kimco_reads's reviews
121 reviews

adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Rebecca Ross delivers again! I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I have with all the other novels I’ve read from this author. Ross is a master at developing a magical setting with absolutely loveable characters and it really shines in Dreams Lie Beneath. Her prose is slightly lyrical in this one, though more on the darker side.

The story expertly weaved together the main character’s main goal of getting revenge on those who have wronged her and her family, while also showing that plans change when new information is learned. To me the premise of magicians who specialize in fighting dreams that are terrorizing cities due to an ancient curse was so refreshing and new.

Lastly, I’ll never get over how incredibly cozy Ross’s novels are while telling stories with settings that are decidedly not cozy. She imbibes hope throughout and characters that truly just want what’s best for their families and the people they are fighting for. This was a hopeful, inspiring story from a brilliant author and I will definitely be recommending this book.

Beholder by Ryan La Sala

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

This is an extremely poignant history on the development of western (mainly UK & US) involvement in Israel's war on Palestine. Given the recent events of horrific genocide of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government, this book is extremely important. I highly recommend this to all US citizens to understand exactly what it means that our government is still giving billions of dollars to the Israeli government.

Big Fish by Daniel Wallace

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adventurous emotional funny sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Binti is a short afrofuturistic story about a young woman traveling the galaxies to reach a prestigious university. When she and her traveling partners are intercepted by an alien race with a grudge against the very university she is headed toward, she must summon her courage and all the knowledge she has to save herself and the university.

For me, it was refreshing to read a story built around a culture outside of the western European or American lens. While this was a quick read, Okorafor packed it with strong character building. The novella seemed to be a short study on the main character and how her previous schooling and culture blend together and fed into the decisions she makes. The reader is easily immersed into the universe and it’s tensions without needing a dissertation on it’s history.

Personally though there was something about the novella as a whole that was lacking, and it may just be my own preference toward deep-dives into world building. This piece is absolutely not needed with the way Okorafor set up the character though. To me, the novella read almost like the pilot episode of a sci-fi tv series where the heroine’s backstory is introduced, showed their strength, then set the stage for the rest of the season. Not a bad thing, just made me wonder if the rest of the series will read like a sci-fi series too. If it does, I’m still on board.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novella and what Nnedi Okorafor did by expanding the sci-fi genre to include a more culturally diverse setting. I loved Binti’s character growth and look forward to continuing this series.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

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adventurous challenging emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book was a wild ride! Do you like Pacific Rim, Pokemon, and feminine rage? If yes, this is absolutely for you as it was for me. The action scenes were superb, the world building was phenomenal, and the characters were both loveable and, at times, vicious. Amidst the dark themes of war and political use of women as objects, the author wrote in some truly heart-warming moments. I especially loved the LGBTQIA+ representation that was built into the characters and just how natural and sweet the main characters were to each other when new revelations of orientation came to light. As a big fan of the found family trope, I ate up the relationships the main characters had and just how accepting they were with one another. I had a blast reading this book and will recommend it to anyone looking for a fun time.

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey

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adventurous tense slow-paced