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goodreads_connoisseur's reviews
331 reviews
Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Narrator inhaling into the mic. Will have to check this out as a physical read.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
My God, this book was good and perfect for audio. I stayed up past 3 am to finish and I'm not ready to say good bye to these incredible characters. Part of what made this one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read was Due's restraint and refusal to go the obvious route (literally!). I look forward to reading more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Racism
Moderate: Pedophilia
Pageboy by Elliot Page
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Eating disorder and Emotional abuse
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Our Missing Hearts marks a departure from the painstakingly brilliant character development that made Ng's first two novels so impactful. I might have been contented to pass my disappointment off as me not being smart enough or otherwise chalked the lack of color up to a stylistic choice to emphasize the crush of fascism--had it not been for Sadie. From Sadie's replacement family's desire to chemically relax her hair being characterized as "well intentioned" to the throwaway mention of Indian residential schools in the author's note, this book was a bit of a shortsighted mess.
That being said, this book is a really important testament to the violence people of Asian descent face in America and highlights the real intent of anti-China policies like the proposed (and some unfortunate cases, actual) TikTok bans. Two other important things Our Missing Hearts did get right: Lucy Liu as a narrator (she's absolutely fantastic) and portrayals of librarians as superheroes (they are).
Justice for Sadie!!!
That being said, this book is a really important testament to the violence people of Asian descent face in America and highlights the real intent of anti-China policies like the proposed (and some unfortunate cases, actual) TikTok bans. Two other important things Our Missing Hearts did get right: Lucy Liu as a narrator (she's absolutely fantastic) and portrayals of librarians as superheroes (they are).
Justice for Sadie!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Kidnapping, and Hate crime
The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
DNF'd at 2% because the narrator kept gasping directly into the mic every time she took a breath and it was absolutely infuriating. There were also several pauses between paragraphs where sound engineers might have been trying to edit out the wheezing, but just made the whole product even worse. A shame!
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0