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jurizprudence's reviews
235 reviews
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
carmilla my house will always be open to you, please feel free to come inside
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
4.75
riveting multiverse and unique world-hopping concepts + the slowest of slow burns that ends on a satisfying note = this book DELIVERED
House of Slaughter, Vol. 1: The Butcher's Mark by Tate Brombal, James Tynion IV
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
“Now tell me one thing before I go . . . what happens to love when you die?”
ouch
ouch
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hilarious, endearing, badass. this novella is such a great sapphic, feminist rework of rapunzel ✨ i love it sm
floralinda kinda transformed into gideon nav at the end lmao
floralinda kinda transformed into gideon nav at the end lmao
The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
the tyrant baru cormorant? more like the girlbossification of baru cormorant
also iscend comprine you have my heart queen
this is so, so good. out of all the books in this series, this is the most hopeful and less painful up to date. that dose of catharsis towards the end is just everything. i love baru. and tain hu. we love to see a clever, powerful woman finally begin her revenge spree. we root for her all the way.
can't patiently wait for the conclusion of this mind-boggling series.
also iscend comprine you have my heart queen
this is so, so good. out of all the books in this series, this is the most hopeful and less painful up to date. that dose of catharsis towards the end is just everything. i love baru. and tain hu. we love to see a clever, powerful woman finally begin her revenge spree. we root for her all the way.
can't patiently wait for the conclusion of this mind-boggling series.
The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.5
let me get this straight: i love tain hu, the duchess vultjag, beloved. and to feel her strong presence all throughout this book—from agonist's motivations and scheming to baru's fever dreams—is everything for me. it made me elated, but most of the times, it just made a sobbing mess out of me. i was not alone, of course, because baru seemed to have a bad time, too—even more awful than mine because what the actual hell.
baru is clearly not unaffected by all that transpired in the first book, however heartless and cold she paints herself to be in this sequel. our dear savant is almost crippled by her traumas and grief, unable to get her self together without wallowing in despair (internally) and drinking her sorrows away. but i love the way she explored her sexuality in this book. she met a lot of dashing women—and while i agree with readers that say they're more interesting than hu, i still am partial to the latter. she also had a lot of adventures! good for her, good for her. also, i am very much intrigued by the newly introduced cultures here, which are all rich and distinct from one another, making this book such an immersive experience.
however, i think The Monster Baru Cormorant suffers the second book syndrome — it fell flat compared to the masterpiece that was The Traitor. there was a lot happening, even in the first few chapters, and clues and plot points were scattered all around to the point that the storyline was almost hard to follow. there's still economics, too, but no matter, because i happen to like that aspect of this book with baru's brilliant mind as my guide. i love how she's still such a little menace, tanking national economies and causing unrest to different groups of people and all that. there are also a lot of point of views included now, and i was kind of thrown off-guard by a specific first person pov. i think i have a gist with what is going on with regard to the right side texts that pop out in certain times in the narrative, but i'm not that sure and i would not like to get my hopes up because baru seems keen on always crushing them. still, i'm hoping that the third book will clear things up.
also, seth dickinson, i just want to talk. why would you make me grieve and mourn [redacted] for a second time 😭
baru is clearly not unaffected by all that transpired in the first book, however heartless and cold she paints herself to be in this sequel. our dear savant is almost crippled by her traumas and grief, unable to get her self together without wallowing in despair (internally) and drinking her sorrows away. but i love the way she explored her sexuality in this book. she met a lot of dashing women—and while i agree with readers that say they're more interesting than hu, i still am partial to the latter. she also had a lot of adventures! good for her, good for her. also, i am very much intrigued by the newly introduced cultures here, which are all rich and distinct from one another, making this book such an immersive experience.
however, i think The Monster Baru Cormorant suffers the second book syndrome — it fell flat compared to the masterpiece that was The Traitor. there was a lot happening, even in the first few chapters, and clues and plot points were scattered all around to the point that the storyline was almost hard to follow. there's still economics, too, but no matter, because i happen to like that aspect of this book with baru's brilliant mind as my guide. i love how she's still such a little menace, tanking national economies and causing unrest to different groups of people and all that. there are also a lot of point of views included now, and i was kind of thrown off-guard by a specific first person pov. i think i have a gist with what is going on with regard to the right side texts that pop out in certain times in the narrative, but i'm not that sure and i would not like to get my hopes up because baru seems keen on always crushing them. still, i'm hoping that the third book will clear things up.
also, seth dickinson, i just want to talk. why would you make me grieve and mourn [redacted] for a second time 😭
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
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
pov: you open this expecting a witty review and plot summary but are instead greeted by a video of me screaming sobbing throwing up etc for 30 minutes straight
but really. this book is a masterpiece that examines an in-depth portrayal of colonization, morality, political machinations, and the horrors of empire. it's about a super smart and super repressed gay accountant and her singular goal to avenge her family and free her homeland by rising high enough in the Masquerade’s hierarchy to destroy it from within. lots of economics, finance, and monetary polices that will challenge your mind. the prose is immaculate and the plot and twists were finely executed. really dark and gritty, it tackles colonialism and its tolls on the oppressed and subjugated in a realistic way, and because of that, it is not an easy read. cw for almost everything, because this book (the whole series itself) does not hold back from horrifying topics. honestly one of the best books i've read, and i'm already calling it, also one of my favorite reads this year.
read this if you like smart and clever heroines, political intrigue,tragic sapphic romance, grotesque amount of pain and betrayal, and long-lasting emotional damage. the main ship can jam to my tears ricochet ‼
read this and get ready to be devastated by dashing lesbians with unlimited loyalty. come join me and come cry with me :'(
but really. this book is a masterpiece that examines an in-depth portrayal of colonization, morality, political machinations, and the horrors of empire. it's about a super smart and super repressed gay accountant and her singular goal to avenge her family and free her homeland by rising high enough in the Masquerade’s hierarchy to destroy it from within. lots of economics, finance, and monetary polices that will challenge your mind. the prose is immaculate and the plot and twists were finely executed. really dark and gritty, it tackles colonialism and its tolls on the oppressed and subjugated in a realistic way, and because of that, it is not an easy read. cw for almost everything, because this book (the whole series itself) does not hold back from horrifying topics. honestly one of the best books i've read, and i'm already calling it, also one of my favorite reads this year.
read this if you like smart and clever heroines, political intrigue,
read this and get ready to be devastated by dashing lesbians with unlimited loyalty. come join me and come cry with me :'(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and War
Moderate: Gore, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death and Trafficking
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
no words could encompass how much i loved reading—consuming this book, the prose ingrained to it, the love letters that red and blue sent to each other from across years, centuries, millennia. their love story is so pure, i can't help but be awed and carried away by it. i did sob a few times because of how gorgeously the prose is written and how red and blue's yearning for each other is made genuine. i devoured it in less than a day, which is such a pleasant surprise, given that i am a slow reader—tho it's also just under 200 pages. i just know that years from now, i would find my self longing to read this again, and i would do so. it is a book that i don't want to forget, but at the same time, would offer my first child to be able to read again for the first time. seeing that the latter is not possible due to several reasons, i will just suffice myself by the promise of reading this again and again for the yearning and anguish and all the emotions in between. it is that beautiful.