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imaginary_space's reviews
217 reviews
Vampyr Verse by Lester Smith, F. J. Bergmann, David Lee Summers, J. Robert King, Patrick T. Randolph, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Clint Collins, John Cochrane, Elizabeth Barrette
dark
funny
medium-paced
3.5
A nice collection of sometimes funny, sometimes unapologetically edgy, sometimes experimental poetry. There are some surprisingly serious poems that are really good.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is such a massive work with so many layers, I struggled to decide how to even rate or review it. So in the end, I decided to boil it down to this:
This book is a surrealist's wet dream.
It kept me interested to the end, it made me feel things and it made me learn things. And the magical realism elements are perfectly executed for my tastes. The whole story of the Buendía family feels surreal, but is set in a world that feels extremely real and I loved that. That feeling of everything happening at the same time is something rare and hard to achieve. What impressed me most is that there is not one unnecessary sentence in the whole thing.
This book is a surrealist's wet dream.
It kept me interested to the end, it made me feel things and it made me learn things. And the magical realism elements are perfectly executed for my tastes. The whole story of the Buendía family feels surreal, but is set in a world that feels extremely real and I loved that. That feeling of everything happening at the same time is something rare and hard to achieve. What impressed me most is that there is not one unnecessary sentence in the whole thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Pedophilia, and Gun violence
Stiefkinder der Republik by Angelika Censebrunn-Benz
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Ein wichtiges und schwer zu verdauendes Buch. Vielen Dank an den Herder-Verlag für die Bereitstellung eines digitalen Rezensionsexemplares.
Die Aufarbeitung relevanter Teile der DDR-Geschichte in Deutschland lässt zu wünschen übrig, und so ist es auch mit dem Heimsystem. Doch gerade hier haben wir die Chance, noch etwas zu tun, denn die betroffenen Menschen leben noch, jeden Tag, mit dem, was ihnen angetan wurde.
Trotz dass ich bereits über Hintergrundwissen verfügte, war dieses Buch sehr informativ und macht einen guten Job, das Ausmaß und die langfristigen Auswirkungen auf persönlicher Ebene zu verdeutlichen. Besonders gelungen finde ich die Vorgehensweise, persönliche Berichte und nüchterne Informationen als Paare auftreten zu lassen. So wird ein Erfahrungsbericht eingeordnet mit einer kurzen Geschichte der konkreten beschriebenen Institution und weiteren Kontext-Fakten, was die persönlichen Geschichten für uns als Leser:innen greifbarer und verständlicher, und damit noch schwerer zu verdauen, macht.
Die Autorin gibt den Betroffenen Raum für ihre Erlebnisse, angenehm neutral, ohne sie zu heldenhaften Opfern oder traumatisierten (Mit-)Täter:innen zu machen. Sie ordnet ein, wertet aber nicht und bleibt immer empathisch.
Das Heimsystem in der DDR war nicht auf Bildung oder Erziehung ausgerichtet, nicht einmal auf Vorbereitung aufs Erwachsenenleben. Die Kinder und Jugendlichen wurden als Zwangsarbeiter:innen für gefährliche Tätigkeiten verwendet und hatten sich einem gefängnisartigen Drill unterzuordnen, der eine Person nur komplett unvorbereitet auf ein eigenständiges Leben lassen kann. Missbrauch durch Heimarbeiter:innen und Mithäftlinge war an der Tagesordnung. Ob ein Kind ins Heim gekommen war, weil es von den Eltern vernachlässigt wurde, weil es auffällig geworden war oder weil die Eltern politisch nicht passten, war dabei egal. Mit dem Erreichen der Volljährigkeit wurden sie vor die Tür gesetzt und später wurde der einzige Abschluss, den sie im Heim erlangen konnten, von der BRD noch nicht einmal anerkannt.
Die wenigen Berichte von Heimarbeiter:innen, die sich tatsächlich für die Jugendlichen interessierten und aufgrund dessen entweder versetzt wurden oder den Job wechselten, weil sie die Zustände selbst nicht aushielten, verdeutlichen nur den Gedanken, der mir nach dem Lesen des Buches noch am längsten im Kopf blieb: Dieses System wurde von sehr vielen Menschen gestützt. Nicht nur Parteikadern, die auf einer abstrakten Ebene Entscheidungen trafen und nie ein Heim von innen gesehen hatten, sondern auch denjenigen, die tagtäglich in diesen Heimen arbeiteten, Kinder und Jugendliche missbrauchten und so gegeneinander ausspielten, sodass Solidarität kaum möglich war. Dazu braucht es einen ganz besonderen Schlag Mensch und eine gehörige Portion Menschenverachtung. Und es funktioniert immer wieder, in jedem System.
Kaum einer dieser Menschen wurde je für seine Taten zur Rechenschaft gezogen.
Die Aufarbeitung relevanter Teile der DDR-Geschichte in Deutschland lässt zu wünschen übrig, und so ist es auch mit dem Heimsystem. Doch gerade hier haben wir die Chance, noch etwas zu tun, denn die betroffenen Menschen leben noch, jeden Tag, mit dem, was ihnen angetan wurde.
Trotz dass ich bereits über Hintergrundwissen verfügte, war dieses Buch sehr informativ und macht einen guten Job, das Ausmaß und die langfristigen Auswirkungen auf persönlicher Ebene zu verdeutlichen. Besonders gelungen finde ich die Vorgehensweise, persönliche Berichte und nüchterne Informationen als Paare auftreten zu lassen. So wird ein Erfahrungsbericht eingeordnet mit einer kurzen Geschichte der konkreten beschriebenen Institution und weiteren Kontext-Fakten, was die persönlichen Geschichten für uns als Leser:innen greifbarer und verständlicher, und damit noch schwerer zu verdauen, macht.
Die Autorin gibt den Betroffenen Raum für ihre Erlebnisse, angenehm neutral, ohne sie zu heldenhaften Opfern oder traumatisierten (Mit-)Täter:innen zu machen. Sie ordnet ein, wertet aber nicht und bleibt immer empathisch.
Das Heimsystem in der DDR war nicht auf Bildung oder Erziehung ausgerichtet, nicht einmal auf Vorbereitung aufs Erwachsenenleben. Die Kinder und Jugendlichen wurden als Zwangsarbeiter:innen für gefährliche Tätigkeiten verwendet und hatten sich einem gefängnisartigen Drill unterzuordnen, der eine Person nur komplett unvorbereitet auf ein eigenständiges Leben lassen kann. Missbrauch durch Heimarbeiter:innen und Mithäftlinge war an der Tagesordnung. Ob ein Kind ins Heim gekommen war, weil es von den Eltern vernachlässigt wurde, weil es auffällig geworden war oder weil die Eltern politisch nicht passten, war dabei egal. Mit dem Erreichen der Volljährigkeit wurden sie vor die Tür gesetzt und später wurde der einzige Abschluss, den sie im Heim erlangen konnten, von der BRD noch nicht einmal anerkannt.
Die wenigen Berichte von Heimarbeiter:innen, die sich tatsächlich für die Jugendlichen interessierten und aufgrund dessen entweder versetzt wurden oder den Job wechselten, weil sie die Zustände selbst nicht aushielten, verdeutlichen nur den Gedanken, der mir nach dem Lesen des Buches noch am längsten im Kopf blieb: Dieses System wurde von sehr vielen Menschen gestützt. Nicht nur Parteikadern, die auf einer abstrakten Ebene Entscheidungen trafen und nie ein Heim von innen gesehen hatten, sondern auch denjenigen, die tagtäglich in diesen Heimen arbeiteten, Kinder und Jugendliche missbrauchten und so gegeneinander ausspielten, sodass Solidarität kaum möglich war. Dazu braucht es einen ganz besonderen Schlag Mensch und eine gehörige Portion Menschenverachtung. Und es funktioniert immer wieder, in jedem System.
Kaum einer dieser Menschen wurde je für seine Taten zur Rechenschaft gezogen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, and Torture
Moderate: Medical trauma, Violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Self harm
Monsterhearts by Jeeyon Shim, James Mendez Hodes, Ciel Sainte-Marie, Avery Alder
When the German edition of this was kickstarted, I didn't back it because I wasn't sure this game was for me. Recently, I got to play a session of Monsterhearts at a convention and immediately bought the book afterwards. I had a great time rediscovering my teenage edge.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
What was meh:
Overall, I wasn't too emotionally engaged, but I did enjoy it enough to probably read the second book in the series.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was told this was not really YA, but I guess it still was too much YA for me. That's not the book's fault, though. So if you generally like YA, I suspect you will like this book a lot more than I did.
What I liked:
What I liked:
- The world building - European inspired, plus a fantasy story set (mainly) in a big city, that's a nice diversion from the majority of books in the genre. If you know any more books, don't hesitate to point me in their direction!
- Also, I liked the Grisha magic.
- I like stories about ragtag bands/found families doing things (okay, crime) together.
- It was so well written that I found the plot interesting and wanted to know not so much what would happen next, but how it would happen.
- I started to appreciate Inej and Kaz once I stopped thinking about their age and just embraced how utterly, unapologetically edgy they are. Teenage me would have probably loved them.
- Jesper is quite the cinnamon roll, and I enjoyed him as a character. He was the most believable and most interesting (and layered) of the bunch.
- There was some entertaining dialogue.
What was meh:
- Even though interestingly written, the plot didn't hold any major surprises.
- Nina and Matthias were annoying, even more so because there wasn't ever any real doubt about the outcome. Also, very tropey romance story.
- Yes, growing up in a slum ages people beyond their years. Sure, I get that. But at times it was just too unbelievable, especially with the way they talked sometimes.
- Even more unbelievable that Kaz managed to have this badass mysterious reputation for being a criminal genius when apparently every other major player in that city was an adult. I would have gotten it if the gang members in the slums were all roughly about the same age. But like this it makes very little sense.
- Towards the end, I was pretty annoyed by the twentieth "... BUT they had seen it coming!" surprise. Especially since there was very few foreshadowing.
- There was some pretentious edgy dialogue. It's a fine line.
Overall, I wasn't too emotionally engaged, but I did enjoy it enough to probably read the second book in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Classism, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture
Habe ich dir eigentlich schon erzählt ... by Sibylle Berg
adventurous
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Young adult, und dann auch noch zwei Teenager als Protagonisten - eigentlich nicht mein Fall. Aber in "Habe ich dir eigentlich schon erzählt..." hat es mich nicht gestört. Im Gegenteil, das Buch hat mir gut gefallen. Bei all den Märchen-Nacherzählungen, die zur Zeit so kursieren, ist die Ansiedlung der Geschichte in der DDR eine angenehm abwechslungsreiche Idee. Anna und Max sind als Charaktere nachvollziehbar und glaubwürdig, wenn auch manchmal etwas altklug - aber auch das passt zum Teenager-Sein. Beide eint, dass sie von ihren Eltern vernachlässigt werden, auch wenn diese Eltern in der sozialen Hierarchie des Staates auf ganz unterschiedlichen Stufen stehen.
Trotz der Kürze des Buches erfährt man sehr viel über das Leben in der DDR und anderen Ostblock-Ländern. Vor allem dass es den Menschen in der DDR im Vergleich zu anderen Ländern sehr gut ging, lebten sie doch im Vorzeige-Land direkt am Eisernen Vorhang, ist eine Tatsache, die in ähnlichen Publikationen häufig untergeht. Dennoch wird hier nichts beschönigt.
Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass sich das Buch als Schullektüre eignet. Es ist nicht zu lang und enthält einige Themen, über die zu sprechen es sich lohnt.
Emotional hat es mich nicht ganz abgeholt, aber wie ich eingangs erwähnte, ist das bei Teenagern als Protagonisten nichts Ungewöhnliches für mich, also hatte ich das auch nicht erwartet. Diesen Aspekt sollen anderen bewerten.
Vielen Dank an Netgalley und den Argon Verlag für das Rezensionsexemplar des Hörbuchs im Tausch gegen ein ehrliches Review.
Trotz der Kürze des Buches erfährt man sehr viel über das Leben in der DDR und anderen Ostblock-Ländern. Vor allem dass es den Menschen in der DDR im Vergleich zu anderen Ländern sehr gut ging, lebten sie doch im Vorzeige-Land direkt am Eisernen Vorhang, ist eine Tatsache, die in ähnlichen Publikationen häufig untergeht. Dennoch wird hier nichts beschönigt.
Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass sich das Buch als Schullektüre eignet. Es ist nicht zu lang und enthält einige Themen, über die zu sprechen es sich lohnt.
Emotional hat es mich nicht ganz abgeholt, aber wie ich eingangs erwähnte, ist das bei Teenagern als Protagonisten nichts Ungewöhnliches für mich, also hatte ich das auch nicht erwartet. Diesen Aspekt sollen anderen bewerten.
Vielen Dank an Netgalley und den Argon Verlag für das Rezensionsexemplar des Hörbuchs im Tausch gegen ein ehrliches Review.
