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lenareadsstuff's Reviews (89)
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
Àbíké-Íyímídé has blessed us with another school-based mystery that tackles pressing systemic issues! I actually quite liked the pacing of it and how the book took its time to lay down every single hint one after another. Just like in Ace of Spades, I appreciate that Àbíké-Íyímídé ends her book on a note that isn't Happily Ever After and also not entirely unsatisfying but somewhere in the middle, like real life often is.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
If we make it to shore, he says, I will name our son after this water. I will learn to love a monster.
Vuong has such a way with words, it never ceases to amaze me. The poems of this collection feel both sensual and violent which gives them a certain rawness. I read this after Time Is A Mother and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, so it was really fascinating to read this through the lense of his more recent works – themes of identity, war, and family are already strongly present here. It's a wonderful debut collection that I'll keep thinking about for sure (especially Immigrant Haibun from which the quote above is from).
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Radical change does not happen in the course of a single phone call. It does not happen because a conversation ends on a happy note. It happens because someone is willing to listen, someone is able to reach them, and a bridge was created for them to meet.
A truly wonderful book. Reading this felt inspiring in a way that I cannot really describe – maybe it's just the realisation that more often than not, people don't say mean things to hurt you, the individual, specifically. They do it because hurt people hurt people and it's easier to say negative things on the internet, when you don't see the other party as a fully fleshed-out person. Marron advocates for empathy, humanity, and listening to each to each above all else, and I think he does a great job of guiding the reader through all the lessons he learned along the way.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
A fun and action-packed adventure! I really liked Nimona and Ballister's dynamic and their growing friendship - for me, that was definitely the heart of the story. I wish we could've gotten to know more about Ballister's past, his realtionship with Goldenloin, and the land's history (or rather, the uprise of the Institution) in general though.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Ähnlich wie bei "Why We Matter" finde ich, dass Emilia Roig hier sehr umfangreich, tiefgründig und verständlich vorgeht, um die Ehe als Institution aufzuschlüsseln. Besonders gut gefallen hat mir dabei, dass sie auch auf Themen wie Misogynie, Homophobie und Gender eingeht. Auch wenn ich nicht jeder einzelnen Argumentationskette zwingend zustimmen würde, hat mich das Buch sehr zum Nachdenken angeregt. Leider kommt bei dem Buch wie bei "Why We Matter" das Ende wieder zu kurz.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
However, there is beauty in knowing that whichever way I go, I was here, and I left here being myself.
In many different ways, this was really beautiful. It's a reflection on life itself & growing up as a Black queer kid, and it navigates every part of the story with so much compassion and honesty. I can only encourage others (especially teens) to pick up this book too.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A pretty cute novella – 1940's San Francisco is depicted with a lot of detail, and I really enjoyed the characters and their discussions around gender (expression) & sexuality. Other than that, I felt like nothing much was happening plot-wise up until the very end. Same goes for the fantasy aspect: magic's not really relevant most of the time (nor is it explained in any way).
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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
Das Buch hat sehr stark angefangen, hat aber die Landung am Ende nicht geschafft. Zum Ende hin kamen mir einige Charakterentscheidungen willkührlich vor, wichtige Momente wurden knapp abgetan und die Lösung des Grundkonflikts/Mysteriums erwies sich als längst nicht so ausgetüfelt wie dessen Aufbau. Die Stärken des Buches liegen für mich eindeutig im allgemeinen world building – besonders der Religionsaspekt hat mich interessiert (...liegt vielleicht aber auch daran, dass Hrathen meine Lieblingsfigur war).
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Damn, rich men really are the worst.
I was immediately hooked by the plot and, not gonna lie, good thing that it was this gripping because otherwise I would've dropped the book in the first half. There were a lot of iffy little remarks spread throughout Millie's POV that did not sit right with me (things that were kind of fatphobic, sexist, or xenophobic). However, the second half of the book pulled me back in and I ended up loving the end of the book.
I was immediately hooked by the plot and, not gonna lie, good thing that it was this gripping because otherwise I would've dropped the book in the first half. There were a lot of iffy little remarks spread throughout Millie's POV that did not sit right with me (things that were kind of fatphobic, sexist, or xenophobic). However, the second half of the book pulled me back in and I ended up loving the end of the book.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Mama, the word like a bullet to my chest.
It's kind of inpressive how much emotion this book carries while being so short — a devastating but profound look at an individual experience of suffocating familial/cultural & gendered expections, generational trauma, and (being) mothers.