to deliver.
Look Closer by David Ellis
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I don't know where to start with this book. It was such a well-executed revenge plot for the bloodthirsty, I guess? I think it's a subversion to the lying, cheating spouse trope done cleanly. For anyone who loves a good story about people getting bitten in the ass by their own hubris, this is one to look out for.