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oraclement's Reviews (158)
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
So, I read this book to see if this would prompt a reaction in me as a motherless Asian daughter; except I have an estranged, distant relationship and zero attachment toward her. Heard this was sad, so I wonder if it will have an effect for me.
It does.
I may not like my mother the way Michelle obviously love, adore, and respect her mom so highly. But I think there's some common feelings everyone shared in caretaking a cancer patient that just feels so raw and grippingly true, that I relate despite how I share different relationship with my mother. To read about it is to reliving the slow, deteriorating descend of a person: from being a living, functioning human being into something that is somewhere in between.
Anyway.
What an emotional roller coaster. I had to pace myself and stop few times to sit with how this memoir is making me feel, reading Michelle's accounts that feels all too familiar. Michelle knows how to write food and feelings, this was a great literary piece. On a personal level though, you can feel that writing this memoir probably has been a way for the author to make sense & make peace with the state of her world before & after her mom's passing, and everything she took for granted & didn't get to do or appreciate until it's too late. I hope this has really help her heal too.
Now go read this, it makes my heart warm more than I'd like to admit <3
It does.
I may not like my mother the way Michelle obviously love, adore, and respect her mom so highly. But I think there's some common feelings everyone shared in caretaking a cancer patient that just feels so raw and grippingly true, that I relate despite how I share different relationship with my mother. To read about it is to reliving the slow, deteriorating descend of a person: from being a living, functioning human being into something that is somewhere in between.
Anyway.
What an emotional roller coaster. I had to pace myself and stop few times to sit with how this memoir is making me feel, reading Michelle's accounts that feels all too familiar. Michelle knows how to write food and feelings, this was a great literary piece. On a personal level though, you can feel that writing this memoir probably has been a way for the author to make sense & make peace with the state of her world before & after her mom's passing, and everything she took for granted & didn't get to do or appreciate until it's too late. I hope this has really help her heal too.
Now go read this, it makes my heart warm more than I'd like to admit <3
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Driven, clumsy and confused 30 years old lady who's down bad for the ring. How bad? That is for you to decide upon your own reading, fellas.
The main character narrates her every thought. Every thought, like a stream of consciousness of her awareness. And literally every single thought–including the scenarios she only imagine in her head–which often time also confuse me in reading her accounts & requiring me to read it a few times. It was mostly okay, sometimes I run out of patience too, sure, any. Giving me an unreliable narrator feel; is it what the author is going for?
Anyway as I was saying; the way our leading girl narrates her revelation got confusing at times, and the book has open ending. So, it gets more confusing. BUT. There's actually a pattern you can follow to guess what the actual ending is and a pretty good estimate of how we get there, who done it, her underlying thought process for every step and all that. But it's.. very between the line and I only notice it on my second read, reviewing parts where I felt unsure (read it way past midnight tho so maybe it's not my brain's best performance). Remember and look for the stuff she revealed at the very beginning, that'd be a helpful clue. But it is, kind of an open ending. The ending is definite, just, "what? how do we get here again??" and the book ends and cuts abruptly there. A good way to end it, I say.
Nice read, fly through it overnight. Man. One of the dude was hot and I wish him well lol. Now go read.
(An E-ARC was provided to me upon request to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of my honest review for the work, thank you for allowing me to read this!)
The main character narrates her every thought. Every thought, like a stream of consciousness of her awareness. And literally every single thought–including the scenarios she only imagine in her head–which often time also confuse me in reading her accounts & requiring me to read it a few times. It was mostly okay, sometimes I run out of patience too, sure, any. Giving me an unreliable narrator feel; is it what the author is going for?
Anyway as I was saying; the way our leading girl narrates her revelation got confusing at times, and the book has open ending. So, it gets more confusing. BUT. There's actually a pattern you can follow to guess what the actual ending is and a pretty good estimate of how we get there, who done it, her underlying thought process for every step and all that. But it's.. very between the line and I only notice it on my second read, reviewing parts where I felt unsure (read it way past midnight tho so maybe it's not my brain's best performance). Remember and look for the stuff she revealed at the very beginning, that'd be a helpful clue. But it is, kind of an open ending. The ending is definite, just, "what? how do we get here again??" and the book ends and cuts abruptly there. A good way to end it, I say.
Nice read, fly through it overnight. Man. One of the dude was hot and I wish him well lol. Now go read.
(An E-ARC was provided to me upon request to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of my honest review for the work, thank you for allowing me to read this!)
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A good great book to scare men off by recommending this as your favorite reads.
If you want a book that talks about abusive, harmful relationship without romanticizing it, also probably makes you uncomfortable as hell: here's your book.
A trigger warning galore of adult-minor relationship, incest, suicide, mental illness, A LOT of self harm & sabotage more than you can imagine. I can read this with ease, it's not body gore, but if you get squeamish easily, this is something to note before reading. A very dark read, emotionally disturbing. You read this book and is enthralled by the way it's written, but also knows none of this is okay or should happen. Interesting exploration of mother-daughter relationship and how siblings can have opposite experience with a parental figure, and how absent father may affect his daughter in two ugly ways possible.
Please read this book if you think you can handle what you see on reviews. Leaves me such a strong impression.
A trigger warning galore of adult-minor relationship, incest, suicide, mental illness, A LOT of self harm & sabotage more than you can imagine. I can read this with ease, it's not body gore, but if you get squeamish easily, this is something to note before reading. A very dark read, emotionally disturbing. You read this book and is enthralled by the way it's written, but also knows none of this is okay or should happen. Interesting exploration of mother-daughter relationship and how siblings can have opposite experience with a parental figure, and how absent father may affect his daughter in two ugly ways possible.
Please read this book if you think you can handle what you see on reviews. Leaves me such a strong impression.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Was excited to read this because it looks like a short, choppable read with Prague ghost stories & cemetery. Very sadly, didn't leave much impression to me.
Historical fiction meets folklore fairytale meets middle-grade/YA coming of age & self discovery read, written in poetry/verse style.
It tells the story of Ilana, sent to Prague by her parents to study (but do everything else except that) where she meets a ghost boy, a creepy uncle (oh well), discover a graveyard on the hill behind her aunt's house and clearing the complex. And sets her mind into pursuing music at last, with resolute. I must admit I didn't expect the Jewish-Nazi historical fiction part.
The whole motivating plot of a young girl wanting to pursue art against her parents' well intention wish for her to pursue something more grounded was way too cliche already & sadly this book doesn;t add anything new into it & ends up being very underwhelming.
Also, the setting of the book being in Prague, I was expecting more... vibes. And I didn't get that. The ending? Doesn't help. It just doesn't kick or satisfy me, doesn't provoke any emotion or reaction from me.
The idea was really nice but somehow it falls flat and give me the bore reading through it, I really just want to finish and tick this off my list. Until the end of the book, nothing left strong impression or awe me in a way. Maybe the genre is just not for me, you know!
Historical fiction meets folklore fairytale meets middle-grade/YA coming of age & self discovery read, written in poetry/verse style.
It tells the story of Ilana, sent to Prague by her parents to study (but do everything else except that) where she meets a ghost boy, a creepy uncle (oh well), discover a graveyard on the hill behind her aunt's house and clearing the complex. And sets her mind into pursuing music at last, with resolute. I must admit I didn't expect the Jewish-Nazi historical fiction part.
The whole motivating plot of a young girl wanting to pursue art against her parents' well intention wish for her to pursue something more grounded was way too cliche already & sadly this book doesn;t add anything new into it & ends up being very underwhelming.
Also, the setting of the book being in Prague, I was expecting more... vibes. And I didn't get that. The ending? Doesn't help. It just doesn't kick or satisfy me, doesn't provoke any emotion or reaction from me.
The idea was really nice but somehow it falls flat and give me the bore reading through it, I really just want to finish and tick this off my list. Until the end of the book, nothing left strong impression or awe me in a way. Maybe the genre is just not for me, you know!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
The Sleepless is a speculative sci-fi, half dystopian story about a sub community called The Sleepless (pretty self explanatory). Sleeplessness is many things but among them an illness, or a defect, or a blessing to some if may argue; but the book deals with the question of how Sleepless came to be and the ploy behind it, through the narrator's voice, Jamie Vega, a sleepless investigative journalist.
At first chops, I feel a little confused at following the timeline and the writing seems a little too descriptive. But as it went on, it's exactly what the book needed.
Let's talk twist: nothing mind blowing, plot twist lovers probably see it miles away (I don't), but I don't think Manibo intend for it either. But a note for those who care a lot about plot revelations.
The world building was above decent, it keeps me intrigued by the new, post-Sleepless pandemic society that is the setting of the story. The characters introduced contribute to the story just right, I just feel like overall the book was done right. Nothing too much & excessive or lacking & less than needed.
As Jamie struggle through his entrapping puzzled situations, he also learn to proceed his lost, his (arguably poor) choices, the people he trusted and their relationship and of course, moral dilemma of why he do what he felt he should do and making peace with it.
Speculative fiction isn't my most go-to genre, but I enjoyed this one, I believe others will find it a nice introduction & gateway to the genre too. Great read, worth the time & money you'd spend for it (luckily saved by Erewhon Books providing me with an eARC in exchange for this honest review!)
At first chops, I feel a little confused at following the timeline and the writing seems a little too descriptive. But as it went on, it's exactly what the book needed.
Let's talk twist: nothing mind blowing, plot twist lovers probably see it miles away (I don't), but I don't think Manibo intend for it either. But a note for those who care a lot about plot revelations.
The world building was above decent, it keeps me intrigued by the new, post-Sleepless pandemic society that is the setting of the story. The characters introduced contribute to the story just right, I just feel like overall the book was done right. Nothing too much & excessive or lacking & less than needed.
As Jamie struggle through his entrapping puzzled situations, he also learn to proceed his lost, his (arguably poor) choices, the people he trusted and their relationship and of course, moral dilemma of why he do what he felt he should do and making peace with it.
Speculative fiction isn't my most go-to genre, but I enjoyed this one, I believe others will find it a nice introduction & gateway to the genre too. Great read, worth the time & money you'd spend for it (luckily saved by Erewhon Books providing me with an eARC in exchange for this honest review!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly just why and what's up with this book.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An okay book, maybe meh. Felt rushed by the last 50-60 pages.
It was great, sweet, heartwarming, just the right amount of soft and sugar. And then somewhere before the middle, the author can't stop adding more characters & stories into the spider webs only to have so many of them.... vanished into thin air. Not much significance, hanging. The ending was? Sounds like somebody force the author to just write/come up with anything & wrap it up in 50 pages. How did Julian and Riley really just have that non-closure closure? And I feel like Alice & Bunty, if were only to be written such resolve, could've entirely be blipped out of the story (she does not contribute significantly to the plot anyway) and dedicate those pages to Riley & Julian's resolve. Monica's character was way too rigid the entire book to just suddenly have a magical 'wake up call' & change her mind in what? A night? A week of realization?
But let's talk about what works for me. It's light bites, easy to read & flip through, very light hearted too, the characters was lovely though a little lacking depth and deserve better plot. Give it a try only if you're like, really bored & feeling random. It's a happy hopeful read, though.
Ps., damn the women's overthinking here is kinda crazy me thinks.
It was great, sweet, heartwarming, just the right amount of soft and sugar. And then somewhere before the middle, the author can't stop adding more characters & stories into the spider webs only to have so many of them.... vanished into thin air. Not much significance, hanging. The ending was? Sounds like somebody force the author to just write/come up with anything & wrap it up in 50 pages. How did Julian and Riley really just have that non-closure closure? And I feel like Alice & Bunty, if were only to be written such resolve, could've entirely be blipped out of the story (she does not contribute significantly to the plot anyway) and dedicate those pages to Riley & Julian's resolve. Monica's character was way too rigid the entire book to just suddenly have a magical 'wake up call' & change her mind in what? A night? A week of realization?
But let's talk about what works for me. It's light bites, easy to read & flip through, very light hearted too, the characters was lovely though a little lacking depth and deserve better plot. Give it a try only if you're like, really bored & feeling random. It's a happy hopeful read, though.
Ps., damn the women's overthinking here is kinda crazy me thinks.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Homophobia
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Would be a thriller read I love and remember a long time for sure. The way the author writes made the book feels fast paced because it was gripping and I fly through the pages, I just wanna keep flipping. The characters are ones I genuinely want to root for and care about, each has motives and stories that are not too overwhelming, just realistic enough to be understood.
The plot twist. I personally am not someone who's a big fan nor critical about a twist, it can be there or not be there for me to love a book, but it needs to be believable enough and this book did just that. I'd say it's a smart one and impactful enough, but then again, not a big plot twist frenzy so I might not be the best judge for it.
If you love Jennifer McMahon, I think you'd love this too. The story writing was nice, it's a thriller but it also makes you feel warm at times about the tragic family and sibling bond.
(NetGalley provide me an eARC copy of this book for me to review.)
The plot twist. I personally am not someone who's a big fan nor critical about a twist, it can be there or not be there for me to love a book, but it needs to be believable enough and this book did just that. I'd say it's a smart one and impactful enough, but then again, not a big plot twist frenzy so I might not be the best judge for it.
If you love Jennifer McMahon, I think you'd love this too. The story writing was nice, it's a thriller but it also makes you feel warm at times about the tragic family and sibling bond.
(NetGalley provide me an eARC copy of this book for me to review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape