hevlav's reviews
89 reviews

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-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

I really loved this book! It was so sweet. 

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark 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

5.0

I truly am not much for war books, but The Dragon Republic is simply outstanding. Without shying away from the brutal, horrific details of war, it approaches everything with so much nuance that any grotesque shock value feels far removed. 

R F Kuang brilliantly draws parallels between our own world and the fictional state of the Empire without any heavy handedness. This book is brutal but incredible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Murder, War

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

2.5

The premise for this book is great; the execution is meh. The excitement of exploring tombs in Egypt is completely buried by the will-they-won’t-they of the main character and a non-descriptly older man. 

I also listened to this as an audiobook… it makes me wildly uncomfortable that the narrators chose to use several accents that are not their own. 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

We live in a society. 

This is obviously a dated piece, but incredibly poignant in its critique of caplitalism 100 years ago in ways that still ring true today. 

Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

2.75

I assumed this was a standalone duology simply set in the same world as These Violent Delights/Our Violent Ends - but no. Going into this after only reading on of the previous book duo leaves so many gaps in the story it’s wholly unpleasant and confusing. It would have been better had the author classified this as a sequel to the original two, instead of its own duo. 

There are still decent parts to it, but I had a lot of the same issues with storytelling that I had with Gong’s previous novel. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Blood

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

challenging 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Torture, Blood, War

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Classism

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

adventurous funny informative fast-paced

3.25

There’s a lot of world building in this book that feels more like information dumping than true storytelling. Also, not enough recognition of the assault on women that end up being painted as complaint in their brutalization. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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? No

3.75

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

5.0

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a master of storytelling. Drawing parallels between the natural world, Indigenous ways of knowing, and current events, she paints a story of sorrow and hope.