jacksandthebeanstalk's reviews
172 reviews

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Child death, and Dementia

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

challenging dark tense fast-paced

5.0

If you aren’t flinching every 4 1/2 sentences you may need to do some deep reflection. 

I flew through this in a day. i couldn’t recommend it more if I tried. R. F. Kuang is easily one of my favorite authors of all time and never fails to make me reflect every time she releases something new. 

Happy Place by Emily Henry

5.0

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous funny 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? N/A

4.75

Took a minute to truly kick off but the second it did i was 100% sold. I do not know how I’ll wait until the next one. 

The Great Courses banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works by Maureen Corrigan

informative fast-paced

4.75

"But I'll always choose feeling uncomfortable over ignorant. Which is the far more dangerous condition"

This audio book was simply fascinating to listen through! I'd consider myself a book buff but I learned things about the great works of literature in the world that I never knew before. The only reason this isn't a full 5 star read for me is that I wish the author took a more definitive stance for or against JKR in the chapter about her. Based on the other comments made by Corrigan throughout the course, I do not think she believes or supports any of Rowlings beliefs, but I wish there had been a more decisive statement instead of remaining impartial due to the possibility of research bias.

Otherwise, an all around fascinating read. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.25

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

adventurous dark 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

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

dark inspiring reflective 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

4.25

I really really loved this book. The themes of rejecting what you were conditioned to think was right and choosing what you can fight for is a beautiful portrait of what the LGBTQ+ community fights for on a daily basis. My only problem was there had been a LITTLE more explanation as to what the flood is/how it works. It made some of the latter portions of the book tough to follow because i couldn’t tell how the flood was working or if it was a metaphor. 

Overall, i loved this book. I cant wait to see what AJW does next! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Death of parent, Violence, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry