mgitelman8's reviews
370 reviews

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Though I enjoyed this book, there was not much character or self-discovery to make up for the lack of plot. I felt like this Berk didn’t fully explore the effect of imprisonment trauma on the MC, or paint the full picture on how the MC is fundamentally different for not having known men. There was too much focus on traveling, and not actually drawing any conclusions.

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen

emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

LOVED this book. ATE it up. It was even more interesting when I realized it was based on true events, and the author had transcribed court and interview transcripts to incorporate into the novel. The persecution of Katharina is not the real story here— this is the story of the “good” neighbor, and the town that turned against her.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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? Yes

5.0

I can’t remember the last time I was so immersed in a world. It’s like  Avatar the last Airbender x Civ6 x Harrow the Ninth all wrapped in one, and I LOVE that. I loved the snarl of the main characters and unraveling the multiple storylines. So excited for the sequel!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

dark tense 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? Yes

1.0

This book retains 1 star solely because the author tried

something, even if it didn't work out.

Truly, lam so disheartened to know this novel is revered by my generation, and I'm so glad I didn't read this in my formative years where I might have been at least a little convinced by whatever the hell happens within these pages. What happens, in fact, is very little. This book is kind of like the Walking Dead if the Walking Dead had no plot and was focused on a love triangle between teenagers. Juliette is the ultimate pick-me girl who needs a man to show her she has worth, and Warner is her abuser and captor. Don't even get me started on Adam, a possessive victim of the insta-love trope. Kenji, the most beloved of the fandom, is a womanizing asshole that sticks his nose is everybody's business.

Beyond basic physical descriptors, none of the characters have any personality or depth, and each character is just a literary cliché. I gave the writing style a chance for originality, but when Juliette refers to herself as an old creaky staircase, the was the final nail in the coffin. The world building is vaguely explored, relying on other literature in the genre to fill in the gaps where the author didn't feel like making it make sense and the plot is incredibly low-stakes despite the setup being so dramatic.

Problems come up out of nowhere and get resolved just as quickly. I would say this book has an appropriate level of complexity for children, but the depictions of unhealthy romantic relationships that the author models here would be really irresponsible to give to children without a follow-up discussion. Ultimately, this is a book perfectly made for short-form internet consumption with its surface level characters and plot.

Save yourself the time and read the plot summary online so you can understand and enjoy the related TikToks.

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

Solid read, planning to finish the series even though this book was a little slow in the first act. I love the characters and the story, but I feel that this author struggles to really hold out the pause in order to properly build suspense by revealing everything too quickly. It’s not necessarily that all the issues are resolved as soon as they come up, but key reveals are spoiled from the surprise they can give to the reader when the logic is too clear and there’s no delay in explaining it. This has been consistent throughout the series, but ultimately I enjoy the plot and want to see where it’s going. The book did catch me off guard with reveals, I just wish I could savor them a bit more before we move along with the plot.

The Gilded Crown by Marianne Gordon

adventurous 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

5.0

Wow wow wow. I do not understand how this book doesn’t have more hype! Beautifully written and with complex character dynamics, this book would have perfectly filled the gaping whole the Shepherd King Duology left in me this summer. Same vibes and ambiance but with toxic lesbians at the center. Perfection. And beautiful writing and imagery like, “her voice collaps[ed] at its edges like wet sand.”
The sibling dynamic between Hellevir and Farvor really stuck out to me, as I don’t often feel like this is portrayed realistically or even given much time in other books in this genre, but I loved the siblings together, as well as individually. I don’t often cry at books, but this one made me tear up for sure. The scene where

Hellevir hopes to raise Calgir and only sees his ashes broke me, not so much on Calgir’s behalf but on her and Farvor’s.

I was rooting for the gays, hard. Can’t wait to read the sequel!

Down the Drain by Julia Fox

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

3.5

I really enjoyed this book. Even though the writing wasn’t very complex, Fox had moments of profundity and poignance I didn’t expect. Though I lost track of her many best friends throughout her story, especially in her teenage years, I realized their individuality was not as critical as how revealing their interctions were about Fox. Her selective editing in this respect, such as choosing to omit most information about her marriage until after it fell apart, was an interesting choice. Fox is just a girl with a bad lot trying to figure it out. She’s kinda iconic. 

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Vol. 1 by Nagabe

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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

3.75

I feel like there wasn’t enough plot in  the first novel, mainly set up like a prologue.

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

It took me some time to get into it in the beginning, but once I built up a connection with the characters… wow. The prose was stunning, so beautiful. I wasn’t expecting the ending, but mostly because I thought it didn’t fit, rather than just being surprising. I think it’s funny that the author pitched this book to be about fucking a library, but

Vitrine turning the angel into the library during sex kind of felt like the easy way out to confronting their complex feelings for each other, romantic or otherwise. I think I would have felt much more satisfied if those feeling were clarified. For example, perhaps the angel had chosen to sacrifice himself in that way after what he had learned being stuck with Vitrine.

Regardless, I’m giving this book a high rating because even though I see some imperfections, the fact that it lingers in my mind for its story and unique prose makes it a good book in my eyes. Things were a bit more open ended and ambiguous than I prefer, but I suppose that’s what engenders the magic of interpretation. Will definitely be picking up this authors other work.

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad 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

4.0