gossamer_lens's reviews
1252 reviews

Manacled by SenLinYu

dark emotional sad fast-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

Overall a creepy and interesting short story collection. The below are my ratings for each short story. My rating for the book is the average of these:

3.75 - The Dirty Kid
4.25 - The Inn
2.75 - The Intoxicated Years
4.5 - Adela's Hours
5 - An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt
3.5 - Spiderweb
4.75 - End of Term
4 - No Flesh Over Our Bones
4.25 - The Neighbot's Courtyard
3.5 - Under the Black Water
2.75 - Green Red Orange 
4.75 - Things We Lost in the Fire

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Police brutality, Gore, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Excrement, Murder, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Gun violence, Child abuse, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Vomit, Eating disorder, Drug use, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Addiction

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Omg if you want to cry so much but be so happy about it, just pick this book up now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, and Death

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

Minor: Child death

The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm All-New Third Edition by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

5.0

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

5.0

 Later in his writing life, Mark Twain published this book. "Mark Twain" had become a name that people would buy from simply because it was him. Interestingly enough, this book wasn't published under that name. He published it anonymously because he wished it to be judged because of it's quality, not because he wrote it. Twain dedicated this work to his wife, and considered it one of his best works. Honestly, I disagree with him. It isn't "one of his best." It is his best work. Having read all of Mark Twain that I can lay my hands on, this is by far the most well done.
I hope that everyone will have a chance to read this book sometime in there life. 

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I wanted to love this one. Many choices in the writing of this just felt odd. With how short the work was it was surprisingly repetivie in its reminders of certain things and events while whole themes were left undeveloped. The main characters reactions to events felt hollow and unalive. The central conflict didn't feel reasonable or very well considered. And there was a moment where the main character was reciting her adventures to a group of others (giving us more redundancy and repetition) and I just was struck with how much more interesting it would have been to have the story as that moments narration instead of how it was actually laid out. 

I'm giving it over a 3 star because the world was interesting enough and the book kept me hoping for more at all points. It just didn't deliver what I thought it could deliver had some more polishing of the narrative and consideration of the key conflict and narration style been taken into consideration. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

challenging reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This books was literally perfect to me. The reflection, themes and characters are all amazing. Each chapter is its own arch and concise narrative. It creates a wonderfully solid, compelling, and fast paced read. Where Dune dragged at times, this book soared and leaped. Loves Dune. Love love love Dune Messiah. 

The Red Rose by Time Princess

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Fun and simple. Loved the references to Romeo and Juliet and enjoyed the option to have the MC work with her father to learn and grow. Also loved the ending and it's cute nod to the romance to come in the main story. Very good side story. 

Little Women by Time Princess

hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Cute and sweet. Nothing crazy. But I love Jo and her professor and so I loved this adaptation focusing on their relationship. 

For the Love of Flying by Time Princess

lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

I personally found nothing super interesting about Charlotte in the main story "Gotham Memoirs". Well, excepting the super sapphic emotional connection she had with the protagonist. So to get a prequel where it's just her getting bullied all the time in school felt very whatever. I would have given this 1 star if she hadn't overcome the adversity. As it is, I really sped through this to be done with it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism and Bullying