kaileehaong's reviews
423 reviews

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen

fast-paced

4.0

Suicide Club by Rachel Heng

dark emotional 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

3.5

This is an interesting novel about a futuristic society in which aging/death is evaded by scientific advancements, and how a few people attempt to challenge this newfound immortality by chasing death. At the core, it’s a novel about father and daughter rekindling a long lost relationship on a time crunch. The concepts were entertaining and the characters were interesting enough to continue on with. Why I don’t rank it higher is because of the predictability of the ending which seemed to wrap up or resolve much too quickly given the pace of the rest of the novel. That being said, I still found the ending to be somewhat satisfying. 

Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

adventurous emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

It took a little while to dig into, especially with the chapters alternating POVs between Malia (the mother), Nainoa, Dean, Kaui, and at the very end, their father Augie. As is easy to do in a novel with many characters, I found myself drawn towards some, and less so others, which can make it tough reading a book that alternates when you get to hear from/about the characters you like. The plot line is good, interesting, and keeps you going. The ending felt equal parts cathartic and not totally clear. Overall, a really good read! Learned a lot of Hawaiian slang and history. 

Year of the Rabbit by Tian Veasna

emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

Homie: Poems by Danez Smith

fast-paced

4.0

Gods of Want: Stories by K-Ming Chang

emotional mysterious 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

K-Ming Chang is one if those writers that seems to be able to effortlessly and seamlessly blur the lines between poetry and fiction. You hang on every sentence, every word, to find bits and pieces of meaning spread throughout.  She weaves together myth, family, coming-of-age, womanhood, etc. into a very spellbinding collection of weird little stories. My favorite stories of the collection: Nüwa, Dykes, Mariela… but loved so many of the others as well.

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

adventurous challenging dark sad 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

3.75

What to say here—Ottessa Mosfegh is an excellent writer, and that is proven in every work she produces. While much of the contents of this novel contains deeply disturbing, graphic, and pote risky triggering situations, it’s like a car accident that you can’t help but rubberneck as you pass by it on the road. We follow Marek, a young boy on his journey from serfdom to the palace—many tragic things happening along the way. I can’t say I’d necessarily recommend this book to anyone, but if you’re in for something totally shocking and weird, this book. 

Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress

dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

Overall, a really great novel. I found myself interested in the characters and curious enough to follow them along on their journeys. Over time, I felt a strong disconnect to Robert and particularly Preston's POV chapters, as I found both of these characters dislikeable to a much stronger degree than the women are. Louisa & Karina's relationship is well-written--rocky, perhaps a little tumultuous, but ultimately bringing some levity and hope as well. One thing I struggled with was the age of the characters, as they felt older than a mere 20 yrs of age. Believability in that sense was tough for me, but didn't ruin the book by any means. A really cool dive into the art world, from art teachers to collectors to artists trying to make their way. I finished it pretty quickly.

Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz

fast-paced

4.0

This was an excellent collection of short stories. They explore girlhood, womanhood, family, faith, relationships, etc. with Florida as backdrop. I found myself particularly impressed by the following stories from the collection: the title story, “Milk Blood Heat,” “Tongues,” “Outside the Raft,” and “Necessary Bodies.”

The Breaks: An Essay by Julietta Singh

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

This essay had a lot of good bits. I found myself thinking of it like Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me,” a letter from parent to child, divulging personal and global histories while trying to make sense of the world and watching their child grow up in it. It was really interesting, just a bit of a slow read for me.