mtparish1's reviews
33 reviews

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.5

This book has ✨ everything: ✨
Lesbian wives
‘Came back wrong’ trope
Magic realism but make it horror
Submarines
Strange monster under the sea
Me, crying

But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed

adventurous dark fast-paced

4.25

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I love a weird, dark, fucked up book about an unhinged woman. This had so much potential I feel genuinely sad it flopped. The ending saved things to an extent, bringing my final review up by at least half a star, but couldn’t make up for the first 150+ pages. Unfortunately, this ultimately completely missed the mark for me and not because I couldn’t handle the content. It felt so incredibly stilted and forced, making me hyper aware the author wanted to shock me and make me uncomfortable, and falling flat for the effort of it. It was also often astonishingly boring for such a short book with so many interesting directions it could have gone. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.25

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

challenging reflective

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

James by Percival Everett

challenging emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Such an intense read, from a perspective vastly more important than Huck Finn’s. I’m glad the author chose to write this and give Jim (James) a voice.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Slavery

Moderate: Child abuse and Rape

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

adventurous 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

4.5

I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun reading 800 pages. This is the fantasy book I’ve been waiting for - after sifting through works by GRRM and Patrick Rothfuss, it was so nice to read a high fantasy book where well-written women take center stage, queerness is normalized, and men and women can have meaningful platonic friendships, 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infertility and Death of parent

Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe

emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Abortion