prettyfunctional's reviews
116 reviews

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I was delightfully confused for about 350 pages straight. I thought about this book way too much and finished it way too soon. 
Highlights are the Shakespearian insults, the maddening confusion (and need to know if my theory was right), the casual queer representation, and the way the author left the reader to fill the gaps. I’ll be thinking about this one for a looong time 
Lowlights are the cliff-hanger but that’s what preordering the sequel is for 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Slavery, Suicide, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit

Warmaidens by Kelly Coon

3.0

The Annotated American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Leslie S. Klinger

3.0

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

5.0

Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Perfect for readers of the Overstory & Cloud Atlas. It balances a blend of realism and fantasy. This book lives somewhere between hope and despair and will definitely stick with you for a while

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Chronic illness

Minor: Gore

The Overstory by Richard Powers

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content and Car accident

Verity by Colleen Hoover

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

1.0

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Somewhat predictable and repetitive. If I had a dime for every time I read “from the antagonist’s point of view” I’d be able to buy the next book on my tbr. The authors ability to keep me reading despite my complaints was fairly impressive and there were plenty of plot twists. Quite a lot of sex was used to fill empty space 

 
What an odd book with paths leading nowhere. 
One complaint is the build up to a dissatisfying story concerning Lowen’s sleepwalking. I really thought there’d be something more that would impact the plot. Feels like a loose thread that could’ve gone somewhere. Especially after she woke up in Verity’s bed and nothing happened… Why was her most troubling life experience a plot device to get her in bed with Mr. Dreamboat?? When Lowen started to think like Verity I had hope that the story was living up to its hype. For a moment, I really considered the idea that she’d kill the son but no.
Don’t even get me started on the ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Car accident

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy