nuhafariha's reviews
1209 reviews

Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

Reading this in 2025 is chilling..the way Hulls describes n the rise of the Mao regime seems like a parallel to how America is right now. From the 1930s to early 2022, the memoir follows the history of trauma in Hull's family. The lines are beautifully drawn, really like a work of art. 

Advocate: A Graphic Memoir of Family, Community, and the Fight for Environmental Justice by Eddie Ahn

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

Eddie Ahn's Advocate follows the life of a young enviromental justice nonprofit lawyer from early life to now. Along the way, Ahn shows us his Korean roots, his path through school and early days in San Francisco. Ahn's kind soul shines through the stories, though he never labors on the difficult parts. As a reader, I sometimes found myself wishing the story progressed a bit faster.

Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

There's an insatiable curiosity in Villarreal's Magical/Realism where every detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is mined deeper and deeper until an universal truth comws out. The topics in this collection range from Nirvana to Game of Thrones to Selena and I never once felt bored or disengaged. Villarreal's a chameleon, shape shifting throughout the book as a young Mexican immigrant, a former wife, a troubled teen, and an academic powerhouse. Yet it is the big heart approach to her subjects, be it herself or Kurt Cobain, the Witcher, her father, or Jon Snow, that makes the work critical and compelling. A great read! 

Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham

challenging dark hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

 This book had me bawling, especially at the end! I'm a sucker for stories about immigration and food and Pham ties those two themes together effortlessly. 

Farmhand, Volume 4: The Seed by Rob Guillory

challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

4.25

Whoa!!!!! The seeds are finally coming up to fruit (though I'm still confused by Murderface Mikhail). I'm continually impressed by the way Guillroy explores plants vs. God, pitching the natural and unnatural in the way that only makes sense if you have lived in Louisiana. 

Farmhand Volume 3: Roots of All Evil by Rob Guillory

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

The roots just keep getting more and more tangled. I'm starting to understand Monica more and hate Jedidiah too. Not sure where the story will go from here.

The Night Eaters, Book 2: Her Little Reapers by Marjorie Liu

challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Lord I am hooked on this series! The revenge, the multiple plot lines coalescing, the surprise family members who turn out to be evil warlocks, what more could you want? I want Ipo to have her own collection - she is fascinating.

The Night Eaters, Book 1: She Eats the Night by Marjorie Liu

challenging dark funny tense 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? No

4.75

I was totally absorbed in the world of this book, a mismatch of Queens, NY, Hawaii, and 1980s Hong Kong - the way the author layers so much together - the family dynamics, the mythology, the theme of revenge and retribution. I just longed for more!

A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Highly suspenseful and wild - loved the twists and turns in this thriller, my heart is still racing, but ultimately feel so sad for Crystal! and gosh what a cliffhanger of an ending!

Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-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

3.75

What a sweet touching book that explains the complexities Muslim kids face in majority white communities. 
Two points where the story became unbelievable to me:
1) I do wonder what it would be like if Zara and Zeesh lived in a more diverse neighborhood and if the racist experiences they've faced are quite that direct? Only curious because in my own personal experience, it's the insidious experiences that hurt more. 
2) And the parents really let the kids roam everywhere on the resort??? Muslim parents??? Really???