illiteratebookclub's reviews
29 reviews

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

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

4.0

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

dark mysterious tense 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? No

3.25

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

The Black Dwarves of the Good Little Bay by Varun Thomas Mathew

informative mysterious 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

4.0

The book follows the formation of the city of Bombadrome out of the ruins of Bombay. It is a nonlinear narrative that alternates between the past and the present - it is written as if it were a historical document chronicling the essence of the city and the powers that govern it. 

The main character - Godse -is an IAS officer who knows the intricate details and designs of the city and the price that was paid to make it into Bombadrome - a city that eliminates diversity in order to be inclusive. Technology allows for reality to be altered to the point that people perceive everything as similar to them. 

The narration follows the life of Godse that intersects with the life of countless other people and how in the end they are all part of a grand scheme of Bombadrome and it's history. 

The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh

informative reflective slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.5

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

When I first read this book, I was quite appalled at the way it was written because it's very simple. Almost as if it's written by a reporter. It's not narrated in a way that transports you to this visually appealing world and only later did I realise that's is for a canon reason.

This book follows a woman Kim Jiyoung who is usually drawn as a faceless woman on the cover of the book. It's because it's not important to know Jiyoung as a separate individual, she acts as the voice of Korean women. The novel explores the misogyny that all Korean women face right from birth till marriage and after that too. The author even quotes various statistics to emphasize that these are real problems faced by people and not something made up to play the victim. It's a very simple and fast paced read and I'd recommend to anyone that wants a light commentary on social issues.

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

emotional informative tense medium-paced

5.0