malarkeytbr's reviews
8 reviews

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

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funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

there is nothing wrong with admitting athena liu had flaws. there is nothing wrong, even, with sympathizing for june at certain points. sometimes she had the right idea. sometimes she was the victim. but overwhelmingly, this book is a litmus test. it’s a test of your ability to think complexly about an issue. it’s heavy-handed at times, sure, but i think it works. it shines most when highlighting june’s microaggressions, though.
i enjoyed the “pulling back the curtain” on the publishing industry. that expose was probably some of my favorite parts. could have used with less twitter and way less pop culture, which kind of took me out of the story.
middle did lag somewhat, but first and last third were very engaging. the plot twist wasn’t super twisty - i didn’t predict it, but i wasn’t surprised by it. kuang absolutely ate me up in terms of writing a despicable character, though. i hated her to the point i had to consider my own rage and its consequences.
wasn’t expecting it to turn horror, was confused. did enjoy though.
is this book possibly candice’s book?? may be my favorite theory. explains parts of why june’s character is so cartoonishly awful. explains why not all the writing always hits, why not all the social issues are fully explored. candice isn’t a writer at the end of the day.
i wasn’t a fan of the ending. i get the metaphorical purpose of it. she’s a white woman, and at the end of the day, she always gets off without culpability. she’s so deep in her denial her life is irrevocably changed at athena’s hands. blah blah blah. it wasn’t my favorite.
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Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

this is a tiktok romantasy book. if you like turning off your brain and reading, you’ll like this. the romance was predictable but fun, but it was the lack of worldbuilding and dragons that got to me. like, you’re telling me she has smut books and leggings but catapults are new? and how did aestilian actually come to be? and also why did we never get cayden backstory? i’m sure it’s being saved for a sequel but i’m just disappointed bc it felt like we were just supposed to go oh he’s Traumatized so he Understands Her. the writing was somewhat clunky, but again, enjoyable when i turned my brain off. like don’t get me wrong - this was a fun read. also where were the dragons though :( i was disappointed by how little we actually  saw of them. if you’d like to see a more detailed and less stream-of-consciousness review, follow me on instagram @malarkeytbr !
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The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

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

4.75

this was an almost perfect book for me. it feels so relevant right now, like we're just three steps to the left of falling into a gilead of our own. my only gripes were that sometimes the language and metaphor became too difficult to follow - too many clouds, not enough tigers. also, i hate where it ended. i understand it, but i hate it. can't wait to read/discuss interpretations of the lecture at the end, because i have some Thoughts i dont know quite how to articulate yet. 
The Metamorphosis Or, Golden Ass, of Apuleius by Thomas Taylor, Apuleius

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
i honestly only wanted to reread the myth of psyche and eros, so i read that far and no further. 
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

4.5

i really liked this book! i loved the way it handled the mcs anger against the system and balanced it with empathy. the relationships were well written and i loved the polyamory. it got a bit fast for me in the end - i almost couldn't keep up with everything. did successfully make me VERY curious abt the sequel, though. also made me very curious abt empress wu - i may have to go read some nonfiction abt her now. 
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The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

it might have been 4 stars had i not been able to guess the twist. 
my problem with this book was that it made me so uncomfortable - and there were parts where that seemed clearly intentional, and parts where the line between the prejudices of the author and the character seemed to blur. the book - or maybe theos - treatment of women was so strange. every "good" woman was a sex object or a mother. every "bad" woman was ugly, or fat. all the mentally ill characters were animalistic or monstrous. all the foreign characters were westernized or grotesque. there were so many loose ends that were just left - yuri dealing drugs especially bothered me. why have that detail? 
and, ultimately, i guessed the twist and the twist was the whole point of the book.
eta 10/21: also not a fan of the writing style and all the psychobabble. the more i sit on it, the less i like it. someone said it feels like tiktok psychology and i couldn't agree more honestly. changing rating from 3.25 to 3
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Lightlark by Alex Aster

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

1.0

To be frank, I hated this book. It felt like a patchwork of tropes created to sell, sewn together with stilted writing and saccharine metaphor. I was able to predict every major plot twist, because this book is nothing original. It's a poorly written copy of its genre. I don't understand why people like it. 
The Odyssey by Homer

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Obviously a very important book to read, especially for a Greek myths nerd. I've loved so many works inspired by the Homeric epics, it felt like a necessary read. I didn't necessarily love it, but I don't love most epics. It definitely fleshed out my understanding of EPIC, which was nice. 
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