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giordana's reviews
131 reviews
Civil War by Mark Millar
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.25
ok first of all read the trigger warnings for this because i did not and i was like wait this is so dark! *sees that one of the tags for this book is literally “dark”* ah yes it makes sense now.
when i started this book i wasn’t super into it if i’m honest. but i’m telling u— PUSH THRU those first 200 pages. it gets so good.
the stakes are SO FRICKEN high and every choice comes at a cost — and the characters don’t always make the right (or most morally sound) choice. but who am i to say what is immoral ?? they’re so real and flawed and broken and i love them all. <3
on one hand the world/culture/religion are so rich and vibrant (the psychedelics may contribute to this) but on the other hand everything is so dark and grim.
the story is based on chinese history and culture which makes it even more interesting and just adds another layer of complexity that i can’t wait to look deeper into and learn more about.
read this book but be aware that it is not always pretty.
when i started this book i wasn’t super into it if i’m honest. but i’m telling u— PUSH THRU those first 200 pages. it gets so good.
the stakes are SO FRICKEN high and every choice comes at a cost — and the characters don’t always make the right (or most morally sound) choice. but who am i to say what is immoral ?? they’re so real and flawed and broken and i love them all. <3
on one hand the world/culture/religion are so rich and vibrant (the psychedelics may contribute to this) but on the other hand everything is so dark and grim.
the story is based on chinese history and culture which makes it even more interesting and just adds another layer of complexity that i can’t wait to look deeper into and learn more about.
read this book but be aware that it is not always pretty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Excrement, and Vomit
A Room With a View by E.M. Forster
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
I honestly was worried that this would bore me but that was not the case at all! The writing was a good balance between poetic and witty, which I love — and the chapters had such fun names??? I love me some good chapter titles.
The book is pretty much a commentary on the changing roles of women in the early 20th century. The cast of characters has a variety of different political, religious, and societal beliefs which clash with one another— Lucy is trying to figure out her position amidst all of it.
Things I enjoyed:
- THE EMERSONS!! I enjoyed their (father and son) outlook on life :’) Such cuties!!
- The descriptions of Italy and Italians lol
- The scene where Freddy, George, and Mr. Beebe go swimming in the Sacred Lake; I might go back and read this again it was so gorgeous
Something I didn’t like super much:
Maybe I’m just a pessimist but I didn’t LOVE how after breaking off her engagement with Cecil, Lucy went straight to George after just finishing saying how she wants to be an INDEPENDENT woman!!!! On the other hand I get that George would let her have that independence (a feminist king) whereas Cecil wouldn’t have. But anyway I wish she would’ve just stayed single for a bit lol…
Anyways! I kinda wanna watch the movie now.
The book is pretty much a commentary on the changing roles of women in the early 20th century. The cast of characters has a variety of different political, religious, and societal beliefs which clash with one another— Lucy is trying to figure out her position amidst all of it.
Things I enjoyed:
- THE EMERSONS!! I enjoyed their (father and son) outlook on life :’) Such cuties!!
- The descriptions of Italy and Italians lol
- The scene where Freddy, George, and Mr. Beebe go swimming in the Sacred Lake; I might go back and read this again it was so gorgeous
Something I didn’t like super much:
Maybe I’m just a pessimist but I didn’t LOVE how
Anyways! I kinda wanna watch the movie now.
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
the first 2/3rds were slow compared to TFE like it was basically just elend being bad at politics because he’s a good person and everyone else around him *facepalm*ing…..
and there was a lot of them just anticipating like: “ok, there’s gonna be a battle. we have to prepare. it’s coming….” and i was like OK BUT WHERE ?????? but then f i n a l l y the sanderlanche came and blew my mind. like the twists and reveals actually made me GASP out loud
ok general thoughts:
- the koloss are some of the most horrifying creatures i’ve ever read about
- vin and oreseur’s cute little friendship was so precious, like watching their relationship evolve and their convos/interactions WoW i loved them
- zane was a little weirdo, can u just NOT? thanks
- i love the crew’s sense of humour even when everything is crashing and burning around them
and there was a lot of them just anticipating like: “ok, there’s gonna be a battle. we have to prepare. it’s coming….” and i was like OK BUT WHERE ?????? but then f i n a l l y the sanderlanche came and blew my mind. like the twists and reveals actually made me GASP out loud
ok general thoughts:
- the koloss are some of the most horrifying creatures i’ve ever read about
- vin and oreseur’s cute little friendship was so precious, like watching their relationship evolve and their convos/interactions WoW i loved them
- zane was a little weirdo, can u just NOT? thanks
- i love the crew’s sense of humour even when everything is crashing and burning around them
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Sappho
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
it feels weird to give this a star rating so lemme think
Film for Her by Orion Carloto
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
holy hell my soul
Major by Luck Zytowski
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
writing in this box to remind myself to copy and paste my review
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
fantabulous
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
this was the most beautiful thing i’ve ever read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, and Excrement
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
really hard to read at times, interesting to see how vanessa—an abuse survivor— has warped memories and blames herself for what happens, protecting her abuser