Fritzi Haberlandt und Alexander Khuon als Sprecher fand ich sehr gut, ziehe aber einen halben Stern ab, weil man Khuons Stimme den Teenager nicht wirklich abkauft, und das hat mich irritiert.
Escaping the Body by Chloe N. Clark
I wanted to read more poetry this year and Escaping the Body by Chloe N. Clark was a perfect start.
It is raw, honest and at times brutal. Clark weaves together all the ways we feel our bodies and how we are estranged from them. This is not an easy subject, and with so few pages she manages to say so much about it. I was impressed by how different her works were while still staying true to her chosen topic, and I enjoyed the speculative and horror vibes of some of the poems. There were only 1 or 2 that didn't really click with me, I've read all the others several times already. I was hoping for a collection that would make me feel something, and this one delivered. After getting myself a physical copy, I think I will be reading this again and again.
This is a powerful, emotional, intelligent and overall impressive collection and I will definitely read more by Chloe N. Clark.
I was especially impressed by "Missing Girl Found", "Insert Bad Joke Here" and "The Undue Acidity In Your Veins".
Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
"We can trace everything to its roots. It's what we are especially good at. Yet still we cannot find any explanation there."
I wanted to read more poetry this year and Escaping the Body by Chloe N. Clark was a perfect start.
It is raw, honest and at times brutal. Clark weaves together all the ways we feel our bodies and how we are estranged from them. This is not an easy subject, and with so few pages she manages to say so much about it. I was impressed by how different her works were while still staying true to her chosen topic, and I enjoyed the speculative and horror vibes of some of the poems. There were only 1 or 2 that didn't really click with me, I've read all the others several times already. I was hoping for a collection that would make me feel something, and this one delivered. After getting myself a physical copy, I think I will be reading this again and again.
This is a powerful, emotional, intelligent and overall impressive collection and I will definitely read more by Chloe N. Clark.
I was especially impressed by "Missing Girl Found", "Insert Bad Joke Here" and "The Undue Acidity In Your Veins".
Thank you to Netgalley and Interstellar Flight Press for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
The beings' adventures make my face muscles twitch. It is a pleasant sensation.
Witch 13 by Patrick R. Delaney
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The book is filed under LGBTQIA, and yes, the protagonist is queer. But it's only mentioned in passing, something you should know if you are interested in the story because of that.
Witch 13 was an all-around enjoyable read for me. I wanted to read it because I like a good witch horror story, and it absolutely delivered. It's creepy and suspenseful, and I appreciate the way Patrick R. Delaney uses all senses of his characters to build his atmosphere - they don't just see and hear, they smell and feel temperatures. During a lot of scenes, it's not quite clear if their feelings are their own, or if the memories on the forefront of their minds are not triggered by something else that wants to use them. Very immersive!
I'm a big fan of how the witch is described, she's really alien and creepy, not human to such an extent, the protagonists have a hard time convincing themselves she is, but still try desperately. (Except forthe clever kid , of course, but I didn't even mind that trope, because it was done very well, the character was still believable.)
Something I usually struggle with is the ending in horror books, so I'm glad to say I really liked this one. Whether you find the twists surprising or not will depend on the amount and kind of horror books you've read, but personally, I don't think it's necessary for a horror book to surprise me with every twist to be great (some, though, please). Expecting an author to deliver to my specific tastes in the genre and my experiences based on previously read books is just a stupid thing to ask. I want my twists to be well executed, and they are, so I like them. The foreshadowing was well done, too.
I stumbled a little when the backstory was explained in too much detail for my taste, and like those things often do, it shifted the feeling away from horror and suspense towardsfantasy . I'd have preferred the explanation to be more vague, but level of explanation is a very subjective thing, so opinions will vary on this.
Also, the mystery around the strange object was not really a mystery and shouldn't have been dragged out that long.
Bonus points for:
...the not-so-subtle nod to beloved genre classic movieJennifer's Body . I see what you did there, Patrick.
...the inclusion ofcosmic horror at the end, because that's just my favourite kind.
Big shout-out to Mr. Delaney for being a male author and writing female characters without being sexist. Unfortunately, that's rare, so it deserves mentioning.
So, overall, 4.5 stars for the story and the writing itself, rounded down because you shouldn't queerbait and I hope this will be corrected in the future.
PS: There is some artwork in the book and I don't know who did it, but I like it. It's sufficiently obscure to be atmospheric.
