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justabookishreader's reviews
158 reviews
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
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? No
5.0
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond by Amanda Glaze
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
3.0
A novel inspired by a real life set of twins and set during women's suffrage with paranormal magic and asylums, follows a pair of twins with unnatural abilities on the run from their father. With very clear romance build up since the beginning, laced with paranormal murder sprees, Amanda Glaze's debut is jam packed with twists, turns, and possessions, with themes of found family and what you are willing to sacrifice for those you love. Well written, with real stakes, and a tense sisterly relationship, I absolutely devoured this book.
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.75
The second book of 2023, complete! I just have to start with saying about half way in I got scared there was about to be a bury your gays trope, and it would have almost been hilarious because I was using my Illumicrate TBR reading prompt cards, and chose "favorite trope" because of the heist. Anyway there wasn't, but I still sobbed my goddamn eyes out and my cat kept almost like... checking on me?
I loved how short the chapters were! This was a reasonably over 300 paged book, and it felt less than, because each chapter I don't think was more than honestly five pages, and the countdown til the ship sank was really great and was an amazing tool to stir up extreme anxiety in the reader. I really liked the diversity, the characterization and personalities and how Ocean's 8 really was the perfect comp title for this one. I tabbed so much of this book, let's just say thank god I have another set of tabs from literally, Albertson's of all places. Heists will not soon be no longer my favorite trope/plot and I can thank Six of Crows originally for that, and now A Million to One for securing it.
Amazing job and I'll have to see if Adiba Jaigirdar will be coming out with anything else soon.
I loved how short the chapters were! This was a reasonably over 300 paged book, and it felt less than, because each chapter I don't think was more than honestly five pages, and the countdown til the ship sank was really great and was an amazing tool to stir up extreme anxiety in the reader. I really liked the diversity, the characterization and personalities and how Ocean's 8 really was the perfect comp title for this one. I tabbed so much of this book, let's just say thank god I have another set of tabs from literally, Albertson's of all places. Heists will not soon be no longer my favorite trope/plot and I can thank Six of Crows originally for that, and now A Million to One for securing it.
Amazing job and I'll have to see if Adiba Jaigirdar will be coming out with anything else soon.
The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Revelle by Lyssa Mia Smith
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? No
4.0
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
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? No
5.0
Hot damn, I liked this one somehow more than the original Folk of the Air trilogy??? But also now I want to reread the original books? And that CLIFFHANGER. And now I have to wait at least a year for the second and final book in this duology? I am in mental anguish. God I loved this book so much and had such a fun time reading it.
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
My Last Innocent Year expertly dives into the complex and much needed conversation about consent, adulthood, and power imbalances, all against the backdrop of a young Jewish woman's experiences throughout all three. From the inciting incident to the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Isabel Rosen's affair with her creative writing professor, Daisy Alpert Florin weaves in each topic tightly as if all of them are meant to be discussed together, and always were, published in a post #MeToo era of early 2023.
Already all of the three main themes being relatable to many women, young and old, and certainly nothing new to the world of dark academia literary fiction, Florin weaves in details loosely inspired by her own experiences, as a Jewish woman who grew up poor on the lower east side of New York, making her work stand out amongst the others. A point of view already rarely represented in any fiction genre in general, the Jewish point of view adds an even more realistic layer to the short novel.
Throughout the 288 pages, Daisy Alpert Florin asks the reader to think - to really think. Was Monica Lewinsky treated fairly? Is rape always physically violent? Can someone find themselves a victim of a power imbalanced relationship even if they consented during the relationship? Is there such a thing as a "perfect" victim of a sexual assault or coercion? Is linear growth really something that is possible after such instances, or even on the road from adolescent to adult?
