isvargas's reviews
87 reviews

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Love anything that explores science vs religion, and love to see the catholic church suffer. Read the abridged version, I can’t believe unabridged is like literally double the length, don’t know WHAT could be in that. 
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad 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

3.75

Feels like one of those books that was written to be a movie, yet I had a really hard time getting into it. I found the beginning quite slow. One of those peculiar books where literally everyone else is more interesting and compelling than the main character. Addie has the potential to be so interesting, 300 years, but her stories were slow and I found a bit boring. Henry, Robbie, B, Sam, even Luke had more character. Love the pan energy from both Addie and Henry. A fun story. 



Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

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challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Wtf…trying to figure out why my best friend told me to read this. Well written and incredible imagery……too vivid. I think it’s great for what it is, a lyrical literary piece, it’s just not my cup of tea. Too much pee. 
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

powerful collection of essays, very reflective pieces that show women how to love and feel confident in their bodies, in a world where everything and everyone can make them feel otherwise. As a pop culture fan and follower, it was really cool to see Emily’s behind the scenes experience with such public events and people.
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

This book hit so close to home. As someone who grew up in both the US and the Yucatan, its impact is twofold. As a US citizen, I believe this book should be mandatory for high school students. I learned so much from this book, it is a great reminder that even if we think we are knowledgable about our history, we are all complicit in systems of misinformation that attempt to relieve us of guilt from our genocidal past. As someone from Yucatan, I loved hearing about the intersection of history and ecology, and how Indigenous communities once thrived in places that I call home. I never thought I would me reading about mega-niño events and mayan mathematics in the same chapter but here we are! I love it! So many powerful quotes and passages I will definitely reread and revisit for years to come. "Indian societies had built up a remarkable body of knowledge about how to manage and improve their environment....Any group that over-exploited their environment was going to be dead." May we continue to learn effective, impactful conservation, from pre-columbian societies.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of the best books I have ever read. Absolutely heart wrenching and difficult to read, but couldn’t put it down. Incredibly insightful as to why not all survivors come out after sexual trauma. The fact that this is basically the author’s doctorate dissertation should show how literarily advanced and well thought out this book is. Russell thoughtfully explores the nuance of the #metoo movement, victimhood, and power while above all else, she shows how we minimize our trauma in order to cope. 
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Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

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funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

Assassinations and Woodstock, just about what you would expect. 
Dune by Frank Herbert

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • 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

5.0

“The highest function of ecology is understanding consequences” instant 5 stars. Frank Herbert was decades ahead of his time on the sociopolitical implications of extractive natural resource industries. Environmental justice in sci-fi! 
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I support women’s rights, but more importantly I support women’s wrongs. 
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0