paper_mache_reader's Reviews (253)

The Circus Rose

4.0

adventurous medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

One thing about me, I immediately love any piece of media about a circus.

I really enjoyed the two povs we get, how the form changes within the minds of our two main characters. I also thought it was a beautifully queer story, with cabaret boys and group relationships and a genderqueer love interest. And posing the circus as the ultimate accepting background makes perfect sense.

The main conflict was perhaps a bit predictable, but I thought the story was overall good enough that I would be happy to recommend it.

Upright Women Wanted

Sarah Gailey

4.0

adventurous fast-paced

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

The Only Harmless Great Thing

Brooke Bolander

5.0

Every Version Ends in Death

Aliya Chaudhry

5.0

mysterious reflective 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

When Laana returns home for the funeral of her grandmother, she becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the local ghost story. Town ghost/local fable Carolyn Haywood seems to have a completely different story depending on who you ask. Laana is swallowed up by memories upon returning to Clifton, though she unpacks both the mystery of "Creepy Carolyn" (and her own grief) with her friends Sairah and Faiz. Haunted by the idea of what her life would look like boiled down to the one sentence summary Carolyn is reduced to in most variations, Laana's journey is largely internal. Dealing with grief, memory, fate, and the double edged sword of loss, this book was beautiful in every way. While throughly Gothic and wonderfully haunting, I definitely wouldn't consider it horror.