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icarusandthesun's reviews
142 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
loved finally getting to know the marauders and the action/plot-twist were actually impactful and interesting, unlike in the second book.
i fully expected not to like this book, for the simple reason that dolly's life is utterly unrelatable to me. i'm not a social butterfly, i'm not a millenial, i'm socially awkward. but maybe that's the exact reason why i soaked up her insights and advice like a sponge. insights about things i've never experienced.
and though dolly and i don't even share the same generation, i could relate to a lot of her fears—losing friends through growing up/apart, the fear of getting older and not being where you expected to be, and the feeling of slowly running out of time.
everything i know about love gave me extreme fomo, but at the same time also eased some of my other fears and worries about life. i loved dolly's takes on therapy and (female) friendships and platonic love.
will definitely re-read in a few years.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Medical content
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Blood
it is absolutely crazy to me that this is not fiction. it felt like fiction, because of the unhinged things that happen, and the weirdness of it all. while reading i frequently had to remind myself that this is actually a memoir, that a real human being went through these absolutely vile events. my sympathy for alisson wood is endless.
on a more technical note, the book had very short chapters, which i really enjoy. wood's writing style is flowy and keeps you invested. i also liked all of the "breaking the fourth wall" sequences, because they served as a means to entice but also to floor you and once again remind you that this actually happened.
a great book, really.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the plot-twist didn't impact me in the slightest.
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Sexual content
- 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
2.0
there are some bigs twists in this book that should've thrown you off, made you put the book down for a few seconds to comprehend what just happened; should've, but it didn't.
it was the writing, mostly. i don't know where frank herbert went wrong (& perhaps i am the problem), but the narration was dry and all the 'political intrigue' a yap-fest.
how the conflict was resolved in the end felt rushed and a little silly.
wasn't a fan.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood and Medical content
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i love how creatively the author formatted the book; it was different and special, and really helped the whole illusion of being in this troubled kid's mind, where not everything (anything) is orderly and pretty and normal.
some sections i had to read twice though, because the vocab threw me off and so did all the references to random topics and songs.
still, i rather enjoyed it.
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Drug use
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
this time there was also a murder mystery which was fun!
i liked it, as in it was perfectly fine and a very comfy read!
however it wasn't the best nor the most exciting one of the diaries.
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Slavery and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
i wanted to take a little break from science-fiction, and this book seemed to call to me. i liked it—the vibes, the poetic language, the writing style. it was grounding, calming, like stormy weather (but without the lightning and the thunder).
it was nice, but (luckily, i suppose) not relatable for me, right now. i know this is probably a good depiction of grief in many people’s eyes though.
i liked the characters. marin was a little bland, but well, grief does that to a person, so i get it. the author did a good job of telling us about all the things marin used to be passionate about.
the ending was cute, too. it was just nothing special, and wasn’t able to invoke any sort of deep feeling in me, personally.
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
a fun read that i recommend dearly to every fan of the dune franchise!
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence and Torture
Minor: Rape