Scan barcode
paperbackwh0re's reviews
209 reviews
Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata
3.25
okay this was fun. I was drawn in for the Muslim and trans representation and also because the author is Palestinian and I am glad I read it. there were such interesting elements that I was introduced to through the cultural storytelling side and would absolutely loved to have learned more.
to me this book was good. it dealt great with the representations it was portraying, however my main issue lies within the bully character. how the actions of the character would sort of dumbed down to the character hating living in her brother’s shadow and her parents kind of rubbing it in her face and how quickly the mc seemed to forgive all the things she said. i know I’ve never and will never be at the receiving end of this kind of bullying so I can’t say in what ways forgiveness if acceptable, but the resolution for those characters felt rushed after the whole book and conflict was partly surrounding the bullying. the mc’s best friend also just fell a little flat to me. however I do think this is a good book for a high school audience to read as a way to know things have happened to others and how you can find a solution in the end.
I will absolutely recommend this for all the representation it brings and so we can support Palestinian authors!
3.25/5⭐️
to me this book was good. it dealt great with the representations it was portraying, however my main issue lies within the bully character. how the actions of the character would sort of dumbed down to the character
I will absolutely recommend this for all the representation it brings and so we can support Palestinian authors!
3.25/5⭐️
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
3.75
this was an incredibly rich story and I am certainly intrigued enough to continue with the series.
it felt a big dull in the middle but it never stopped my intrigue and interest with the story. I love culturally rich characters and I learned so much in this book. I am certainly interested to see what else will continue with this smith and characters.
3.75/5⭐️
it felt a big dull in the middle but it never stopped my intrigue and interest with the story. I love culturally rich characters and I learned so much in this book. I am certainly interested to see what else will continue with this smith and characters.
3.75/5⭐️
Friday I'm in Love by Camryn Garrett
3.5
this was very cute and sweet and adorable albeit a little cheesy.
the wonderful story of love sprouting in a relationship while also seeing characters grow and learn is a classic story and I’m so glad this sapphic version exists.
if you’re looking for a quick and cute ya read definitely look into this.
while I had fun with this, the cheesiness may have gotten to me in the last few chapters during a specific scene that included a trope I hate :,)aka the public singing of a song in a very awkward setting. like seriously why does this keep happening
however this was a very relatable and cute story that shed some valuable insight on many things and it’s great to see representation like this for a younger audience.
3.5/5⭐️
the wonderful story of love sprouting in a relationship while also seeing characters grow and learn is a classic story and I’m so glad this sapphic version exists.
if you’re looking for a quick and cute ya read definitely look into this.
while I had fun with this, the cheesiness may have gotten to me in the last few chapters during a specific scene that included a trope I hate :,)
however this was a very relatable and cute story that shed some valuable insight on many things and it’s great to see representation like this for a younger audience.
3.5/5⭐️
Call of the Sea by Emily B. Rose
4.25
thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an e-arc!
I really enjoyed this! though this is marketed as new adult it very much reads as young adult and pretty much the only thing holding it to the new adult genre is the smut and spice. since it was so easy to read I stayed interested. the book felt evenly divided between parts in regards to the different locations we get and I never felt bored.
while this book was a fun time and it was marketed as new adult and didn’t really feel like it, is why it’s not above a 4.5. besides the mc not wanting to marry a random person (and then eventually finding love) we don’t see any high high stakes until the main plot point is revealed, and even then it felt very ya. if that’s what the author wanted they did good! a good fantasy book that’s easy to read and can be an easy introduction to new adult is what this feels like.
I did love the representation in this book. as a fellow fat person it felt nice to see someone my size discuss these thoughts and have it be a big part of who they are and still be able to do what they love and discover new things and people they love. the demiromantic and neurodivergence was also lovely to read and have it be talked about casually.
even though we have a vast political world at our hands I wished the actual politics were dived into a bit more. it felt a bit superficial and we get one big dump and it’s about it. however I feel the world building in general makes up for it. we discover a new kingdom and have a good time experiencing it ourselves for the first time and seeing our mc experience it as well.
overall this was fun and good, felt it could be a bit better, but for a debut author it’s absolutely amazing and feels right :)
4.25/5⭐️
I really enjoyed this! though this is marketed as new adult it very much reads as young adult and pretty much the only thing holding it to the new adult genre is the smut and spice. since it was so easy to read I stayed interested. the book felt evenly divided between parts in regards to the different locations we get and I never felt bored.
while this book was a fun time and it was marketed as new adult and didn’t really feel like it, is why it’s not above a 4.5. besides the mc not wanting to marry a random person (and then eventually finding love) we don’t see any high high stakes until the main plot point is revealed, and even then it felt very ya. if that’s what the author wanted they did good! a good fantasy book that’s easy to read and can be an easy introduction to new adult is what this feels like.
I did love the representation in this book. as a fellow fat person it felt nice to see someone my size discuss these thoughts and have it be a big part of who they are and still be able to do what they love and discover new things and people they love. the demiromantic and neurodivergence was also lovely to read and have it be talked about casually.
even though we have a vast political world at our hands I wished the actual politics were dived into a bit more. it felt a bit superficial and we get one big dump and it’s about it. however I feel the world building in general makes up for it. we discover a new kingdom and have a good time experiencing it ourselves for the first time and seeing our mc experience it as well.
overall this was fun and good, felt it could be a bit better, but for a debut author it’s absolutely amazing and feels right :)
4.25/5⭐️
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
3.75
don’t do what I did and go into this blind. read the content warnings.
while we learn about the intense things throughout the book, most of it happens in the final quarter.
despite this and my off guard reaction to reading it, this was enjoyable. I don’t normally pick up literary fiction but this has been on my radar for a while. the main character is very interesting and I want to see so many more characters with her diagnosis.
this story was woven together beautifully and it does one of my favorite things by weaving past and present story lines together at once by going back and forth between them. this story felt very unique for many reasons and I stayed on my feet by never knowing what was going to be revealed next.
3.75/5 ⭐️
while we learn about the intense things throughout the book, most of it happens in the final quarter.
despite this and my off guard reaction to reading it, this was enjoyable. I don’t normally pick up literary fiction but this has been on my radar for a while. the main character is very interesting and I want to see so many more characters with her diagnosis.
this story was woven together beautifully and it does one of my favorite things by weaving past and present story lines together at once by going back and forth between them. this story felt very unique for many reasons and I stayed on my feet by never knowing what was going to be revealed next.
3.75/5 ⭐️
In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee
emotional
4.5
I can’t see myself giving this any lower than 4.5 stars because of how raw the emotions are and how undaunted it is to share this story with the public eye.
please check the cws but please read if you can. such an emotional show of the author’s life.
the art is so beautiful throughout the book and does a very good job at displaying emotions.
please check the cws but please read if you can. such an emotional show of the author’s life.
the art is so beautiful throughout the book and does a very good job at displaying emotions.
Honeybloods by I.S. Belle
4.0
thank you to the author for sending me an e-arc!!!
this is the first work I’ve read of this author and I plan on giving her work a look at.
this story was great! but since it’s a short story and I don’t have much experience with that I found that immediately being thrown into the charismatic dialogue that Honey had was a bit hard to grasp for me. I did love the dynamic they had and how it was joking but also had its serious and kind of dark moments. but being thrown into the personality of the main character and getting answers to her life later kinda through me.
despite what I think on that aspect this story was amazing! the fight scenes were good and the writing had good flow and an easy to read style. I enjoyed the sprinkling of what their past friendship was like throughout the story as we see them make new memories. and with this being a novella I wasn’t expecting to have any meaningful side characters that were intriguing but this book had that!
I’m very excited that there’s going to be more to this series because I have many questions that need answering.
4/5⭐️
this is the first work I’ve read of this author and I plan on giving her work a look at.
this story was great! but since it’s a short story and I don’t have much experience with that I found that immediately being thrown into the charismatic dialogue that Honey had was a bit hard to grasp for me. I did love the dynamic they had and how it was joking but also had its serious and kind of dark moments. but being thrown into the personality of the main character and getting answers to her life later kinda through me.
despite what I think on that aspect this story was amazing! the fight scenes were good and the writing had good flow and an easy to read style. I enjoyed the sprinkling of what their past friendship was like throughout the story as we see them make new memories. and with this being a novella I wasn’t expecting to have any meaningful side characters that were intriguing but this book had that!
I’m very excited that there’s going to be more to this series because I have many questions that need answering.
4/5⭐️