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museaway's reviews
23 reviews
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
It's rare when I can't find anything to appreciate in a story. This book was repetitive to the point of infuriating. A slew of on the nose moments, pacing isssues, and a plot hole that should have been fixed during the planning stage. To top it off, I didn't like one character in the book.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator's performance was excellent, but it couldn't make up for the poor writing.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator's performance was excellent, but it couldn't make up for the poor writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Multiple recollections of statutory rape
When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
We read this for book club. It's not my tea, but it was interesting.
My major issue was the treatment of a character as a plot device. He was easily the most interesting and sympathetic character, but we knew almost nothing about him, and he was introduced and taken away to further the sisters' story. If the novel had been about HIS disappearance and his rediscovery 20 years later, I would have loved the story.
My take is that the author felt she needed significant shared trauma to pull off the story. Both of the girls had plenty without this character's demise.
My major issue was the treatment of a character as a plot device. He was easily the most interesting and sympathetic character, but we knew almost nothing about him, and he was introduced and taken away to further the sisters' story. If the novel had been about HIS disappearance and his rediscovery 20 years later, I would have loved the story.
My take is that the author felt she needed significant shared trauma to pull off the story. Both of the girls had plenty without this character's demise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 3 by Kousuke Oono
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
My current favorite manga series
Season by Mitsuaki Asou, 麻生ミツ晃
Matsuoka is a gangster and at one point is shown cutting off someone's ear. There's also a flashback scene where he's ostensibly working as a prostitute.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Azuma, the teenaged son of a deceased kimono maker, falls for the mysterious Matsuoka--a man who insists on caring for Azuma and his sickly mother, saying he is only paying back a kindness. As he falls in love, Azuma grows jealous of his father's memory, believing that he was Matsuoka's savior, but his eyes are opened in more than one way when he visits Matsuoka in Tokyo.
My absolute favorite by Asou Mitsuaki. I own it in Japanese. Her works are all so melancholy and beautiful. I'd do anything for another chapter of these two.
My absolute favorite by Asou Mitsuaki. I own it in Japanese. Her works are all so melancholy and beautiful. I'd do anything for another chapter of these two.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Jackass! by Scarlet Beriko
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Best friends become something more thanks to a pair of black stockings.
Not my favorite Scarlet Beriko (that honor goes to Queen and the Tailor), but it's a one-shot I have on my Kobo, so I reread it when I need a boost.
Head's up for a homophobic (closeted) character and a high school student dating the school nurse. And Jackass! is getting a sequel! Scarlet talked about it during FujoCon last year.
Not my favorite Scarlet Beriko (that honor goes to Queen and the Tailor), but it's a one-shot I have on my Kobo, so I reread it when I need a boost.
Head's up for a homophobic (closeted) character and a high school student dating the school nurse. And Jackass! is getting a sequel! Scarlet talked about it during FujoCon last year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Homophobia
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my favorite book. I re-read it every few years and my feelings toward it evolve as I get older. I like the movie adaptation just fine, but the book's ending is so much more satisfying, even though Kitty gets to deliver that zinger in the film.
The book is about a woman who has been defined by her looks since youth, coming to learn what's actually important to her--and who.
Head's up for racism on Kitty's part when she's in China.
The book is about a woman who has been defined by her looks since youth, coming to learn what's actually important to her--and who.
Head's up for racism on Kitty's part when she's in China.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Racism
Hotel Iris by Yōko Ogawa
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed this for the writing, but the content is dark and disturbing.