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podanotherjessi's reviews
836 reviews
Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione
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? No
4.25
An absolutely adorable and fun little graphic novel.
It's senior year at Porta Bella Magiculinary Academy, and Basil needs to get top student before graduation in order to get her scholarship. But between a crush on the new girl at school and a rival that will go to any length to beat her, it's not going to be easy. Genuinely as cozy and cute as it sounds. There's cooking and friends hanging out and animals. A winning combo. Highly recommend for a chill afternoon.
If I want to be critical some of the resolutions were a bit too neat and rushed but that's barely a problem
It's senior year at Porta Bella Magiculinary Academy, and Basil needs to get top student before graduation in order to get her scholarship. But between a crush on the new girl at school and a rival that will go to any length to beat her, it's not going to be easy. Genuinely as cozy and cute as it sounds. There's cooking and friends hanging out and animals. A winning combo. Highly recommend for a chill afternoon.
If I want to be critical some of the resolutions were a bit too neat and rushed but that's barely a problem
Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Where's the StoryGraph mood for "gross"?
I don't know what to say about this book. The writing is really, really evocative. Hval uses this to make food and bodily functions feel absolutely horrific, and I think that's incredible.
Where the book doesn't really work for me is that it's just weird. I need some element of normalcy to contrast the weird and gross going on. The book just gets increasingly strange, with no relief. And after a while, that gets kind of dull. And without more of a story, it just falls a little flat.
I don't know what to say about this book. The writing is really, really evocative. Hval uses this to make food and bodily functions feel absolutely horrific, and I think that's incredible.
Where the book doesn't really work for me is that it's just weird. I need some element of normalcy to contrast the weird and gross going on. The book just gets increasingly strange, with no relief. And after a while, that gets kind of dull. And without more of a story, it just falls a little flat.
The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
I really didn't want to give up on this one, but it's just moving far too slowly. If I had an audiobook of it, I could probably push through, but reading ebooks is already a struggle for me, so I just couldn't keep pushing through. I liked what I read so far, but my headspace just wasn't really right for this at this point.
Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The most interesting thing about this book is just how completely uninteresting and unintriguing it is. And about 80% of that comes down to the main character. Faolan is just such a nothing of a character. The closest thing she has to a personality trait is being a little angry sometimes. We're told she's dressing as a boy for safety, but we never see any way in which being perceived as a boy instead of a girl has helped her. She has attachment issues and a fear of intimacy that stems from literally nothing. And she is so, so passive. Nothing in the story is ever driven by decisions she makes. She hardly ever solves problems but rather lets other people solve them for her. This was both boring and just exhausting to witness.
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Another exciting addition to the "this would make an incredible movie but I'm not sure if I liked it as a book" pile! And that's really the only thought I have that isn't far too complicated to sum up in a review.
Let me start with the horror. This is undeniably incredibly eerie and strange, but I think the tension kind of stays at one note for too long. I needed something to crank it up now and then or to break the tension. Things don't really ramp up until very close to the end, much in the way I expect from folk horror films, but unfortunately without the constant visual reminder of something being wrong, it didn't quite work as well. I think cutting the first 250 pages in half would have helped the pacing and the flow of this story a lot.
That said, literally everything else about this was incredible. I love the direct, unapologetic deconstruction around gender theory. The atmosphere really was wonderful. The characters are so ridiculous which honestly added some humor. And despite the slow pacing, I was very compelled through the book. So overall, I recommend!
Let me start with the horror. This is undeniably incredibly eerie and strange, but I think the tension kind of stays at one note for too long. I needed something to crank it up now and then or to break the tension. Things don't really ramp up until very close to the end, much in the way I expect from folk horror films, but unfortunately without the constant visual reminder of something being wrong, it didn't quite work as well. I think cutting the first 250 pages in half would have helped the pacing and the flow of this story a lot.
That said, literally everything else about this was incredible. I love the direct, unapologetic deconstruction around gender theory. The atmosphere really was wonderful. The characters are so ridiculous which honestly added some humor. And despite the slow pacing, I was very compelled through the book. So overall, I recommend!
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I don't really know why I picked this up. It has the same feel as the really twee Japanese novels like Before the Coffee Gets Cold that I know I don't really like. And then it turned into a horribly uncompelling mystery, which is also not something I enjoy. Also, the instalove must have set a record! So I'm just better off giving up.
Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
What I wanted: Meet Me in Another Life, but make it romance this time
What I got: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but way worse
I really should have DNF'd this book. About a quarter of the way through, I considered it, and I noted down all of the problems I had. By the end, none of those things had improved, and more problems cropped up. But I had an advanced copy of this, so I felt compelled to push through.
To be concise, here are my issues, in a quick (ish) list:
1. We never actually see love develop between the characters, we're just told that they have loved each other before.
2. Their souls aren't bound to a certain sex or race, and that would be interesting is addressed, but aside from one brief conversation, it's never really discussed. This feels like a plot device for the sake of variation more than anything thought out and intentional.
3. There's so much potential in exploring international relations or how different life is for different people, but it's just not. They live one life in the body of French soldiers, and the next in recently liberated Algeria! Tell me more about the complex interplay between those identities!
4. "No book has ever made me understand telling instead of showing like this.When Evelyn talks to Carey trying to figure out if he's Arden, for example, can't just let the reader understand the undercurrent. Every single line had to be explained. Did he say that because he's genuinely new and doesn't know or because he's Arden and wants to throw me off? Is he doing that because Arden is an old soul or because Carey is just quirky?? It was so exhausting having my hand held to drag me through the story." (quote from my journal update at 26%)
5. The characters were inconsistent across different lives! Most of why I read reincarnation or alternate reality books is to see how authors show the same character but raised in different circumstances. But that wasn't done here. Evelyn-in-2022 would show no interest in something, until it was introduced in a flashback to a previous life, and then suddenly it would be a trait in the present.
6. This is technically a spoiler, but it's not a plot thing, butThe fact that Arden gets to draw the line on not having sex with Evelyn, but he's not a virgin. He has sex in various lives. But Evelyn never has. She's a virgin. What purpose does that serve??
7. The reveal wasn't even good! I'll give the book it's flowers that I wasn't expecting that, but I wasn't expecting it because there was no reason to ever think that was even a possibility.
What I got: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but way worse
I really should have DNF'd this book. About a quarter of the way through, I considered it, and I noted down all of the problems I had. By the end, none of those things had improved, and more problems cropped up. But I had an advanced copy of this, so I felt compelled to push through.
To be concise, here are my issues, in a quick (ish) list:
1. We never actually see love develop between the characters, we're just told that they have loved each other before.
2. Their souls aren't bound to a certain sex or race, and that would be interesting is addressed, but aside from one brief conversation, it's never really discussed. This feels like a plot device for the sake of variation more than anything thought out and intentional.
3. There's so much potential in exploring international relations or how different life is for different people, but it's just not. They live one life in the body of French soldiers, and the next in recently liberated Algeria! Tell me more about the complex interplay between those identities!
4. "No book has ever made me understand telling instead of showing like this.
5. The characters were inconsistent across different lives! Most of why I read reincarnation or alternate reality books is to see how authors show the same character but raised in different circumstances. But that wasn't done here. Evelyn-in-2022 would show no interest in something, until it was introduced in a flashback to a previous life, and then suddenly it would be a trait in the present.
6. This is technically a spoiler, but it's not a plot thing, but
7. The reveal wasn't even good! I'll give the book it's flowers that I wasn't expecting that, but I wasn't expecting it because there was no reason to ever think that was even a possibility.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book had one thing I really loved, one thing I really didn't like, and a lot of good in between.
First, the bad. This book has a really uncritical depiction of the relationship between England and China. I don't know enough about the history myself to critique this effectively, but it left a bad taste in my mouth throughout. There is a white man constantly explaining Chinese cultural elements. The book somehow hits both sides of the "exotic east" stereotype with it being both full of barbaric practices and also a haven for gay men and magic practitioners. I just really didn't care for this element, and I feel like the same story beat could have been pulled off with Crane exiled to, say, colonial America without the same icky feeling.
But the thing I really loved about this was the juxtaposition of horror and romance. This isn't the first time I've seen the two in the same book, but I've never seen it done quite so well. I found that Charles really effectively uses both to keep tensions high, and I loved it.
And for the rest, it's a good book! The characters aren't super deep, but they're interesting. I enjoyed the way they interacted. The magic was compelling, feeling useful and still with risks. The plot was sometimes predictable but mostly kept me on my toes. Would recommend!
A small note: I don't know that I would recommend the bonus story "Interlude with Tattoos" included in the ebook. I found it kind of ruined the Happy For Now ending for me. I'm not planning on continuing the series because I'm just not compelled enough by the overarching plot to keep going, and so I wish the ending had just stayed as it was.
First, the bad. This book has a really uncritical depiction of the relationship between England and China. I don't know enough about the history myself to critique this effectively, but it left a bad taste in my mouth throughout. There is a white man constantly explaining Chinese cultural elements. The book somehow hits both sides of the "exotic east" stereotype with it being both full of barbaric practices and also a haven for gay men and magic practitioners. I just really didn't care for this element, and I feel like the same story beat could have been pulled off with Crane exiled to, say, colonial America without the same icky feeling.
But the thing I really loved about this was the juxtaposition of horror and romance. This isn't the first time I've seen the two in the same book, but I've never seen it done quite so well. I found that Charles really effectively uses both to keep tensions high, and I loved it.
And for the rest, it's a good book! The characters aren't super deep, but they're interesting. I enjoyed the way they interacted. The magic was compelling, feeling useful and still with risks. The plot was sometimes predictable but mostly kept me on my toes. Would recommend!
A small note: I don't know that I would recommend the bonus story "Interlude with Tattoos" included in the ebook. I found it kind of ruined the Happy For Now ending for me. I'm not planning on continuing the series because I'm just not compelled enough by the overarching plot to keep going, and so I wish the ending had just stayed as it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Blood
Minor: Rape
Robin and Her Misfits by Kelly Ann Jacobson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
How does one make "Robin Hood but it's a group of queer bikers" boring?? And if boring was the worst of its crimes, I might have pushed through because I hate quitting books I paid money for. But I was so uncomfortable with the way both Robin and Little John interacted with Daisy Chain, and the flashbacks were done so clumsily. It just wasn't worth continuing to push.
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It took me 3 attempts to get into this book. But once I got past my initial struggle over dense magic worldbuilding, I finished in 2 days.
This book is incredible. It's also really hard to read. Sciona is not a good person. In fact, she's kind of terrible. But she's trying to be good, and that helps carry through watching her relearn the same lessons over and over again. Thomil, meanwhile, is charming and engaging and far more patient than anyone in this book deserves. Wang does not pull ay punches in her blunt look at imperialism, and it is amazing. Plus really cool worldbuilding, an engaging magic system, and beautiful catharsis.
This book is incredible. It's also really hard to read. Sciona is not a good person. In fact, she's kind of terrible. But she's trying to be good, and that helps carry through watching her relearn the same lessons over and over again. Thomil, meanwhile, is charming and engaging and far more patient than anyone in this book deserves. Wang does not pull ay punches in her blunt look at imperialism, and it is amazing. Plus really cool worldbuilding, an engaging magic system, and beautiful catharsis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Suicidal thoughts