freethefrican's reviews
211 reviews
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
The Sex Lives of African Women, by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Biphobia, Body shaming, Mental illness, and Miscarriage
The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
Notes on an Execution, by Danya Kukafka
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Before I Let Go, by Kennedy Ryan
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I’ve come to expect solid stories from KR and this was no exception. Second chance romances don’t really do much for me but I liked this one and enjoyed the push and pull between the love interests.
Unfortunately, the attempt to introduce some external conflict fell flat on its face to me. I’d have loved to see the other lover interests be given enough space to become actual threats but I guess that wasn’t the vision and to be fair, Josiah and Yasmen already had enough going on between them. I did like how Josiah handled his relationship and I liked that while they were very human in many of their reactions and assumptions, they still managed to make many matured decisions in the end.
All in all, It was largely low stakes but also pretty angsty and I liked many of the secondary characters too.
Unfortunately, the attempt to introduce some external conflict fell flat on its face to me. I’d have loved to see the other lover interests be given enough space to become actual threats but I guess that wasn’t the vision and to be fair, Josiah and Yasmen already had enough going on between them. I did like how Josiah handled his relationship and I liked that while they were very human in many of their reactions and assumptions, they still managed to make many matured decisions in the end.
All in all, It was largely low stakes but also pretty angsty and I liked many of the secondary characters too.
Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
The Cheat Sheet, by Sarah Adams
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
1.0
I don’t think I’ve ever hated a female MC this much.
The Swimmers, by Julie Otsuka
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0