nikki_flowers's reviews
164 reviews

Harris, Palestine, and the Spectacle of Liberation. by Ismatu Gwendolyn

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I’m new-ish to horror but from what I know I’m not a huge fan of slasher horror. That said the plot of this book intrigued me. Boy was I right. This shit was SO GOOD. It was a slow start but as the book went on it just got better and better. I did not see that end coming. I definitely recommend this book! Is a great quick but engaging horror/thriller read. I’ll definitely have to re-read it  (after more exposure to horror books and film) bc I just know a bunch of the classic horror references were lost on me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Gaslighting, Abandonment

Minor: Sexual content, Grief

Tw: Cults, ritual sacrifice

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, truly the only heterosexuals I care about 🥰 god I love this series so much, it’s truly the perfect cozy fantasy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gore, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Vomit, Kidnapping, Alcohol

Moderate: Exile, crop blight / land decay

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Blood

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Stalking, Death of parent

Collide by Bal Khabra

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

My first hockey romance. It was smuttier than I was expecting (tho in retrospect it was exactly as smutty as I should have expected lol) but I enjoyed the book. I did cringy at times (but I might just be to aroace spec to truly appreciate some of the aspects of romance lol). 

I do recommend this book but I have a few criticism (I always do lol even for books I love to death so don’t take this as a sing not to read it)

I would have liked more of Summer’s pov and I wanted stronger development of her female friendship. For a book stating a strong feminist FL it was surprisingly sparse of women and female friendship. Also, how the hockey guys talked about women pissed me off. Pretty much all of Sumer’s guy friends said something along the lines of “you’re my only female friend because I just want to fuck all other women.” Like ew gross. I don’t think I could ever be friends with a guy who saw women solely as sexual objects. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Pregnancy

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Holy shit it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book in one sitting but as soon as I started I couldn’t put it down and I just had to stay up till the next morning to finish it!

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School was cute and cheesy and heartfelt and sad and beautiful and an absolutely amazing ya queer story. As a white person from a wealthy background I certainly can’t speak to the impact of the discussions of class, race, ethnicity, and nationality but I know there are many reviews by BIPOC and working class people on here that cover that. As for the queer representation and the suicidal ideation representation, I felt those aspects of the story were handled with such tender love and care. I smiled and sobbed and giggled in all the right ways. I cannot express how much I love and appreciate this story!

Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Classism

Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment

Babel by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

This book was brilliant in so many ways that I cannot even begin to adequately put into words. 

This is a book to help you decolonize your mind. The story itself is beautiful and the message is powerful. Fiction like this is so important. People need to see, these stories, to read these stories. Decolonial fiction like this gives us insight and hope and community and so much more. 

As I reflect back on my journey reading this masterpiece I cannot help but think of the events that were unfolding in the world at the same time. 

As I very slowly (for thoroughness sake, not a lack of interest) made my way through the book, I watched the world justify the genocide of Palestinians and the further colonization of Palestine. I watched so so many people, white girls and women in particular, obsess over this book but refuse to put the message into practice. If felt like a fetishization or infantilization of the book and its decolonial efforts. How many read this book and took what they wanted from it for their own selfish reasons and then watch Palestine burn and called Hamas terrorists or stayed completely silent. A completely colonizer move to take what you want from the book and leave the rest to burn regardless of the harm caused.

And yet, how many others read this work and felt its message in their bones. How many saw themselves on the page for the first time. How many people were awakened to liberations struggles. How many felt and cried and turned it into action. How many had hard and necessary conversations with themselves and/ or others because of this book.

That is the legacy of this book. The change it brought about to so many. The perverse colonizer response is not its legacy but rather further example of exactly why we need books like this. 

May this book live on in the hearts of those who have read it and may it fuel our souls in the liberation/mutual aid/revolution/abolition work we do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol

peluda by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

hopeful inspiring reflective

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation