justabookishreader's reviews
158 reviews

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space by Zoraida Córdova

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

I've only read one other collection of short stories and that was back in February. I gave that collection 3 stars and was really disappointed because only like a literal few of those stories were 5 stars. This time I went through and rated each story then averaged them. If you want to be super specific, it's a 4.8. 

All I knew getting into this was that the stories would have something to do with science fiction or fantasy, I had no idea the amount of wonderfully written representation there would be. I would love to find more anthologies similar to this, and the 3 star on - Because You Love to Hate Me. I'm really quite surprised as I was told that its usually hard to rate an anthology 5 stars due to the ranges in stories. Well either I just needed hope in my life right now and found more 5 stars than I normally would, or this was just truly that good. I opt for the latter. 

My favorite favorites:

Reign of Diamonds by Anna-Marie McLemore
Rogue Enchantments by Isabela Ibanez
Sumaiko y La Sirena by Vita Ayala
Killing El Chivo by Claribel A. Ortega
Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Cordova

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.0

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

One for All by Lillie Lainoff

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-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

Going into this book, all I knew was that clearly, from just the title alone that at the very least it was inspired by the three musketeers. The only thing of note that I knew apart from this fact was that the main character (Tania) had a chronic illness of some sort that included fainting (Also, pretty cover, with pretty girl on cover, like come on). This was a debut novel, and Lillie Lainoff really made this book sing. The difference between Tania's parents was clear, but that did not mean she was loved any less by her mother, simply that she couldn't fully understand her child. 

I rather enjoyed the pacing of the chapters, and the story as a whole. The "inciting incident"didn't feel rushed like many debuts tend to feel, which was honestly wonderful. I felt that I'd seen just the right amount of Tania and her parents' everyday lives before launching into the story. This part of the story - like all the others, never overstayed its welcome, and, instead, smoothly transitioned into the next arc of the plot. 

When Tania's father has her sent to a "finishing school" upon his untimely (and brutal) death, I was shocked. Of course, I hadn't read a single word of the synopsis (a quite common decision of mine, though it doesn't usually end in a good experience like this one), so I had not seen what the "finishing school" really was until I read the book. I had no clue that the school was a cover for a secret training academy for a select few girls to become socialite musketeers. 

Rather quickly, I caught a number of similarities to this book, and, well, Barbie and the Three Musketeers (in fact, I reached out to the author, and she told me that, while she indeed gets that comment a lot, she has never actually seen that particular Barbie installment). Of course, One For All did things that an animated, 2009 film made for children, was able - and willing - to do (despite the notoriously queer coded Diamond Castle which actually came out a year prior but you're not here for a history of Barbie movies). 

The main element that certainly stood out to me, is the sapphic hints in the background between two of the four girls, subtle at first, until, if you are a hopeless sapphic like myself, you're screaming for the reveal. Yes, a reveal of information that you clearly already know, but sometimes you just want or need the confirmation and validation of someone coming out "publicly" on the page. 

Aria was probably the character that fascinated and intrigued me the most, while getting strong ADHD vibes from Théa (example, I was nearly put off by the exclamations used in her dialogue, but then the more time we spent with her the more I started to wonder if there was some neurodivergency - specifically ADHD, but that's also coming from someone who does have ADHD among other things). Throughout it all, I was a serious sucker for the gown descriptions, the way the girls soon got along as a chosen family bantering, teasing, looking after each other, the atmosphere. 

As far as the twist or reveal, the author did a wonderful job of reverse red herring the reader as far as the culprit, to the point that upon looking over my reading notes to write this review, I almost laughed at myself and some of the things I had jotted down about this. While this beauty of a novel wraps up neatly, there is so much potential for more books in this world that has been masterfully created. There is one more thing I'd like to mention before I list my favorite quotes. 

The author's note at the end. Roughly two pages, and the only post book author's note I believe I've ever read. Explaining the diagnosis and the personal experience and point of view of the author, I believe made this book much more concrete and applicable to the real world. That's what did me in. It was enough to personally connect via my own very different chronic illness. 

Remembering the struggle with finding doctors willing to do tests, to diagnose (luckily third time was the charm), as well as trying to hide the pain I was in - at school, with previous romantic partners, etc. (my diagnosis is Adenomyosis)

This novel is amazing on its own, but that last bit was truly the cherry on top. 

Quotes:

"We will not let you fall."

"Everything was too much: the sound, the sight, the world one caliginous golden pool."

"I don't think of things in terms of such labels."

"...how certain twists and turns in a left or right hand could mean flirtation, rejection, a warning to a paramour of being watched..."

"Étienne was thoughtful, but he was still a man."

Girls Can Kiss Now: Essays by Jill Gutowitz

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.75

The more time passes, the more I actually like this and will likely update upon a reread. I applaud Allison Saft for the Jewish parallels and resulting antisemitic parallels, those were executed amazingly well, as well as the mother daughter relationship and how strained it is. I appreciated that it didn't feel drawn out further than it should have been, the conflicts made sense, and I honestly really felt the pain of the discussions of Yu'adir (Jewish) rejection, I mean she even used the terminology "pogrom" which was startling. I hope that for readers who are not Jewish and may not understand what we go through, this book makes them think, or realize what our lives can be like. For readers that are Jewish, I hope they find peace and connection within this book.

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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? No

4.0

idk man this was wild

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

A wonderfully short and dark adult fairytale, as well as my first venture into any of T. Kingfisher's works, much less her more gothic ones, this tale of whimsical gothic creepiness meets every expectation. Starring a reluctant witch and a bad fairy godmother alongside an adorable skeletal dog reminiscent of The Corpse Bride, this under 300 paged fairytale manages to be both unsettling and heart warming by the end, another example of how sometimes, less can be more in the fantasy genre.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense slow-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

4.75

This book was amazing. I read it while waiting for flights and on flights to Charleston for YAllFest last month and I finished it so suddenly that my dad and I were thankful our first flight was only an hour long and then we had a layover, so I could just listen to an audiobook and survive before I could get to the other books I had packed. And honestly, in someways I feel like this book has ruined me forever. The storytelling aspect was so strong, the way the author set it up with it actually being a story being told and not just running dialogue between characters that felt info dumpy... I almost find the latter annoying now even though that's much more common than what this book did. Also some of the flashbacks the way they were written - for some reason were giving me Six of Crows flashback vibes? Which is absolutely meant to be taken as a compliment because I think those have been the best sorts of flashbacks I've ever read. Everything felt so vivid and real when I was reading it, and I cannot wait for the second book, but hey at least we have a title and a cover for it! Overall, completely 5 stars, magnificent masterpiece of a novel, and I can't wait to see what Chelsea Abdullah does with the rest of the series!