Thank you so much to Oblivion Publishing/the author and Netgalley for providing a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Witch 13 was an all-around enjoyable read for me. I wanted to read it because I like a good witch horror story, and it absolutely delivered. It's creepy and suspenseful, and I appreciate the way Patrick R. Delaney uses all senses of his characters to build his atmosphere - they don't just see and hear, they smell and feel temperatures. During a lot of scenes, it's not quite clear if their feelings are their own, or if the memories on the forefront of their minds are not triggered by something else that wants to use them. Very immersive!
I'm a big fan of how the witch is described, she's really alien and creepy, not human to such an extent, the protagonists have a hard time convincing themselves she is, but still try desperately. (Except for
Something I usually struggle with is the ending in horror books, so I'm glad to say I really liked this one. Whether you find the twists surprising or not will depend on the amount and kind of horror books you've read, but personally, I don't think it's necessary for a horror book to surprise me with every twist to be great (some, though, please). Expecting an author to deliver to my specific tastes in the genre and my experiences based on previously read books is just a stupid thing to ask. I want my twists to be well executed, and they are, so I like them. The foreshadowing was well done, too.
I stumbled a little when the backstory was explained in too much detail for my taste, and like those things often do, it shifted the feeling away from horror and suspense towards
Also, the mystery around the strange object was not really a mystery and shouldn't have been dragged out that long.
Bonus points for:
...the not-so-subtle nod to beloved genre classic movie
...the inclusion of
Big shout-out to Mr. Delaney for being a male author and writing female characters without being sexist. Unfortunately, that's rare, so it deserves mentioning.
So, overall, 4.5 stars for the story and the writing itself, rounded down because you shouldn't queerbait and I hope this will be corrected in the future.
PS: There is some artwork in the book and I don't know who did it, but I like it. It's sufficiently obscure to be atmospheric.
Thank you so much to Oblivion Publishing/the author and Netgalley for providing a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
Angola: Promises and Lies by Karl Maier
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.5
The book is very informative, but unfortunately, it jumps around a lot and it's hard to keep track of the timeline. Maier also does not go into detail on the history of Angola, so I suggest going into this book with at least knowledge about some background as well as the sequence of events.
There are a lot of spelling and grammar errors, something I can accept to a certain extent in a self-published book, but not in this extent and not so much from a journalist. This book is in need of editing, or at least a handful of friends who will take the time to read it and point out errors. I also suggest adding dates to the chapter titles, to make following the content easier for readers without much knowledge of the Angolan civil war.
What I do appreciate is the author's approach to the sides of the political conflict: Everybody gets called out and criticized, he gives explanation when needed and points out lies, half truths, broken promises and hypocrisy when he encounters it - and that includes parties outside of Angola.
He firmly takes the side of the Angolan people who just wanted freedom from colonisers and were caught in the crossfire of a conflict that destroyed their country and their lives, and he always comes back to focussing on the civilians and how they are impacted by all of it. It is extremely hard to read at times, but very important.
Because of the jumbled timeline and the many errors, I can not give this book more than 3.5 stars, but I still recommend reading it.
There are a lot of spelling and grammar errors, something I can accept to a certain extent in a self-published book, but not in this extent and not so much from a journalist. This book is in need of editing, or at least a handful of friends who will take the time to read it and point out errors. I also suggest adding dates to the chapter titles, to make following the content easier for readers without much knowledge of the Angolan civil war.
What I do appreciate is the author's approach to the sides of the political conflict: Everybody gets called out and criticized, he gives explanation when needed and points out lies, half truths, broken promises and hypocrisy when he encounters it - and that includes parties outside of Angola.
He firmly takes the side of the Angolan people who just wanted freedom from colonisers and were caught in the crossfire of a conflict that destroyed their country and their lives, and he always comes back to focussing on the civilians and how they are impacted by all of it. It is extremely hard to read at times, but very important.
Because of the jumbled timeline and the many errors, I can not give this book more than 3.5 stars, but I still recommend reading it.
“By all accounts the Angolan people, the great majority of them poor, illiterate and living in isolated villages or urban slums, carry out their civic responsibilities with great dignity and patience. The two voting days in Angola are another confirmation that anyone who mouths the cliché that Africans are not ready for democracy is simply ignorant of the facts. African politicians, however, are a different matter.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Death, Murder, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide and Racism
Minor: Slavery