lolajoan's reviews
892 reviews

The Feast Makers by H.A. Clarke

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

OMG i love this series so much. 

In Winter I Get Up at Night: A Novel by Jane Urquhart

reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I can see why it was longlisted for the  Giller but also why it wasn't shortlisted. For the first half or so I thought it was a brilliant piece of art. It's a bittersweet examination of the beauty and loneliness of a small life. Emer has been to only a few places, has known only a few people, and her life has had just a few main defining events, but there's a deep richness to her observations of the world around her and the people she knows. The descriptive passages are beautiful and heartbreaking. But by the end I was disenchanted by two things. One is the extreme convenience of the fact that two of the very few people she knows just happen to be thinly veiled fictionalizations of extremely important and powerful men. One, I could swallow, but two is too much. The other is the offhanded way she deals with serious issues of racism (and to a lesser extent, homophobia). I feel like if you're going to bring those big issues into your book you should deal with them, or else just leave it out rather than mention it in an "oh yes, what a shame" way. 

Curiosities: A Novel by Anne Fleming

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

This was wonderful. I fervently hope more people read it. The characters are complex and unique and lovable (mostly), the plot is relatively snappy and easy to follow, but the contemplation and discussion of so many complex issues is thoughtful, respectful, eye-opening. And the format is perfect as well, being a combination of notes and letters and other sources. Near the beginning the author describes the Museum of Jurassic Technology in California as having "exhibits that mixed the fabulous and fictional with the real so that it was difficult to know which was which," which is exactly what happens in the book. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and in a class of its own.

Death By a Thousand Cuts: Stories by Shashi Bhat

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

An excellent short story collection. The stories are lucid and easy to read but stand up to reflection and examination.  Exactly the right balance of entertainment and thoughtfulness. 

The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Breathtakingly beautiful, heartbreaking, wise, thoughtful, touching, funny... I love everything about this. The characters are complex and well-formed, the settings are detailed but not overwhelming, the relationships are so real nuanced. There are some unbelievably poetic turns a phrase as well as visceral action that you can feel in your bones. It's just so wonderful.

The Devil's Revolver by V.S. McGrath

adventurous challenging 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

4.0

A well-written exciting story with good characters and an interesting magical world. 

The Whole Animal by Corinna Chong

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

Well crafted stories with vivid characters and interesting ideas. But they all just kind of peter out in a way that make me feel like I should think they're more profound than maybe they are. 

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

Wonderful. Beautiful, thoughtful, with tender characters and brilliant lore and just fantastic overall. 

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

I can see why it's a classic. It's fun, exciting, and was at the vanguard of YA fantasy in some ways. It's a little derivative/fanfic-y, and though Paolini writes good action and decent characters he is definitely not a linguist lol. If I were the target market I'd read more in the series for sure.

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

I read a little bit of this and then stopped, because I didn't know if I could really handle the intensity. I read for fun & escapism and this is tough material. But I came back to it after a week or so and it sucked me in. It's intense and hard and dark, but there's a thread of hopefulness throughout, and despite the tragedy it never feels demoralizing.