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kait_sixcrowsbooks's reviews
194 reviews
Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
It’s a sweet memoir when you keep in mind the author was only 15 when she wrote it. The writing was okay — while it was alright, it truly wasn’t anything groundbreaking, and the themes seemed very repetitive. Not a bad read if you and/or your kid want to read about a trans child, though, as a starting point!
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHAT A BOOK. The first horror book I’ve read in a while, and it was so so riveting. From the first sentence, I was hooked. And that atmosphere, my god! The author had such a way of describing the Honeys, it was so…bee-like, unnerving, and it was brilliant. The characters, the plot, the twists — it was all simply amazing. If you’re into suspenseful horror where you can’t guess what will happen next, then I would really recommend this one. Ryan La Sala has such a way with the genre, damn!
Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.5
What a gorgeous, heart-felt book about family, grief, expectations, and what happens when we feel we can’t meet those expectstions. I loved the portrayal of the relationship between Val and her mother, how it can be so so complicated. I kinda wished the ending was a little less open-ended, but overall, it was still a wonderful story.
Dragonfall by L.R. Lam
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Note: this review may contain spoilers
I…honestly don’t know what to say. What a wonderful, wonderful read.
Dragonfall follows two characters: Arcady, a lowly thief attempting to take back what was once theirs, and Everen, a dragon who is supposedly the one that saves his kind from extinction. The two of them become bonded through a spell, and from there, they begin to learn about each other and both of their worlds. It’s hard to condense the plot down to a simple opening paragraph, but I hope you get the gist of it.
The characters were so fun — a lot of times when it comes to multi-POV books, there’s always one or two perspectives that I don’t like as much as the others, but I think it’s safe to say that that isn’t the case here. Each character has their own unique voice and perspective, and I loved each of them. I think part of that is the originality in which the author wrote: they use different points of view for different characters’ chapters. For Arcady’s, it’s first person within the actual story; for Everen, it’s as if he’s writing to Arcady (not technically second person, but not so much first either — it’s as if he’s writing it after the fact); and there were a couple others that were decidedly third person. I know there were a number of people who hated this style, but I devoured it. I loved every second of it, and I liked the ways in which it at all intertwined in unique ways.
The world-building is quite awesome, too. While it is a bit confusing learning the different magic systems and the politics and all that, is that not the fun of high/epic fantasy? To get lost in another world? It was a bit confusing at first, sure, but I loved the way in which I was simply sucked in. While there was some passages that could be considered “info-dumping” by certain people, I thought it was done nicely, and I found myself just sucking it all up.
And on top of that, I loved the way in which gender was discussed and explored — showcasing how accepting the society in which Arcady lives is of different genders as well as nudging towards the different cultural beliefs of other societies. It was interesting how gender isn’t a mode of oppression in Loc, but that there still is this hierarchy involved within its society. I really wish it continues to be expanded upon in further books because I’m very much intrigued by it.
I will say that, from a more critical perspective, the plot could be considered weak in some ways — it seems a bit choppy here and there, like it wasn’t quite sure what it wanted to do. However, it did find its groove well enough, and again…I had a wonderful time just sitting down and tearing through this book. I soaked in as much information as I could, and by the end of it, I hungered for more. To me, it was everything a first book should be: holding its own story arc while ending in just a way that has me clamoring for the next book in the series.
I…honestly don’t know what to say. What a wonderful, wonderful read.
Dragonfall follows two characters: Arcady, a lowly thief attempting to take back what was once theirs, and Everen, a dragon who is supposedly the one that saves his kind from extinction. The two of them become bonded through a spell, and from there, they begin to learn about each other and both of their worlds. It’s hard to condense the plot down to a simple opening paragraph, but I hope you get the gist of it.
The characters were so fun — a lot of times when it comes to multi-POV books, there’s always one or two perspectives that I don’t like as much as the others, but I think it’s safe to say that that isn’t the case here. Each character has their own unique voice and perspective, and I loved each of them. I think part of that is the originality in which the author wrote: they use different points of view for different characters’ chapters. For Arcady’s, it’s first person within the actual story; for Everen, it’s as if he’s writing to Arcady (not technically second person, but not so much first either — it’s as if he’s writing it after the fact); and there were a couple others that were decidedly third person. I know there were a number of people who hated this style, but I devoured it. I loved every second of it, and I liked the ways in which it at all intertwined in unique ways.
The world-building is quite awesome, too. While it is a bit confusing learning the different magic systems and the politics and all that, is that not the fun of high/epic fantasy? To get lost in another world? It was a bit confusing at first, sure, but I loved the way in which I was simply sucked in. While there was some passages that could be considered “info-dumping” by certain people, I thought it was done nicely, and I found myself just sucking it all up.
And on top of that, I loved the way in which gender was discussed and explored — showcasing how accepting the society in which Arcady lives is of different genders as well as nudging towards the different cultural beliefs of other societies. It was interesting how gender isn’t a mode of oppression in Loc, but that there still is this hierarchy involved within its society. I really wish it continues to be expanded upon in further books because I’m very much intrigued by it.
I will say that, from a more critical perspective, the plot could be considered weak in some ways — it seems a bit choppy here and there, like it wasn’t quite sure what it wanted to do. However, it did find its groove well enough, and again…I had a wonderful time just sitting down and tearing through this book. I soaked in as much information as I could, and by the end of it, I hungered for more. To me, it was everything a first book should be: holding its own story arc while ending in just a way that has me clamoring for the next book in the series.
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Perhaps the worst book I read this year. Dear lord.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Gore, and Death
Minor: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Homophobia
Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents by Patrick Kelly, Francis Mark Mondimore
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
I currently don’t have the time to give this the attention that should be given to it. I may pick it up again if needed, but in the meantime, there are better resources for me out there.
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Did not finish book. Stopped at 74%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 74%.
The memoir aspect of the first have the novel was interesting, as were the ideas that Frankl discusses, but I’m just not on board with his theory. It’s thought-provoking, but to me, it just doesn’t really hold up very well.
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Margaret Rogerson has such a way with the written word…my god. What a book. I loved everything about it: the plot, the characters and their relationships, the world-building, the atmosphere… What a glorious, glorious novel. I cannot wait for the next one.
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
I don’t know what to say except…wow. What a truly wonderful book. Imogen, Obviously is a book that simply took my breath away. Reading Imogen’s internal conflict as she tried so so hard to be the “perfect” ally according to Gretchen’s ever changing ideas and then having to overcome the thought that she is somehow “appropriating” queer culture when she finds herself crushing on another girl….it was hard. It was hard because it hit so close to home in so many different ways while also being a distinct experience apart from my own. But it was also so so amazing, and I felt such a connection to Imogen.
It’s also pretty heartbreaking because throughout the story, I saw Gretchen as this humanized version of the twitter discourse that surrounded the whole thing about the author feeling forced to come out due to harassment from readers because they assumed she was allocishet. It was just…monstrous. And I’m so glad she wasn’t redeemed at the end because Imogen deserved a friend that would actually care about and support her like Lili did with her.
Just…man. What a book.
It’s also pretty heartbreaking because throughout the story, I saw Gretchen as this humanized version of the twitter discourse that surrounded the whole thing about the author feeling forced to come out due to harassment from readers because they assumed she was allocishet. It was just…monstrous. And I’m so glad she wasn’t redeemed at the end because Imogen deserved a friend that would actually care about and support her like Lili did with her.
Just…man. What a book.
Gender Queer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition by Maia Kobabe
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Thank you to Maia Kobabe from a panromantic asexual genderqueer person. Thank you, thank you, thank you.