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flybybooks's reviews
489 reviews
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
4.0
Unlike the first book, I LOVED this one. It was witty, fun and still managed to feel very real. I liked Anthony and Kate and I especially liked Kate's Corgi.
I laughed, I gasped, I cringed in embarrassment.
I laughed, I gasped, I cringed in embarrassment.
The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
4.0
Love that no judgment bi rep, the foreshadowing and colorful cast of characters.
The storyline is fun, fast-paced and easy to follow, especially if you've read Percy Jackson and the heroes of Olympus.
Apollo is a very interesting and intricate character, a God with regrets and pride and sorrow. It is incredibly fascinating to watch him face his own mortality, with fear and still determination. He has an incredible character growth, and this is only the second book. Excited for more!
The storyline is fun, fast-paced and easy to follow, especially if you've read Percy Jackson and the heroes of Olympus.
Apollo is a very interesting and intricate character, a God with regrets and pride and sorrow. It is incredibly fascinating to watch him face his own mortality, with fear and still determination. He has an incredible character growth, and this is only the second book. Excited for more!
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
5.0
This book covers lots of topics over a span of about 50 years, more intensely about 20.
Especially in depth descriptions of racism, colorism and Prejudice were prominent. While I personally can't speak on their accuracy or appropriateness, I'm sure there are own voices reviewers here who can, so I'll leave that to them. :D
Therefore I'll talk about some other points.
This book had representation, and lots of it, which of course, I loved.
There was a transgender character that didn't feel like a caricature, a character in the drag scene who felt genuine as well as a multitude of LGBT characters.
The author touched on the aids pandemic and activism, on Martin Luther King and other prominent points in history in a way that not only helped put the story in to context but also felt a little like how someone might put the coronavirus pandemic into their journal, not often the Centerpoint of a story but with obvious influence. The world felt three dimensional because the author included these details that were just slightly outside of the direct lives of the Characters.
This book also felt like a study on perspective and motive. How do different people see the world? Why do people do terrible things? Does that make them bad people? These questions were often implied in her writing and answered in part by the feelings evoked by her characters and storyline.
Another thing I loved is the inner conflict that arises about roots, identity and who we were versus who we become. I can't really elaborate without spoilers, but it's very well done.
There's only one thing I must warn about: this book is heavy. I needed to take breaks to digest certain bits, which was important to really learn and grow with this story. That's not a bad thing, I'd just not quite expected it.
I really do highly recommend this book. It drew me in and held me fast.
Especially in depth descriptions of racism, colorism and Prejudice were prominent. While I personally can't speak on their accuracy or appropriateness, I'm sure there are own voices reviewers here who can, so I'll leave that to them. :D
Therefore I'll talk about some other points.
This book had representation, and lots of it, which of course, I loved.
There was a transgender character that didn't feel like a caricature, a character in the drag scene who felt genuine as well as a multitude of LGBT characters.
The author touched on the aids pandemic and activism, on Martin Luther King and other prominent points in history in a way that not only helped put the story in to context but also felt a little like how someone might put the coronavirus pandemic into their journal, not often the Centerpoint of a story but with obvious influence. The world felt three dimensional because the author included these details that were just slightly outside of the direct lives of the Characters.
This book also felt like a study on perspective and motive. How do different people see the world? Why do people do terrible things? Does that make them bad people? These questions were often implied in her writing and answered in part by the feelings evoked by her characters and storyline.
Another thing I loved is the inner conflict that arises about roots, identity and who we were versus who we become. I can't really elaborate without spoilers, but it's very well done.
There's only one thing I must warn about: this book is heavy. I needed to take breaks to digest certain bits, which was important to really learn and grow with this story. That's not a bad thing, I'd just not quite expected it.
I really do highly recommend this book. It drew me in and held me fast.
The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
4.0
I don't know what to say except: did you have to make me bawl like that tho?
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
5.0
Girls of Paper and Fire is an asian-inspired high fantasy set in a world ruled by a divide in the population: the castes. What caste you are in is not something you can change, it is what you are. The Main Character, Lei is a member of the lowest, the paper caste: she is fully human. Her golden eyes make her stand out though, and so she is chosen to become a paper girl, a Concubine.to the Demon King. This is not something she wants or chooses, but with a threat to her family hanging over her head, it is her lot. Or is it?
This is the beginning of a fast-paced story about injustice and rebellion and what these can look like.
The pacing of the story felt fitting, not so slow as to be boring, but not too fast either. The writing was thought-provoking and immersive, making it very easy to empathize with the characters. I cried within the first 50 pages. The world-building was exquisite, a concept that felt new and fresh. Discriptions and history were given when fitting and in intervals, avoiding any infodumps.
The ending kept me on my toes and I am very excited to find out what happens next!
The characters were multidimensional and well-written, highlighting how much grey there is in the world and how little black and white.
Cultural representation is generally well done as far as I can tell, though the own-voices author and reviewers will know more, so be sure to look for their reviews.
There is also a beautifully described wlw relationship that hints at explicit scenes without fetishization and focuses on the feeling of love and affection and softness.
Due to the nature of the story, there are scenes that depict sexual assault. This is well Handled with a Trigger Warning in the beginning of the book. Exact descriptions are generally not given, everything is relatively vague. Still, it is in no way romanticized or made to seem any less horrific than it is.
I was very happy and enthralled with this book (its plot and its cover, I mean LOOK AT IT), swept away by the author's beautiful written word and Characters I could see in my mind's eye.
This is the beginning of a fast-paced story about injustice and rebellion and what these can look like.
The pacing of the story felt fitting, not so slow as to be boring, but not too fast either. The writing was thought-provoking and immersive, making it very easy to empathize with the characters. I cried within the first 50 pages. The world-building was exquisite, a concept that felt new and fresh. Discriptions and history were given when fitting and in intervals, avoiding any infodumps.
The ending kept me on my toes and I am very excited to find out what happens next!
The characters were multidimensional and well-written, highlighting how much grey there is in the world and how little black and white.
Cultural representation is generally well done as far as I can tell, though the own-voices author and reviewers will know more, so be sure to look for their reviews.
There is also a beautifully described wlw relationship that hints at explicit scenes without fetishization and focuses on the feeling of love and affection and softness.
Due to the nature of the story, there are scenes that depict sexual assault. This is well Handled with a Trigger Warning in the beginning of the book. Exact descriptions are generally not given, everything is relatively vague. Still, it is in no way romanticized or made to seem any less horrific than it is.
I was very happy and enthralled with this book (its plot and its cover, I mean LOOK AT IT), swept away by the author's beautiful written word and Characters I could see in my mind's eye.