My Last Innocent Year appears to be a book perfectly made for book club and class discussions, (in fact the author's website even has some info for book clubs to use) and every reader will find themselves discovering different questions to another reader - upon a reread they may find more or different questions from their first read through, and even then not all of the questions relate only to maturity and consent. Questions about being the perfect minority as a Jewish woman, why immigrant Jewish fathers want their children to become lawyers and doctors - is it because of the American Dream, or is it because they just want to know that when they eventually die, that their children will be able to take care of themselves? How do you have that conversation with your father? How do you safely and securely follow your artistic dreams, when do you draw the line at sacrificing your passions for your family, and sacrificing your family for your passions?
One of the most important questions I feel that was posed in this novel is - how do you know when you're an adult? Not age wise, not even technically physically or mentally developed into an adult, but how do you know when you're an adult, how do you know when you've reached a certain level of maturity that means you've "come of age"? Do you know in that moment, or only upon reflection?
With evocative and personal writing and details, I began to find that I was missing my own creative writing workshops from my earlier days in my undergrad, as well as other intensely personal parallels from people in my own life to the characters that surrounded Isabel, and parallels between myself and Isabel, even if I was a Jewish woman raised in a home that didn't have to worry about money nor in New York, there were still many parallels I could see and feel throughout my experience reading this book.
Don't let the short page count fool you into believing this is an easy or even a quick read. It's serious. It's dark, it's heavy. All of the topics and events of the late 1990s fitting into one book of under 300 pages - it feels thick and intense. A fast moving exploration of consent, Jewish identity, family, passion and sacrifice, Daisy Alpert Florin perfectly executes a rare, one of a kind addition to the literary fiction and dark academia genres, and I can't wait to see what she does next.
Already all of the three main themes being relatable to many women, young and old, and certainly nothing new to the world of dark academia literary fiction, Florin weaves in details loosely inspired by her own experiences, as a Jewish woman who grew up poor on the lower east side of New York, making her work stand out amongst the others. A point of view already rarely represented in any fiction genre in general, the Jewish point of view adds an even more realistic layer to the short novel.
Throughout the 288 pages, Daisy Alpert Florin asks the reader to think - to really think. Was Monica Lewinsky treated fairly? Is rape always physically violent? Can someone find themselves a victim of a power imbalanced relationship even if they consented during the relationship? Is there such a thing as a "perfect" victim of a sexual assault or coercion? Is linear growth really something that is possible after such instances, or even on the road from adolescent to adult?
My Last Innocent Year appears to be a book perfectly made for book club and class discussions, (in fact the author's website even has some info for book clubs to use) and every reader will find themselves discovering different questions to another reader - upon a reread they may find more or different questions from their first read through, and even then not all of the questions relate only to maturity and consent. Questions about being the perfect minority as a Jewish woman, why immigrant Jewish fathers want their children to become lawyers and doctors - is it because of the American Dream, or is it because they just want to know that when they eventually die, that their children will be able to take care of themselves? How do you have that conversation with your father? How do you safely and securely follow your artistic dreams, when do you draw the line at sacrificing your passions for your family, and sacrificing your family for your passions?
One of the most important questions I feel that was posed in this novel is - how do you know when you're an adult? Not age wise, not even technically physically or mentally developed into an adult, but how do you know when you're an adult, how do you know when you've reached a certain level of maturity that means you've "come of age"? Do you know in that moment, or only upon reflection?
With evocative and personal writing and details, I began to find that I was missing my own creative writing workshops from my earlier days in my undergrad, as well as other intensely personal parallels from people in my own life to the characters that surrounded Isabel, and parallels between myself and Isabel, even if I was a Jewish woman raised in a home that didn't have to worry about money nor in New York, there were still many parallels I could see and feel throughout my experience reading this book.
Don't let the short page count fool you into believing this is an easy or even a quick read. It's serious. It's dark, it's heavy. All of the topics and events of the late 1990s fitting into one book of under 300 pages - it feels thick and intense. A fast moving exploration of consent, Jewish identity, family, passion and sacrifice, Daisy Alpert Florin perfectly executes a rare, one of a kind addition to the literary fiction and dark academia genres, and I can't wait to see what she does next.