emilyceratops's reviews
199 reviews

Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody

slow-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

2.0

The inclusion of the true crime online culture was interesting. I used to be a big consumer of true crime content but it lost its when once I remembered that these are real people with real lives. 

I was both intrigued and annoyed by the flaws of the main characters. 

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

sad slow-paced

3.0

I enjoyed this but often I felt as if I as the reader was viewing each of the women through the men's perspective. 

Maggie Wilken's story hit me particularly hard. I could feel each nuance of her disgust and pain, and how it changed as she aged.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

5.0

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

adventurous emotional funny reflective fast-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? No

5.0

I loved this! I loved Vera, I loved how she loved all the characters, I thought the mystery was so fun. The writing is fast paced. I read this very quickly. I laughed and cried during it. 

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

slow-paced

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

2.0

I spent a lot of this book confused. I found it difficult to work out how time was passing. It felt like it plodded along. All of a sudden the kids were going to college? It didn't feel like they were aging; their desires and speech didn't seem to change during the book. I didn't feel like like Klara was really a friend of Josie's. I wasn't convinced by the Mother's love for Josie or their plan.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

emotional reflective sad fast-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? No

4.0

Brilliant book weaving together themes that are close to my heart - queerness, Asian diaspora, music. I spent my childhood and early adult life chasing after musical perfection. Bartok was also one of my favourites, and i adored all my music teachers. Katrina's story with Shizuka's reminded me of that. 

Sci fi and fantasy themes were lots of fun. The Sci fi at times felt a little out of place. 

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

adventurous challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I put this book off for a while because I thought it was going to be dry, but now that I've finished it, I want to read it again because I enjoyed it so much!

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

adventurous reflective fast-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? No

5.0

This was brilliant!! I loved the characters and really felt like they were fully formed people. The plot was incredible. I gasped aloud multiple times while reading. 

The depth and nuance of feeling was captured in a very impressive way, for so many characters. 

I loved the queer elements. 

Sometimes I felt a bit lost in the side characters because there were a lot of them. Didn't entirely detract from the story though. 

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

A masterpiece. A series of interconnected stories, some very very sad. I am interested in stories that imagine a world like ours except for a few changes and it was thoroughly interesting to see how the world could have responded to a different pandemic.

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

adventurous challenging dark medium-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? No

4.0

Very sad, made me cry a few times. Pace meanders a bit around the middle but it picks up.  Some parts did shock me and I shared the feeling of horror with Salama as she experiences various revelations. Equally, I experienced the same physical sensations that come with hope in the way that Salama did.