mh_doma's reviews
121 reviews

Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun, Vol. 7 by AidaIro

fast-paced

3.5

Cosmoknights: Book Two by Hannah Templer

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

5.0

Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Austin has done it once again and written a book just for me! Like in Everyone in this Room Will Someday Be Dead, I felt so seen throughout Interesting Facts About Space. Similar to Gilda, I loved the necessary neurotic lesbian representation that Enid provided that I find so difficult to find in any other books. Despite the similar feelings that these books and characters have prompted in me, they are starkly different and individual. I adored seeing Enid navigate her life in the messy, realistic ways that traumatized and neurodivergent people do and understand her relationships with her mom, Polly, and Vin. This book means so much to me and has further solidified Austin as one of my favorite authors!

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

2.0

I had such high hopes for this novella. I absolutely loved the first half of it and kept a star because  the writing was so excellent and immersive. I thought this might even become a new favorite read from me. But then the second half happened:

an unexpected age gap romance (18/30) with inadequately explored and romanticized power dynamics and sex that was so graphic that I felt like I was reading porn. I thought the reviews were exaggerating how graphic the sex was because I typically don’t mind sex scenes in books if they serve a deeper purpose. However, this felt voyeuristic and uncomfortable especially given the extreme violence that happens before the sex scene and that surrounds it (not between those involved but still). I understand that this novella was advertised as a romance but that was not the type of dynamic that I felt prepared for or was anticipating and frankly it just left me feeling gross reading it.

I felt like I was abruptly placed in a completely different novella between the two halves and that what intrigued me in the first half was either underexplored, unfulfilled, or rushed toward a conclusion. Many of the townspeople felt one-dimensional as well

(their defining trait being bigotry)

which didn’t make for a sufficiently complex story for me where there could have absolutely been one. An unexpectedly disappointing read. 

A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Such a stunning collection of short stories. Brutally honest with a compelling writing style that remained engaging throughout the entire collection. I enjoyed each short story even though there were some that were memorable for me. A few short stories that especially stood out to me include “How to Stay Friends,” “Not Bleak,” and “Winning.” While I found the specifics of some mental health and sexual themes to be somewhat repetitive, each short story was crafted thoughtfully and this collection definitely stands out as among the most impactful collections I have read.

Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey

emotional hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

An important manifesto for the work culture that we live in today steeped with racist and colonial roots. I read this manifesto at a crucial transitionary point in my life and was centered and touched by it. I loved when Hersey provided personal anecdotes and historical information to support her points. I found the repetition necessary especially with regard of the concept of “deprogramming” that Hersey talks about. Reading the words in this manifesto is a different process from applying them, and that is something I will be thinking about and grappling with for a long time after finishing this manifesto.

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

3.5

This book absolutely had me turning the pages and wanting to know what happened next. I took issues with aspects of the plot and some the representation but found other parts to be brilliant. Will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!

The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

2.5

Grabbed this graphic novel from a free little library on my way home and read it on the train ride. The art style is really engaging, and there was a solid foundation in terms of characters and potential themes to explore with a few subplots that I found especially meaningful. The direction of the graphic novel was unclear to me for most of it though. I only became invested in the last quarter or so and by then it was over too soon as the resolutions came too fast and felt somewhat unearned. This would have been a great longer graphic novel that focused in on a few specific characters or a longer graphic novel series that explored all the characters and subplots more in-depth.

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

Unfortunately, I’m just not as invested as I was hoping to be and find it hard for this book to keep my attention.

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

Wow, I can’t believe Ostertag made this graphic novel just for me! This graphic novel is my favorite work from her by far and became an instant favorite. Seeing a butch lesbian with low self-esteem and vulnerability issues and addressing that properly meant so much to me actually. I loved the choice of colors in this graphic novel and found the art style especially smooth and eye-catching. The storytelling and pacing were compelling, and I loved the relationship between Mags and Nessa. A romance between a butch lesbian who doesn’t know how to ask for help and a bisexual trans girl who thinks everything of her? And they are childhood best friends reconnecting after years spent apart? I’m so here. Not to mention the exploration of familial/generational hurts, trauma and how it changes people, the importance of accepting that we deserve to be happy even when we think we don’t, and so much more that this graphic novel did a great job of addressing. Don’t even get me started on all the unhealthy relationships that Mags and Nessa had to unravel with the people in their lives. I hope Ostertag continues making graphic novels with slightly more mature tones like this one because I think this is her best work yet!