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gvstyris's reviews
42 reviews
Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Justice for Alia, man…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Incest, Kidnapping, and Suicide
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Murder
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Our Missing Hearts is quite a different read to Ng's first two novels, both of which I loved as a middle schooler for their slow pacing and rich character studies. Alternatively, Ng presents us here with a dystopian United States defined by anti-Asian legislation and discrimination -- which is to say, not particularly dystopian at all.
I struggled quite a bit for the first third of this book. Bird's perspective, although echoing a child's limited emotional intelligence, is a bit of a slog to read at times. I found Margaret's story much more compelling, but would ultimately argue that she suffers from a similar lack of development.
This novel is largely redeemed by its social commentary, which I'm excited to hear about from Ng herself at the Auckland Writers Festival in a few weeks.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
For the first time in his life, he is unremarkable, and this feels like power.
Our Missing Hearts is quite a different read to Ng's first two novels, both of which I loved as a middle schooler for their slow pacing and rich character studies. Alternatively, Ng presents us here with a dystopian United States defined by anti-Asian legislation and discrimination -- which is to say, not particularly dystopian at all.
I struggled quite a bit for the first third of this book. Bird's perspective, although echoing a child's limited emotional intelligence, is a bit of a slog to read at times. I found Margaret's story much more compelling, but would ultimately argue that she suffers from a similar lack of development.
This novel is largely redeemed by its social commentary, which I'm excited to hear about from Ng herself at the Auckland Writers Festival in a few weeks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Child abuse and Animal cruelty
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
The depiction of feminism in this book is truly something, but man this was so much fun to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Suicide attempt
Minor: Misogyny
Los niños perdidos (un ensayo en cuarenta preguntas) by Valeria Luiselli
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Deportation
Minor: Trafficking
El viento conoce mi nombre by Isabel Allende
Esta novela subraya lo importante que es contar historias para la empatía. En El Viento Conoce Mi Nombre, Allende presenta varios momentos históricos a través de los ojos de tres niños perseguidos. Es sombrío y difícil de leer, pero a la vez infinitamente relevante.
Los capítulos (y historia, supongo) de Anita fueron sin duda los más destacados para mí. El cambio a la segunda perspectiva reflejaba la voz de una niña tan vulnerable, y su prosa sencilla me hizo llorar repetidamente.
Sí, la escritura de Allende es didáctica, y el romance entre el abogado y la trabajadora social es innecesario. Pero me alegra mucho haberlo leído por fin y no puedo recomendarlo lo suficiente.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
4.5
Hay que estar tranquilas. No estamos perdidas. El viento conoce mi nombre y también el tuyo. Todos saben dónde estamos. Yo estoy aquí con vos, sé dónde estás y vos sabés dónde estoy yo. ¿Viste? No hay que tener miedo.
Esta novela subraya lo importante que es contar historias para la empatía. En El Viento Conoce Mi Nombre, Allende presenta varios momentos históricos a través de los ojos de tres niños perseguidos. Es sombrío y difícil de leer, pero a la vez infinitamente relevante.
Los capítulos (y historia, supongo) de Anita fueron sin duda los más destacados para mí. El cambio a la segunda perspectiva reflejaba la voz de una niña tan vulnerable, y su prosa sencilla me hizo llorar repetidamente.
Sí, la escritura de Allende es didáctica, y el romance entre el abogado y la trabajadora social es innecesario. Pero me alegra mucho haberlo leído por fin y no puedo recomendarlo lo suficiente.
Hay una estrella donde toda la gente y los animales están contentos y es mejor que el cielo, porque no hay que morirse para ir allí.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Deportation, and Antisemitism
Moderate: War and Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Sexual assault, and Fatphobia
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
Although Prophet Song is a somewhat unconvincing dystopia, it is undeniably a hauntingly relevant chronicle of the migrant crisis. Lynch successfully flips Western apathy on its head by depicting the gradual erosion of law and order in a totalitarian Ireland; an ambitious yet admirable premise.
I struggled a lot with Lynch's stylistic choices, particularly the absence of paragraph breaks. While the stream of consciousness creates the intended tone of claustrophobia and panic, it is difficult to digest and made reading this quite a slog. I was more successful with the audiobook, although I really can't understand why it has a male narrator...?
That being said, I also think it's important to acknowledge that this book probably wasn't intended for me. I'm honestly too young to relate to Eilish's sacrifice and love for her children, and found that I learned more (about the refugee crisis and writing dystopia respectively) from As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow and The Handmaid's Tale.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
History is a silent record of people who could not leave, it is a record of those that did not have a choice, you cannot leave when you have nowhere to go and have not the means to go there, you cannot leave when your children cannot get a passport, cannot go when your feet are rooted in the earth and to leave means tearing off your feet.
Although Prophet Song is a somewhat unconvincing dystopia, it is undeniably a hauntingly relevant chronicle of the migrant crisis. Lynch successfully flips Western apathy on its head by depicting the gradual erosion of law and order in a totalitarian Ireland; an ambitious yet admirable premise.
I struggled a lot with Lynch's stylistic choices, particularly the absence of paragraph breaks. While the stream of consciousness creates the intended tone of claustrophobia and panic, it is difficult to digest and made reading this quite a slog. I was more successful with the audiobook, although I really can't understand why it has a male narrator...?
That being said, I also think it's important to acknowledge that this book probably wasn't intended for me. I'm honestly too young to relate to Eilish's sacrifice and love for her children, and found that I learned more (about the refugee crisis and writing dystopia respectively) from As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow and The Handmaid's Tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Dementia, Violence, War, and Police brutality
Minor: Gun violence and Xenophobia
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Although I would argue that 1984 is far from the most realistic dystopian novel I have ever read, its influence on popular culture (and the wider genre!) is absolutely undeniable. I was surprised upon re-read how conceptual Orwell's Oceania is: it manages to still read a little like a political manifesto despite lacking Animal Farm's much more explicit allegories. This novel is also incredibly accessible because Orwell really breaks down the world for the reader, which was a welcome change after Dune.
There are a couple areas where 1984 really shined for me. Primarily, newspeak. Orwell aptly portrays language as a tool for control and manipulation, and the appendix's inclusion really made a difference for me. I was also in complete awe of the pages devoted to 'Goldstein's' agenda, which highlight the broader sociopolitical context of this novel so cleverly. They reminded me of The Handmaid Tale's 'Historical Notes' section -- genuinely such a cool way to place Orwell's world within a timeline that the reader is familiar with.
A couple criticisms have turned me off from a higher rating. As pointed out in the afterword of my copy, race is entirely absent from Orwell's world, which is a somewhat bizarre (and unconvincing) choice given its post-Holocaust setting. The misogyny and subtle racism are also pretty distasteful, which I think is important to acknowledge in a novel intending to speculate on the fate of humanity. Julia's character is relatively vapid and disinterested in broader political affairs, which was a struggle for me when contrasted so obviously with Winston's 'intellect.'
That being said, 1984 is absolutely worth the read, and outshines Fahrenheit 451 in almost every way possible...
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
But if there was hope, it lay in the proles. You had to cling on to that. When you put it in words it sounded reasonable: it was when you looked at the human beings passing you on the pavement that it became an act of faith.
Although I would argue that 1984 is far from the most realistic dystopian novel I have ever read, its influence on popular culture (and the wider genre!) is absolutely undeniable. I was surprised upon re-read how conceptual Orwell's Oceania is: it manages to still read a little like a political manifesto despite lacking Animal Farm's much more explicit allegories. This novel is also incredibly accessible because Orwell really breaks down the world for the reader, which was a welcome change after Dune.
There are a couple areas where 1984 really shined for me. Primarily, newspeak. Orwell aptly portrays language as a tool for control and manipulation, and the appendix's inclusion really made a difference for me. I was also in complete awe of the pages devoted to 'Goldstein's' agenda, which highlight the broader sociopolitical context of this novel so cleverly. They reminded me of The Handmaid Tale's 'Historical Notes' section -- genuinely such a cool way to place Orwell's world within a timeline that the reader is familiar with.
A couple criticisms have turned me off from a higher rating. As pointed out in the afterword of my copy, race is entirely absent from Orwell's world, which is a somewhat bizarre (and unconvincing) choice given its post-Holocaust setting. The misogyny and subtle racism are also pretty distasteful, which I think is important to acknowledge in a novel intending to speculate on the fate of humanity. Julia's character is relatively vapid and disinterested in broader political affairs, which was a struggle for me when contrasted so obviously with Winston's 'intellect.'
That being said, 1984 is absolutely worth the read, and outshines Fahrenheit 451 in almost every way possible...
One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexism, War, Misogyny, Death, and Murder
Minor: Racism
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
Dune Messiah is strikingly more didactic than its predecessor, jumping twelve years to follow a conspiracy against Paul's now-established rule over the empire. I'm struggling a bit to rate and condense my feelings about this novel, primarily because of how different it is to Dune.
Dune Messiah is theoretically right up my alley: it explores the corrupting influences of power and the inherent problems faced by a government built on religious worship and fabricated idolatry. Herbert is not intending to replicate the first novel's epic sense of adventure, but I would still argue that this sequel suffers a little without it. Its slow-burn is a bit painful, yet it ultimately still offers a much more nuanced (and needed!) character analysis of Paul, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also really loved the discussion surrounding the Fremen's loss of cultural identity with 'modernisation.'
I'll definitely be considering continuing the series, but am mainly just hyped to see how Villeneuve chooses to adapt this story given his changes to Chani's character.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Religion, too, is a weapon. What manner of weapon is religion when it becomes the government?
Dune Messiah is strikingly more didactic than its predecessor, jumping twelve years to follow a conspiracy against Paul's now-established rule over the empire. I'm struggling a bit to rate and condense my feelings about this novel, primarily because of how different it is to Dune.
Dune Messiah is theoretically right up my alley: it explores the corrupting influences of power and the inherent problems faced by a government built on religious worship and fabricated idolatry. Herbert is not intending to replicate the first novel's epic sense of adventure, but I would still argue that this sequel suffers a little without it. Its slow-burn is a bit painful, yet it ultimately still offers a much more nuanced (and needed!) character analysis of Paul, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also really loved the discussion surrounding the Fremen's loss of cultural identity with 'modernisation.'
I'll definitely be considering continuing the series, but am mainly just hyped to see how Villeneuve chooses to adapt this story given his changes to Chani's character.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Infertility, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Incest
Un cuento de brujas by Chris Colfer
La representación de la salud mental...guau. De verdad, necesitaba este libro cuando era pequeña, y estoy segura de que me hubiera encantado. Aunque no fue tan agradable como la primera novela, todavía estoy emocionada (!!) para leer la conclusión jeje <3
Quizás después leeré La Tierra de Historias otra vez...
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-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
3.25
En algún momento, me ocupé tanto de cambiar al mundo que me olvidé de cambiarme a mí.
La representación de la salud mental...guau. De verdad, necesitaba este libro cuando era pequeña, y estoy segura de que me hubiera encantado. Aunque no fue tan agradable como la primera novela, todavía estoy emocionada (!!) para leer la conclusión jeje <3
Quizás después leeré La Tierra de Historias otra vez...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Un Cuento de Magia by Chris Colfer
Como alguien que casi nunca lee libros de fantasía, de verdad me soprendió lo mucho que disfruté leyendo Un Cuento de Magia. Colfer fue uno de mis autores favoritos cuando era pequeña, y su serie La Tierra de las Historias formó un gran parte de mi niñez. Siempre admiro el encanto y el ingenio de sus novelas, y los personajes sin duda fueron lo más destacado para mí. También me encanta cómo este libro considera la discriminación y el odio a través de una perspectiva sensible: ojalá lo hubiera leído de niña, porque sus temas siguen siendo muy relevantes. Y no sé si soy una idiota, pero el giro de la trama (?) realmente me sorpendió. Me parecía muy bien hecho.
Desafortunadamente, mi queja principal es Brystal...ella es básicamente una 'Mary Sue,' por lo que su desarrollo de personaje no me impactó mucho. A pesar de eso, todavía recomendaría este libro, y estoy emocionada de leer la secuela.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-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
3.75
Debemos compadecernos de la gente que elige odiar, Brystal. Sus vidas nunca serán tan significativas como aquellas llenas de amor.
Como alguien que casi nunca lee libros de fantasía, de verdad me soprendió lo mucho que disfruté leyendo Un Cuento de Magia. Colfer fue uno de mis autores favoritos cuando era pequeña, y su serie La Tierra de las Historias formó un gran parte de mi niñez. Siempre admiro el encanto y el ingenio de sus novelas, y los personajes sin duda fueron lo más destacado para mí. También me encanta cómo este libro considera la discriminación y el odio a través de una perspectiva sensible: ojalá lo hubiera leído de niña, porque sus temas siguen siendo muy relevantes.
Desafortunadamente, mi queja principal es Brystal...ella es básicamente una 'Mary Sue,' por lo que su desarrollo de personaje no me impactó mucho. A pesar de eso, todavía recomendaría este libro, y estoy emocionada de leer la secuela.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, and War
Minor: Suicidal thoughts