minayana's reviews
178 reviews

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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

Sooo much fun, and the audiobook narration was perfect. What I loved the most was the characters and their little found family. I absolutely adored Vera, and the characters had such fun interactions. Even though the mystery isn’t the most engaging part of the novel, I was satisfied with how everything ended. Definitely recommend!
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Go to review page

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

4.0

I loved the romance between Claire and Delilah, they have such a sweet and sexy connection. I loved Claire as a character and as a mother, you can really feel her love for her daughter. Although overall I liked Delilah, her “everybody hates me I’m so alone” inner monologue got very tiring very fast….like you are 30, have a conversation with your damn sister lol. The humor and dialogue at times is very millennial, but it’s not always so it didn’t take too much away from my enjoyment of the book. One thing that drove me crazy is the constant alcohol though…..every scene it’s “ugh I need a drink” like please seek therapy lol. Also, there is ONE character of color in this 390 page book and they have a very very minor role, like they’re mentioned twice. For how diverse the queer characters are, it’s a bit frustrating for me as a queer WOC. The writing style was pretty solid, but didn’t stand out to me. There’s a fun cast of characters and their interactions feel pretty genuine. Overall this was a great read! Excited to continue with the series.
Ghost Roast by Shawneé Gibbs, Shawnelle Gibbs

Go to review page

adventurous 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? No

3.5

Cute YA graphic novel that reads a bit on the younger side. It has some good moments about the history of slavery in New Orleans.  Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to because the MC has a crush on the son of a plantation owner who’s amazingly a woke ass guy and it felt a bit “white savior”….theres a plot twist near the end that makes it better but I wish we’d known that plot point in the beginning rather than being a plot twist cause it dampens the reading experience before you find out. On a good note, the art is wonderful!
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele, John Joseph Adams

Go to review page

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

Some great stories, some mid stories, and a god awful one lol. I think it’s important to point out that most of these stories are not horror !! Very disappointing when on the cover it literally says “new black HORROR” lmao. A lot of these stories felt like the author was catering to what they think Jordan Peele would like, rather than writing a story they’re passionate about. I also found it disappointing that we barely hear from Jordan Peele at all from this anthology that he’s supposed to have edited…..his intro is about a page and an half. A lot of the stories felt out of place or simply unnecessary. There were a few great stories, but overall the book felt a bit exhausting at times. The rating based on the rating I gave the individual stories is a 3.5, but in my heart it feels a bit more like a 3 lol

Individual ratings 

reckless eyeballing- 2.5⭐️
eye and tooth - 3.25⭐️
wandering devil - 2⭐️
invasion of the baby snatchers - 4.25⭐️ loved but should’ve been a novel cause the ending was a mess….also not horror
the other one - 5⭐️ so atmospheric 
Lasirèn - 3.5⭐️
The rider - 4⭐️
the aesthete - 3.25⭐️
pressure - 2⭐️ 
dark home - 4⭐️
flicker - 5⭐️ loved, would’ve been great as a novel
the most strongest obeah woman of the world - 2.5⭐️ exhausting….
The Norwood trouble - 3.75⭐️
a grief of the dead - 3⭐️ some great elements but also messy 
a bird sings by the etching tree - 4⭐️ so much fun
an American fable - 4⭐️
your happy place - 5⭐️ MY FAVORITE but again, not really horror
hide & seek - 4.5⭐️ what a short story should be
origin story - 1⭐️ this one actively pissed me off lol
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis

Go to review page

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

A very important and informative read, and for me it felt like a great introduction to Angela Davis. I’ve ordered more books by her and am excited to learn more. This is a collection of speeches and essays, so at times it feels a bit repetitive, therefore did not get 5 stars. 
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Go to review page

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

5.0

Listened to the audiobook and it felt like I was being read a bed time story. So soft and inviting. Loved!
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

Go to review page

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

5.0

Really well written and just heartbreaking. Loved the mirroring of the two separate POVs.
Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

Go to review page

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

4.0

Did anything really happen in this book? Not really. Did the audiobook narration make this a goddamn good time? Absolutely.
Extremely character driven, with topics that explore how class, race, and sexuality affect people’s standing in society and in other people’s views, both blatantly and subconsciously. All the characters in this novel feel so human, and the narrator does an amazing job distinguishing them from each other. 
Overall, really well written and compulsively readable, but not for everybody.
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was phenomenal and gut wrenching. From the first word, your eyes are glued to the page and you can’t help but keep reading and reading. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and horrifying as you watch Enchanted get groomed and her circumstances get worse and worse. This is such an important read, and I loved the spotlight on how black girls and women are treated when they are in abusive situations-not being believed, and being blamed for being too “grown.” I liked how the novel explores how a situation like this would affect the family as well, but in the end the focus is still on Enchanted. Your heart just breaks for her the whole novel, and you keep rooting for her to get her out of this situation. This didn’t get a 5 star cause unfortunately, the ending was a bit rushed and I’m not quite sure how I feel about the last two pages. I’ve read White Smoke by this author as well, and I’ve noticed that she tends to put a tad too many plot twists at the end. 

I really did not like how the author literally states in her authors note that the relationship between Gab and her bf is ok…..NO, it is NOT ok for an 18 year old to date a 15 year old just because the older one treats the younger one nicely like what the fuck….that really rubs me the wrong way. The whole point of the novel is the fact that it is the adults job to recognize that relations with a minor is wrong and disgusting!!! It literally goes against the whole message of the novel!!! It doesn’t matter that the older one was 17 in the beginning!!! A 14 year old and a 17 year old??? Gross!!! Ugh. Unfortunately, I just can’t give the book 5 stars for that.. Ignoring that one major flaw, this was an amazing book and I would highly recommend. Please check the trigger warnings first! This is a YA novel, but the content can be very triggering. This is definitely an older YA novel.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Go to review page

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

4.25

This is a great novel with really poignant prose. The plot is really tragic, as are all the characters. The POV switches often, with the POV of Claudia being the only recurring one. Morrison explores the ways that black children are taught self loathing and hate, and how the definition of “beauty” is often intertwined with race. There is especially a spotlight on the treatment of black women in society, one of the topics being how black men will turn to abusing black women due to feeling demasculinized by white men. The author gives all the characters backstories to show how they became the people they are in the present day. I know some people didn’t like that she humanized the bad characters, but I think it’s important to recognize that the terrible things that happen in this novel are distinctly human. 

This book is a hard read, and it did a bit too much towards the end for me personally. I don’t think there was a reason to show the rape of Pecola considering we already know from the very beginning of the book that it happens. I also really didn’t understand the point of the POV of “Soaphead” except to be gratuitously disturbing. 

This book covers so many extremely important topics and themes, and I would definitely recommend, but PLEASE check the trigger warnings before reading! 

A few other things I had issues with. The way fat characters are treated and described are pretty fatphobic, but I’m not surprised considering the time it was published. There’s also a character who doesn’t enjoy sex with her husband, and finds comfort in her cat. There’s really weird descriptions of her experiencing “pleasure” from her cat sitting on her lap and stuff like that ??? Weird and once again, gratuitous.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings