obstinateheadstrongcurl's reviews
922 reviews

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore

emotional 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

4.25

I’ve always loved The Great Gatsby but changing the characters’ identities so it becomes a story about passing blows the original out of the water. This was so good. I loved the glimpses of queer culture in the 1920s as well. It was also nice to get more of a peak inside Daisy’s mind. The one thing I didn’t enjoy was how young everyone was. I get this is supposed to be YA, but making everyone so young was a bit absurd.

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights by Omar Barghouti

informative slow-paced

3.0

An important read if you are unfamiliar with the BDS movement. However, I did find it a bit repetitive and poorly organised.

The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod

lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.25

There is an entertaining story in here, but it is buried in this overly long book. The plot doesn’t really start moving until almost the halfway mark. I also really disliked the Candi plotline. If you’ve got a character who is manipulating everyone around her, you have to make me believe anyone would actually want to be around her in the first place. She was so unlikeable that it was laughable she wasn’t kicked out of the band immediately. There was also no satisfaction in how her story was wrapped up as it’s the one thing in the story that happens quickly, and entirely off-page. I did enjoy Toni and Seb’s relationship, but I wish we would have gotten more of them, as well of more of her interacting with the rest of the band members .

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

This read like mashup of Neil Gaiman and VE Schwab, and it was a delight for it. Some of the twists were obvious but the whodunnit genuinely surprised me. It feels a bit unnecessary to stretch this into a series, but I’m more than willing to give the next book a go.

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

adventurous slow-paced

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

3.0

This had the potential to be fascinating but fell a bit flat. The world and magic system are unique, but the story is so zoomed in on the individual characters that you don’t really get to enjoy the world. Despite this focus, the characters mostly felt flat, with the exception of Jovis, whom I really enjoyed. His plotline was the most interesting and action-packed of everyone’s, and as a character he was fleshed out with clear motivations. Unfortunately, only one character holding my interest isn’t enough to make me want to continue the series.

Isabel and the Rogue by Liana De la Rosa

lighthearted fast-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

4.5

I adore this series and I think Isabel’s book might be even better than Ana Maria’s. Isabel is a delight as the wallflower working as a spy for the Mexican government. I love how we see her come into her own and gain confidence. Sirius is a snack, despite being a soldier and a blond. I do wish there had been a bit more of a reckoning of his career within a colonial power, as I can’t imagine this would actually sit will with Isabel’s beliefs. Despite that I enjoyed their relationship and hope we get more of them in Gabby’s book.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This was a good time. Fast-paced but slow-burn-y all at once. Is Lore a bit of a Mary-Sue? Sure, but she’s a well-written one, with an intriguing backstory. And I loved both Gabe and Bastian. The three of them played off each other so well. Definitely excited to pick up the next one.

Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition by T. Colin Campbell

slow-paced

1.0

Found the crossover book for people who are interested in food (myself) and science deniers. Campbell rants about being ostracised from academia while also constantly referencing panels, reviews, boards, etc that he’s been a part of (all while teaching at Cornell), so his claims of blacklisting seem disingenuous. His website also offers courses on nutrition to become Campbell-certified, which makes it hard to see him as anything other than a grifter. Lots of better books about food out there, definitely give this one a skip.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

Not a lot happens here, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but most of the twists at the end were pretty obvious from a long way off.

The story is sweet but ultimately felt a bit ‘meh’.

Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family by Rabia Chaudry

reflective medium-paced

4.5

This made me want to book a holiday to Pakistan just to eat. Chaudry does such a good job talking about cultural and societal stigmas around fatness, as well as why people make the food choices they do.