mj_james_writes's reviews
1450 reviews

The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz

Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

Nothing has happened. Voyerism. Word chooses that take you out of the story and make you realize sentences are fragmented. I really wanted to love this, but I have no connection at this point, and according to the other reviews that probably won’t change.

The Red Scholar's Wake by Aliette de Bodard

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Title: The Red Scholar Wake
Type: Paper
Thoughts: I knew I would love this book from the first page. I knew I would question my love of this book from the first page. Ships are sentient. They get married and have relations…with humans. This is an Asian inspired space opera that is weirdly sapphic (ship/human) and questions society and politics. It is character heavy and beautifully written. I loved it even as I laughed as I tried to explain. One aspect I didn’t enjoy was the son Being upset that his parents were not intimate. Beyond being weird as an ace I found this kind of offensive. I think if it was framed more as him being upset at an unstable upbringing it would have worked. But nope he wanted is parents together together. Also, toxic bad relationship and immediate new relationship for political reasons. This is not a book for everyone but I adored it and want to go read everything from this author.

The Haunted Bookstore - Gateway to a Parallel Universe (Light Novel) Vol. 1 by Shinobumaru

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3.0

This is a light novel my son bought me about over a year ago. The thought was very nice. A combination of his love of Japan/anime and my love of books. But as much as I have tried I am not an anime person and this book reads exactly like anime - it played in my head as I read. So it is exactly what it is supposed to be. My only valid thought is that the bookstore was not as essential as it should have been given the title.

This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

HP mentioned but also a whole scene going on about the joy of HP combined with questionable therapist ethics.

Content Warnings

The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson

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dark slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I started this in audio and as much as I wanted to like it I wasn’t. I switched over to paper thinking that may be better, but it really wasn’t. I don’t think the writing style was for me. But more then that this book is dark even when it is supposed to not be. It also had too much going on. Having the emotional intensity of WWII as a backdrop and then throwing a super villain in as well felt overwhelming.

Content Warnings