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emmagrace's reviews
192 reviews
Sex and Drugs Before Rock 'n' Roll: Youth Culture and Masculinity During Holland's Golden Age by Benjamin Roberts
informative
medium-paced
4.75
An expansive yet detailed insight into the lives of young men in 1620s Holland. Roberts really illustrates a nation and a life-stage in a transitional period. A great resource that has opened my eyes to so many new potential avenues for further research.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The title and the tagline really oversold this, and the story lagged in the middle, but I really loved the characters.
Crowns & Swords by J.L. Meyrick
adventurous
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? No
2.25
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
3.75
As much as I find fault in the overbearing prose, the handholding through the mystery, and the questionable backwards-and-bigoted country vs. perfect-and-welcoming country worldbuilding, I have to admit that I'm rather fond of this heartwarming tale of healing. It gripped me from the start and was exactly what I needed at the moment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
2.75
The One by Kiera Cass
Celeste's last minute redemption arc (undeserved) just so we could feel bad when she died was criminal, but against my better judgement, I found america and maxon cute
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Genocide, Drug abuse, Racism, Drug use, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Self harm, Blood, and Addiction
Minor: Vomit, Suicide, Torture, and Slavery
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have a lot of feelings about this one. The first half was perfection, but the ending was a bit disappointing. I think it's because the story became more and more untethered as it went on, and it kind of ran away with itself at the end. I still thought it was a great book, just a bit rocky like you'd expect from any debut.
Also, READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS. I can't stress this enough. I thought I was prepared because I'd heard about how traumatizing chapter 21 is, but I was still horrified. I'm glad R. F. Kuang went there because the Nanjing massacre is a terrible part of history that deserves more awareness, but that didn't make it any less difficult to read. I had to step away from the book and recover before continuing. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who feels they might have difficulties with the content.
Also, READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS. I can't stress this enough. I thought I was prepared because I'd heard about how traumatizing chapter 21 is, but I was still horrified. I'm glad R. F. Kuang went there because the Nanjing massacre is a terrible part of history that deserves more awareness, but that didn't make it any less difficult to read. I had to step away from the book and recover before continuing. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who feels they might have difficulties with the content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Body horror, Genocide, Sexual assault, Violence, Colonisation, Gore, Blood, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, and War
Moderate: Torture, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Drug use, and Misogyny
Minor: Emotional abuse, Slavery, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit
The worst of it is in just one chapter (chapter 21).
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
A few thoughts:
1. Olivie Blake has a real talent for writing complex inter-character relationships. In the first book, I thought Callum and Reina were both lacking in complexity/attention compared to the other four, but this book really made up for that.
2. While I might have been quick to dismiss the first book as an empty dark academia book (all vibes no substance), this book really does a good job at digging into the relationship between knowledge and power. I look forward to seeing how that develops in the next book.
3. Kind of related to my second point, I think that while book one felt very insular, this book widens the scope and situates the story in the wider world. The world building that initially felt like bare bones is now fleshed out, and I'm sold on it. It's an interesting exploration of our world but with magic where magic isn't the miracle solution to all of our problems, but rather an amplification of the pitfalls of power and greed.
4. My one critique is that the choice in perspective really held back the narrative. By having each chapter be from only one character's perspective, it made for this awkward reading experience where we wouldn't hear from a character for 60+ pages, and when we did catch up with them, several weeks (or sometimes months) will have passed and we have to rewind to where we last saw this character. It was especially annoying when a chapter would end in a cliffhanger and it would take 60 pages to see what happens next.
Aside from my one issue with this book (which was, admittedly, significant), I overall thought this was a great book, and I'm excited for the next one!
1. Olivie Blake has a real talent for writing complex inter-character relationships. In the first book, I thought Callum and Reina were both lacking in complexity/attention compared to the other four, but this book really made up for that.
2. While I might have been quick to dismiss the first book as an empty dark academia book (all vibes no substance), this book really does a good job at digging into the relationship between knowledge and power. I look forward to seeing how that develops in the next book.
3. Kind of related to my second point, I think that while book one felt very insular, this book widens the scope and situates the story in the wider world. The world building that initially felt like bare bones is now fleshed out, and I'm sold on it. It's an interesting exploration of our world but with magic where magic isn't the miracle solution to all of our problems, but rather an amplification of the pitfalls of power and greed.
4. My one critique is that the choice in perspective really held back the narrative. By having each chapter be from only one character's perspective, it made for this awkward reading experience where we wouldn't hear from a character for 60+ pages, and when we did catch up with them, several weeks (or sometimes months) will have passed and we have to rewind to where we last saw this character. It was especially annoying when a chapter would end in a cliffhanger and it would take 60 pages to see what happens next.
Aside from my one issue with this book (which was, admittedly, significant), I overall thought this was a great book, and I'm excited for the next one!