rachelroo13's reviews
406 reviews

adventurous challenging reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

"It's never easy, is it, Deka." Britta says it best and this quote can easily encompass this entire sequel. Forna has masterfully woven the continuation of Deka and the alaki's story with twists, turns, and betrayal once again. In a fictional world touted for it's feminism and woman power this book not only empowers its women and girls but also extends the conversation to all genders. I don't think I've ever read a book with as many trans or non-binary characters and the best part is, these things are not a "big deal." They aren't made a large part of the characters' personalities, it isn't talked about exhaustively; it's just a thing that is mentioned, accepted, and then everyone moves on as normal. Where the first book in this series pushed the reader to think about misogyny, the idea of misandry is added here. Deka and her friends want true equality for all, regardless of gender. Of course that's not going to be easy, especially in a culture as twisted around as Otera's. The mythology of Otera and the continued worldbuilding make this a dynamite sequel, and I'm excited to see where Deka goes next.

Content Warnings

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

4.5

First of all, the format of this book was so well done I'll admit I had to Google to make sure Daisy Jones and The Six were in fact a fake band. Documentaries have gained in popularity in recent years and while I haven't read any (or watched many, either) this one was a fantastic read. It's provocative, emotional, gritty, each character brimming with so much personality especially in the audiobook version (I love it when there's a full cast!). I think Karen was my favorite, followed closely by Warren. Billy was exactly the kind of man I hate- Eddie was bang on about him- but I understand and appreciate his growth towards the end of the book. I personally did not understand Camilla and Billy's relationship, how they were able to stay together through everything... I have a lot of trust in my husband, but there were a lot of... extremes here. I guess that's kind of the point. 4.5/5 stars.

Content Warnings

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

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dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I don't quite have the words for how this book has affected me. I came into this knowing very little about Sino-Japanese war time relations or about Chinese mythology (part of why I'm trying to read more by Asian authors). In fact, I only just learned about the R*pe of Nanjing maybe like a month or two ago? American world history is poorly lacking in many categories, Asian history being a definite blind spot. What Kuang has done with this book not only teaches these atrocities to a wider audience but also delves deeper into Chinese culture. This book has deeply flawed and incredibly human characters and a "magic" system that doesn't remind me of anything else I've read before. Some of the time jumps were a little wide for me, but that's just a personal preference. The back half of the book just keeps coming with the punches. The chapter that pays homage to Nanjing made me physically ill; while I want to learn more about what happened there during WWII for the sake of spreading knowledge, I honestly don't know if I could handle reading more about it. I personally believe there are some characters we haven't seen the last of, but I'll just have to wait and see what happens next.

Content Warnings