peristome's reviews
111 reviews

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

As the wheels of innovation turned, power stayed the same.

I honestly don't have much to say about this book that's not effusing praise. I have no reason to be giving this a 4.5 stars instead of 5 other than it just didn't give me that 5-star feeling. It's nothing to do with the quality of the book—the characters, setting, worldbuilding, prose, and plot are all top notch. I really enjoyed that this book leaned heavily into the academia part of dark academia and didn't just use it as an aesthetic. The magic system was so interesting and unique; I've never seen anything like it. Be warned: the ending was incredibly sad, but also hopeful. I also loved the romance

but you should be ready to cry your eyes out

. The plot twist was done well too—just enough telegraphing to let most of us figure it out, but still heartwrenching all the same.

If you like morally grey characters, dark academia and incredibly unique magic systems, this should be your next read. I'm mostly surprised you haven't read it already, given the hype. I think it lives up to it. I highly recommend!

Content Warnings

The Stranger by Albert Camus

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dark reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

I find myself not having a lot to say about this book. I found the writing style to be extremely bland throughout. At first, I thought this might just be a remnant of the fact that this is a translated novel; having finished the book, I believe instead that it's deliberate as a way to get into the mindset of our sociopathic main character. Still, I didn't find it that enjoyable to read.

I did find it interesting how culture norms seem to have shifted drastically over the last 80 years, from having coffee and a cigarette during your love one's vigil being a moral failing to vigils not even really being a thing anymore. The racism, sexism, and domestic abuse? Not so interesting. I suppose it's part of Merusault's sociopathy, though.

Content Warnings

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a beautiful contradiction. That might not make a lot of sense, but I'll try to explain: the language is dense and flowery but the story is not. The story is meandering and slow-paced but the language races from thought to thought, like a never-ending stream of consciousness. I completely understand the urge to give this book 5 stars, list a bunch of (admittedly gorgeous) quotes, and move on. However, I just don't feel like I can do that. The beginning of this book dragged on and on. It took me forever to get through the first 60%, and only a few days to get through the last 40%. The last little chunk is where the book really kicked into gear and events actually started to happen.

That is not to say the first 60% is without merit. It is a fantastic character study of a young man that gets sucked into the vortex of depravity. Even though this book was written over 130 years ago at this point, it is still an apt examination of grooming, the ways it can happen, and what it does to a person. The relationship between Dorian and Lord Henry was legitimately uncomfortable to read at times. It made me feel glum. I do recognize that this is the point, however. Dorian's corruption isn't supposed to sit right with us, and there are no good people in this story.

I do have one other major grip with the book...

how does Sybil know Dorian's name?! She only called him Prince Charming previously and her brother made a huge deal about her not even knowing his name, but after she acts badly, she suddenly knows it?

I will not ignore plot holes even for revered classics!

I supposed we are supposed to infer that he told her his name at some point and maybe she decided to keep it a secret? But we really should have been told this information, considering how often Wilde goes on tangents about other useless information.

I can appreciate what this book did for literature as whole, and especially queer literature. I was honestly surprised at how gay this book was from the very beginning—although I probably shouldn't have been, given the circumstances of Oscar Wilde's trial and death. I can appreciate that there are no heroes in this story. The way Dorian goes from being corrupted to corrupting those around him is extremely well done, and once again, great commentary on the human condition that still rings true today. I can appreciate that the prose is stunning (I highlighted so much of this book). My favorite passage is quite long; it is about the wish to wake up to a world that is different than how you left it. Wilde is a master at using language to set the scene so vividly, as if he was painting it in our minds.

There are few of us who have not sometimes wakened before dawn, either after one of those dreamless nights that make us almost enamoured of death, or one of those nights of horror and misshapen joy, when through the chambers of the brain sweep phantoms more terrible than reality itself, and instinct with that vivid life that lurks in all grotesques, and that lends to Gothic art its enduring vitality, this art being, one might fancy, especially the art of those whose minds have been troubled with the malady of reverie. Gradually white fingers creep through the curtains, and they appear to tremble. In black fantastic shapes, dumb shadows crawl into the corners of the room and crouch there. Outside, there is the stirring of birds among the leaves, or the sound of men going forth to their work, or the sigh and sob of the wind coming down from the hills and wandering round the silent house, as though it feared to wake the sleepers and yet must needs call forth sleep from her purple cave. Veil after veil of thin dusky gauze is lifted, and by degrees the forms and colours of things are restored to them, and we watch the dawn remaking the world in its antique pattern. The wan mirrors get back their mimic life. The flameless tapers stand where we had left them, and beside them lies the half-cut book that we had been studying, or the wired flower that we had worn at the ball, or the letter that we had been afraid to read, or that we had read too often. Nothing seems to us changed. Out of the unreal shadows of the night comes back the real life that we had known. We have to resume it where we had left off, and there steals over us a terrible sense of the necessity for the continuance of energy in the same wearisome round of stereotyped habits, or a wild longing, it may be, that our eyelids might open some morning upon a world that had been refashioned anew in the darkness for our pleasure, a world in which things would have fresh shapes and colours, and be changed, or have other secrets, a world in which the past would have little or no place, or survive, at any rate, in no conscious form of obligation or regret, the remembrance even of joy having its bitterness and the memories of pleasure their pain.

This is just something to keep in mind: if you read this book, there is likely going to be a lot of references and words you don't know. I know this was true in my case. I am not holding this fact against the book—in fact, I quite enjoyed this aspect, although it did slow me down—but I am saying this is something most people will have to prepare for. I was often taking 20-30 minute breaks every other page to go on a deep dive into one historical event or other. I would also recommend tandem reading this book with the audiobook. Hearing the words out loud really helps when the language is as archaic as this.

I do believe everyone should at least try to read this book. It took me a while to really get into it, but once I did, I had a great time. The book leaves you with a lot of think about, even this far removed from when it was written.

P.S. This has taught me that my 12 classics in 12 months challenge might be harder than I thought. 😫

Educated by Tara Westover

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

I don't rate memoirs.

I don't rate them because I don't feel it's right to a rating to someone's life story. Even still, I highly, highly recommend reading this memoir. It is a glimpse into a world that most people don't have any frame of reference for—hyper-religious doomsday preppers. Westover was able to weave the story of her life, her family, and her education into a tight narrative very masterfully. She doesn't shy away from letting you experience the insane rollercoaster that is her life, but she also doesn't make the people within those experiences one-dimensional or even wholly evil.

She also doesn't try to sell you on these experiences being absolute—she will tell you when she doesn't remember something, or when people in her family disagree with her version of events. I have seen some people that this is duplicitious, but it's here where I can see Westover's inner historian shining through. In the book, she says "Who writes history? I thought. I do." It is obvious she extends this philosophy even to her own life; I find that admirable.

I hated her dad and brother Shawn—although I know I have no right to say that because they aren't my family—but they were still complex people. As much as they protected her, they also abused her in equal measure. It was a painful read. I was so happy when she finally got away from her family and went to university. I have seen some of the antics that her family has gotten up to after she published this, and it only multiples my happiness to know she's away from those freaks (sorry not sorry).

I know this book has been hyped to the moon and back, but I think it is deserving. I hope that the author continues to thrive in her life.

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I have to say, The Teller of Small Fortunes was a bit of a letdown for me. It was not bad by any stretch, but it definitely wasn't the book I thought it would be. I fully admit I may have set my expectations too high, but it doesn't change how I feel.

It starts slow. It took me about five chapters—long chapters, mind you—to really get into the story, and even then... something always felt off about it.

The lack of urgency around finding Mash's missing daughter, Leah, is frustrating, to say the least. In the beginning of the story, Mash believes his daughter was stolen by a group of bandits, yet he's content to follow around this fortune teller wherever she wants to go with no issue? He's fine staying in towns for longer than necessary? He and the others “rescue” Tao at the end with more urgency than they do searching for Leah. It's weird.

I feel like with a few tweaks to the story, this wouldn't have been an issue,

although I think scraping the missing daughter thing entirely would be for the best. The quest Mash and Silt are on should ideally be much more nebulous, like wanting to find treasure or something

.

All my other complaints are pretty minor, and small enough for me not to dock any points. I felt like the “found family” formed a little too quickly. This could have easily been remedied by rearranging the order of a couple events,

particularly making Tao reveal her backstory and have her subsequent breakdown before she decided to continue to travel with the group because she “wanted to be a part of something”

. I also didn't like how the government/Guild was portrayed.

You're telling me we find out the greedy and oppressive government just so happens to have the “best interests” of the people at heart after they practically kidnap Tao and keep their people in the dark about why they are raising taxes/seizing land and merchant goods? Sure, okay. And they just want to “avoid war” after coercing Tao to use her Greater Vision because they are “well-meaning bureaucrats”? Yeah right.

It's not something that truly diminished the story in any way, and it didn't affect my rating, but I did find it an odd inclusion. I believe it would have elevated the book if the author leaned into

the government/Guild actually being a bit evil, especially after how Tao had been treated her whole life.

For all my complaints, the book is not bad. The found family aspect—despite the small hiccup I listed above—is done exceptionally well. I really believe that these characters truly care for each other, and it was beautiful to watch those friendships form.

Silt and Kina's romantic relationship was also well done. It was refreshing to see Kina reject Silt at first and call him out on his bullshit. Both of them grow and change enough that you believe they actually like each other by the end.

The worldbuilding is absolutely stunning; I love how the author was able to incorporate the various people and towns that felt straight out of the British countrywide with amazing magical creatures like trolls and phoenixes without making any them feel stereotypical or like they didn't belong. I especially enjoyed the phoenix portion of the story as I found it so interesting and poignant.

I found Tao's internal conflict to be quite touching as well.

Her struggle as a “daughter” of two nations that both feel like they don't want to claim her is very well done. Additionally, the way she feels like she has to play into Shinn stereotypes just to be accepted by people because that is what's “safe” to them is heartbreaking. The way that Tao is finally able to open up as her true self and not be alone anymore is very emotional (in a good way).

In general, the way the author portrays the “immigrant experience” made me reevaluate a lot of things. It makes reading the book worth it for that alone, in my opinion.

I am going to leave you with my favorite quote from the book, and I feel like it will determine whether or not you'll like it. I encourage you to give this book a shot if you, like me, resonate with the words.

Familiarity could look very much like love from a certain angle, if one didn't look too hard.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

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hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

The Spellshop was such a joy to read. I am just now getting into my cozy fantasy era and I can already tell that this is a gem among the subgenre. I am surprised it was nominated as a romantasy book in the Goodread's Choice Awards since I would not classify this as romantasy at all. It has a romantic subplot, but the main focus of the book is Kiela

escaping political unrest, starting over in her hometown, and finding a new family after her parents passed away

. I would encourage anyone who loves fantasy to read this, as the romance is not overbearing or weird in any way. There is no even any "spice" (just kisses).

I really enjoyed all the characters. Kiela is our main protagionist and while she is unlikeable at first, she really grows throughout the story and learns to care about more than just her books. The other characters are very vivid, even the ones I hated. I loved all the animals (and sentient plants!) as well. Caz was my favorite, of course. There was actually a moment where I laughed out loud because of something he did.

When he dropped "stray bits of soil" on Kiela's shoe. So funny!

Additionally,

I was shocked at how I bought into Radane's redemption—I didn't think it was possible after the whole cookbook thing. I do have to admit that I had this plot beat somewhat spoiled for me, but it still surprised me! And I wanted to kill that bitch Fenerer.

You may be wondering why I'm not giving this book five stars considering that I'm singing its praises, and that's beause I unfortunately had a couple problems with it. They are very minor, so most people probably won't be bothered by them, but they are as follows:

1) When Radane was pretending to be the imperial inspector, Kiela tells Caz he has to hide because she thinks Radane might see him and "misunderstand" about his origins, but... Radane had already met Caz at that point. Like, she had a full-blown conversation with him. She knew he existed. And then, when Radane was searching Kiela's house, she didn't even bring Caz up once. It was probably just a minor plot point the author overlooked, but it bugged me. 2) This is the bigger of the two: Radane and Bryn's "relationship" (if you can call it that) literally comes out of nowhere. They literally went from 0 to 100 in the blink of eye and it really took me out of the story. We don't even see them being friends—literally, we go from Bryn being distrusting of Radane to them locking lips in desperation the very next chapter. It was just very strange. I wish the author had put a little more time into developing them, or just let them be friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the LGBTQ rep, but it felt way too much like the U-Haul stereotype for me.

If you like fantasy, I hope you'll give this a chance. It's super sweet and fun. I believe the next book is going to be about

Caz's creator

which I am super pumped for! Hopefully we don't have to wait too long.

Content Warnings

The Christmas Inn by Pamela Kelley

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lighthearted medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

I am fully willing to admit that my dislike of this book is a me problem. The style of writing just doesn't gel with me. It was both bland and descriptive, which seems contradictory, but it was like the author wanted to describe everything to us in the most robotic way possible. The author seems to have a thing where they summarize conversations for us instead of writing them. This is especially prevalent in the beginning of the book. Let me be clear, this is not something that happens once or twice, it was many, and it took me out of the story every time. I realize that summarizing conversations can be done well, but it needs to be a tool that's used sparingly. That being said, I'm not sure actually writing out the dialogue would have been better. The writing suffers from a severe case of "every character talks the same" syndrome. I felt very little passion from the pages, which made me unable to connect with any character in this story.

What I'm most shocked by is that this is so poorly edited. This book is not self-published, but it sure felt like it. I noticed multiple formatting and spelling errors. For example, there is a character named Franny, and there are multiple instances where her name is spelled wrong—and the kicker is that it's done in multiple different ways! Sometimes she's Frannie, sometimes she's Fanny. There was also a time where a minor character, Phoebe, suddenly became "Heather" in a scene. This sort of thing happened more than once. And don't even get me started on how many printing errors I had in my copy of the book. I counted not one, not two, but nine times where whole paragraphs were skipped. I literally had to borrow a digital copy of this book from my library so that I could read the missing text in my physical copy.

I also felt some really weird trad vibes from the way the author portrayed a lot of the relationships in the book. There's a lot of obsession with "first loves" and marriage and how great having kids is. These aren't necessarily bad things, but the way they were presented gave me the ick.

Pretty much every character that's in a "happy" marriage rushed into it and any relationship that "waits" for marriage is "not right" in the end, because they didn't "feel it" right away. That's insane.

Futhermore, I didn't feel any chemistry between any pair of characters in this book, most of all Riley and Aidan. Am I missing something? Tell me honestly, because like I said at the beginning of the review, I am willing to admit this is a me problem.

I also didn't like the author's commentary around job hunting.

One of the main characters, Riley, is job searching after being laid off and every character gives her the same advice: "your job making you happy is the most important thing." While I agree that having a job that makes you happy is important... what about her bills? Literally not one character is pragmatic enough to be like "you might not like this job, but you should take it and keep searching so that you can have money to live on"?

It just made me feel like the author comes from a place of privilege and doesn't understand the concept of

having to take a job that's your "second choice" to keep a roof over your head

. Honestly, this isn't that big of a deal, and I could have overlooked it in a better book, but as it is, this was just another straw on the camel's back.

And now we come to the straw that broke the camel's back. The toeing-the-line cheating. Normally, I would put something like this in a spoiler warning, but I think everyone should know this happens in order to make a decision on the book. For me, cheating, wheather emotionally or physically, is a no-go in romance books when it involves members of the main couple. In this case, multiple characters basically try to get Riley with Aidan while she's still dating her boyfriend Jack. Aidan also asks her to be with him knowing she's with Jack, and even though Riley rejects him for this, she admits that she feels romantically attracted to Aidan. All around, that sort of storyline has never done it for me, and if you're the same, this should be an easy skip for you.

The only reason I ended up finishing this book is because I was reading this both my bookclub and Lightfall 2024. I know my reasons for disliking this book are kind of petty, so if you don't think anything that I listed would bother you, then this could be a great book for you. If even one of the things I mentioned bothers you as well, my recommendation is to go elsewhere for a Christmas romance.

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow, I really loved this book! I had my eye on it since it released, and I'm thrilled I had an excuse to read it as a part of Lightfall for the Magical Readathon this year. I only have one complaint, and it's that I have to wait for the next book to come out.

I am truly happy to announce that an author said "slow burn" and actually meant it. The characters do not get together in this book, which is sad for me, but makes me oddly happy at the same time. These characters do not like each other at the beginning, so it stands to reason that the whole book should be about them growing closer. Yearning is needed before a romance can fully bloom. Proper enemies to lovers seems to be a dying art, so thank you to the author for that.

Given the nature of the spell they are tangled up in, this is quite the achievement.

The characters were all exceptionally charming in this book, even the ones that were less than moral, shall we say. Unsuprisingly, Leo was my favorite. My little bi disaster queen. Surprisingly, out of all the side characters, I really loved Jayne. I hope we see more of her, although

I'm sure we haven't seen the last of her either, considering how Mathias was killed.

I also really appreciated the nonbinary rep. It's never dwelled upon, but it is there. Just as it should be

Also who do we think wrote this spell? My money is on Cassius, like for real that man just makes me super suspicious. Maybe it's someone who we haven't heard of yet, though.

The worldbuilding is superb. Genuinely, there are so many whimsical details that made my mind race, but equally as many terrifying ones. The birds with the hands especially stood out to me; I literally can't stop thinking about them and how creepy they are. I also really love the magic system. The system of scrivers (writers) and casters is so unique. I don't think I've seen it done before. It's what I would label as soft magic, so if you're not into the sort of thing, be warned. The author doesn't leave it without rules, and there are consequences for breaking them, but it still has that untangible, ethereal quality about it that only "soft magic" systems do.

Overall, this is such a great book. It's helping me get out of a reading slump that I've been in for quite some time. If you like cozy fantasy, this should shoot right to the top of your TBR.

Content Warnings

The Billionaire's Boyfriend by Robin Knight

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.

This book goes way too fast and the plot is too unbelievable for it to work for me. I ended up losing interest and never went back.

Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

If I had to sum this book up in a nutshell, it would be this: an amazing thriller with some minor flaws. I could leave it there, but I think it's such a shame that this book didn't give me that 5 star feeling, and I feel compelled to give my (admittedly unasked for) thoughts on the matter.

First of all, I think the book starts incredibly slow. I wasn't able to get into it until about 15% in, which feels like a lot, especially for a thriller. When I'm reading a thriller, I want to be grabbed from the very beginning and I didn't get that. There's also the issue of the author constantly repeating information from previous chapters.

I'm going to use an early example in the book so as to not spoil too much, but in Chapter 3, we are told the how and why of Avery's decision to buy the car that she has. In Chapter 7, after a brief POV change, we are told once again the why and how of Avery's decision to buy the car that she has.

This is not a one-time thing, but something that happens multiple times throughout the novel. It felt like the author did not trust his audience to keep track of the information he was providing the reader. I hate when books do that—either trust your audience or don't write thrillers.

However, I do feel that these problems are very slight overall. I have to say that once the book picked up, it really picked up. I could hardly put it down. I finished the last 85% in one sitting. And I enjoyed how the author wrote the characters, especially the women. A friend of mine brought up this point, but the author wrote the female characters in this book very well. It shouldn't be impressive, but it is when you consider the way a lot of male authors do write their female characters. There was no "she breasted boobily" language to be found, thank God.

The twists and turns of this book are also really fantastic. I am sure that reading this in September also heightened the atmosphere a bit. If you can go in blind, I highly recommend it. I was definitely shocked at the end. It wasn't a cheap kind of shock, either—the author really laid the groundwork and didn't try to leave anything out to achieve a twist ending out of nowhere. Give this book a chance if you're looking for an insanely enticing thriller! It was worth it for me.

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peristome's reviews 111 reviews

peristome's reviews
111 reviews