prologues_epilogues's Reviews (150)

Lockdown

Walter Dean Myers

4.25

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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: Yes

Reese's (the main character) reflections felt realistic to how a 15 year old might reflect on their own life. The narration was enjoyable and very clearly written.

The Cask of Amontillado

Edgar Allan Poe

3.5

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Fun!!! Love some good old-fashioned drama.

The Genus Paeonia

Josef J. Halda

3.75

informative relaxing slow-paced

Bad Cree

Jessica Johns

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was such a lovely (and relatable) exploration of grief and the way it affects family relationships and daily life. Especially depending on how people grieve differently and how it causes strengths and weaknesses in personal relationships 🥲. I loved it. The supernatural and magical realism elements made the story so interesting and fun to read, and the different types of connection with reality through dreams was so enthralling. I liked how concise and consistent the writing style was while still being able to portray imagery and symbolism well. It was very fast paced. And it made me emotional in a way I haven't been while reading for a long few months.

The horror elements weren't too 'scary', but they did creep me out quite a bit reading this at night. The Wh*etigo spying on Tracy through the bloody rag freaked me out a bit, as well as the "decomposition(?)" of her body while she was alive and the quick regeneration of it.

Content Warnings

Magnetic Equator

Kaie Kellough

1.25

emotional reflective slow-paced

Not really my cup of tea, but anyone who appreciates strong imagery in poetry could enjoy this. The shifts in theme happened too abruptly and disjointed for my taste. I did really enjoy the exploration of cultural disconnection and racism in Canada, but the description of the book had me expecting something that would be more of a consideration of growth due to cultural and societal change from Guyana to Canada (or more specifically, Georgetown to Calgary). I found the style very experimental, which also added to the reading experience. The typography was enjoyable, as were the consistent allusions to recognizable works.

Content Warnings

Through the Tunnel

Doris Lessing

3.5

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Good coming of age story for further analysis by anyone looking for symbolic short stories

The Harbrace Anthology of Short Fiction

Jonathon C. Scott

4.5

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I loved the flow of speech that this sustained throughout, as well as the story itself. It's written in a manner that conveys the reflections, memories, and regrets of the son so poignantly.

His father's melancholy and his mother's resentment contrasted really nicely with the happy childhood memories and the children all moving on regardless of their mothers attempts to control aspects of their lives through her disapproval. The father was such an interesting character to contemplate because of his wish for all of his children to live life in a way he wasn't able to