gia0203's reviews
140 reviews

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

Go to review page

2.5

I really didn’t gain much from this. I liked the depiction of spain, I cried at the story “the well” (I could write a whole review just for that story) and I did enjoy a few concepts, but it was so underwhelming? the stories felt stilted and unfinished and I struggled to grasp much of their meaning. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

oh! this was delicious! such an immersive experience, you really feel like you’re in dorothy’s head. there was so much thought and feeling in this book. she felt like a living, breathing person. yes, there was very flowery prose and lots of food-related terms I had to google, but oh this book was so engaging and enjoyable and beautifully constructed. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

Go to review page

dark tense slow-paced

1.0

I really didn’t click with this. the writing style grated on me, nothing much happened, and it felt like a vague array of concepts strung together loosely without any clear direction. penance was grounded and disturbing and beautiful and this was so underwhelming in comparison. 

it’s a shame because the main character is a northern queer woman and I’ve never read a book set where I live before. I really thought I was gonna love this but it was so repetitive - for much of the novel irina is drinking, smoking and taking drugs, or manipulating the people around her, or both at the same time. it didn’t really feel like anything was happening,  even when the narrative took a different turn. 

the most interesting parts of the novel, to me, where irina’s friend flo and eddie, but they were left with no conclusion either. the hook was so captivating, so engaging, but this is where my interest ended. as a concept this novel works very well but as an actual book I just could not connect to it. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

Go to review page

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

parts of this book made me cry because I understood so deeply how the protagonists felt. this is for anyone who has experienced trauma and anyone who has felt like they are an alien in this world. have you ever just thought to yourself, why is this world the way it is? why are we pressured to do certain things, to play a certain role? I’m tearing up again as I think of this. this book is about escapism and about wanting to be free. I, too, understand wanting to be far away from the factory. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Red Queen by Christina Henry

Go to review page

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

red queen treats women far better than alice did. it gives its main character a stronger and more distinct voice. but it also lacks the world building and unique horror that gripped me in alice. 
Alice by Christina Henry

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really enjoyed this. I thought Henry reinvented alice in wonderland very well, with continuous references to the original story. I was extremely engaged in the narrative and found myself thinking about what might happen next when I wasn’t reading the book. 

however, the representation of women in this book was very… archaic. they were given very little agency and seen as sexual objects. alice herself relies on hatcher as her protector, though she does develop beyond this. other than alice, most of the women are treated as toys. I understand that this is the purpose of the novel, but it still was difficult to stomach.

alice herself was very well characterised and I related to her a lot. her relationship with hatcher was lovely and they really understood each other.

the plot developed in a satisfying way, and I would have rated it higher, if not for
the rushed meeting with the rabbit. alice has spent the entire book looking for him! she has dreaded seeing him. and yet when she does meet him at last, it lasts for a few pages. he is the least memorable character in the book! he is given such a fear inspiring description, he is described as the true terror over and over again, and yet! ugh. so irritating.
if not for the anticlimactic, rushed ending i would have loved this book. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

3.75

this really isn’t my genre but I wanted to branch out and see how I felt… while I still don’t think this genre is for me I was stunned by how well the author captured realising you’re queer as a teenager! I was very much like ophelia with a vast amount of crushes and it made me feel warm and understood to read this. While I can’t connect with the writing style the book reminded me of my own youth and put forward a fantastic message about inclusivity.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

Go to review page

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

picked the signed version up from forbidden planet and very glad I did. a reflective look on womanhood and trauma. how we come to live with our bodies. and sisterhood. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

As someone who has a complicated relationship with religion/faith, I really enjoyed the themes in this. I particularly enjoyed the use of the seasons (Summer being the most effective). 

However, as we moved towards the end of the novel, the pace slowed down, and the narrative became more dull, ultimately leading to an ending I didn’t find satisfying. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I need time to process this one. Dark reflection on womanhood and adolescence. The writing style was unique - perhaps not a style I prefer, but it was interesting, and  I appreciated it. Fascinating motifs and metaphors. Very Freudian. The relationship between the protagonists was the most interesting part. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings