mallorieluna's reviews
95 reviews

Private Rites by Julia Armfield

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

An exploration of sisterhood in the midst of global crisis, this really does convey the weight and feeling of what it means to be a sister, the grudges you carry, the way you know one another and the ways it makes moving past the start of something that began in childhood so difficult once you're an adult. And of course a family legacy out of your control. 

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

adventurous emotional 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? No

5.0

That feeling of possibility and exploration is, I feel, the defining characteristic of humanity's future. And doing so with those you love, it's a reminder of our connection to one another no matter how far we go, or how much we find.

Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck

challenging funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A story about love , of yourself and your future and your path. 

Master of Me by Keke Palmer

funny informative medium-paced

I think this book likely wasn't meant for me, I didn't find it overly applicable to my life or experience, but I like Keke Palmer as a story teller and the narrator of this book. I wish this had been a more personal look at her life and journey rather than a sort of guide for others.

Dark Sapphic Tales by M.G. Mercurial

mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

I really liked a lot of the ideas put forth in this collection of short stories, so many of them were unique and interesting and very cool on top of being sexy. I think all of them deserve more time and attention paid to them to really flesh out the stories and characters. Additionally a few spelling errors make another editing pass worthwhile. I felt like with each story just as I was really getting into them they would end, but I did really like the open ended away of conclusion for each story, though if there will never be more it is just a little bit cruel - or maybe that's just more of my wish that these stories could have been longer.

I found myself thinking of similar books I read several years ago and finding that this pulled up similar feelings in me, that I wish it had committed a little more to either the story or the erotica.

All in all I didn't dislike any of the stories, I think the first was my favorite of them all. But I think all of them could be expanded into something special if given a chance.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Pucking Around (includes That One Night) by Emily Rath

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I had fun reading this. Is it great literature? Lol. No. But it's fun. I think my biggest gripe is how long it is and having to rehash several of the same things more than once, I think with some trimming this would have been even more fun.

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

This is a fairy tale that left me wanting more, the world created is one I wanted to linger in far longer than the story allowed. I wish we got more of everything but I also loved what we got.

We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson

emotional informative reflective

5.0

Big Name Fan by Annie Mare, Ruthie Knox

funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

A little by the book at times, it was very cute. It felt like the kind of story written by and for those who read fanfic, and who have been consistently let down by the queer baiting shows they love, I wish we'd gotten a little more character development a little more time spent on building relationships. It felt a little like fanfiction in the way fic relies on the shared language of canon, this felt like it was speaking a language of a canon that doesn't actually exist so we're missing out on layers that would have added so much to the connections and relationships. Overall I liked it, I just wished there could have been a little bit more done to really flesh out the characters and story.

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

There is something so painfully real about the way growing up and living is talked about in this book. Feeling like the same person you were as a child but grown, feeling like you are being left behind as everyone around you matures and moves on with their lives, the pain of sisterhood and complicated parents. It's a difficult thing to be a person these days, and Emily Austin really manages to convey the deep and dreadful truth of it all, and at the same time manages to remind you of the hope for more in the end.