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raethereviewer's Reviews (863)
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
I read this for the mythologies in Latinx literature course I’m sitting in on this semester. I’ve always been interested in werewolf stories and this is probably one of the most interesting takes I’ve seen. The way that Manu’s life as an undocumented immigrant is blended into her struggle with fitting in with this other world she enters is done incredibly well. It was great, I highly recommend!
challenging
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I read this for my Master's thesis. My focus is Caribbean Literature and one of my professors recommended Patrick Chamoiseau's work. This book had a bit of a slow start but once I got through the first section, I was intrigued. The plot kept me invested but I wasn't a fan of the translator's choice to include the Creole words alongside direct translations. As someone who speaks Creole (though Haitian Creole has some differences from Martinique Creole) many of the translations felt repetitive because I felt like I was reading the same word twice. I would've preferred the Creole words in the text, untranslated, but that is my personal preference when it comes to including other languages in texts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Colonisation
I read this for the Mythologies in Latinx Literature class I’m sitting in on this semester. The world building was excellent! I felt so immersed in the story. Alex was an interesting main character and though I had to cover my eyes a few times at the thought of her terrible decisions, she really does read as a teen. I’ll probably end up recommending this to the teens I know. It was so good.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I read this for a Latinx literature course I’m sitting in on this semester but it has been on my TBR for a couple years now so I’m glad I got that extra push to read it. It was amazing! I found myself going through such a huge range of emotions, especially towards the end. I was BAWLING. All the characters felt so distinct, they each had their own personalities and felt like real people. The way that culture flowed through this story was so well done. And there’s a Haitian character so of course that made me extra happy. I highly recommend this book. So good!
I finished this several hours ago and I still don’t know what to make of it. I read it for my thesis since I’m focusing on Caribbean Literature. I haven’t read Jane Eyre or any of the Brontë sisters work (which is honestly surprising considering how long I’ve been studying literature) and this just reinforced the idea that I probably won’t ever pick up that aforementioned title. I left this book absolutely hating the male narrator and wishing we could have seen more of Antoinette. I have complicated feelings overall but I can see why this has become a classic in its own right.
adventurous
mysterious
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
I read this for a Mythologies in Latinx fiction course I’m sitting in on this semester and thoroughly enjoyed it. Considering that this book was originally published in 2015, I wish I’d known about it back when I was in high school because I probably would’ve loved it even more back then. The representation was great and I loved how these concepts were incorporated into the story.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I read this for my thesis since I'm focusing on Caribbean literature (and I love Edwidge Danticat’s writing). I went into it knowing it would be a heavy read and it was especially interesting reading it shortly after I read Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The story itself was wonderfully told and kept me invested from beginning to end. Amabelle is a great protagonist. Her journey throughout the novel was complicated and heartbreaking but also filled with various periods of peace and introspection. It's clear that so much research and care was put into this story.
I listened to the audiobook while following along with a physical copy and I did NOT enjoy the narration. I wish they'd had an actual Haitian person narrating or at least someone Caribbean. The accent used by the narrator sounded more like an amalgamation of West African accenta than anything resembling an actual Haitian’s. The creole was mispronounced and even the way that Haiti was said was incorrect because they kept pronouncing the H even though in creole it is Ayiti. I was incredibly frustrated throughout the experience.
My only qualm with the novel itself was the ableism toward a disabled character and how he is basically used as a prop within that short portion where he appears.
I listened to the audiobook while following along with a physical copy and I did NOT enjoy the narration. I wish they'd had an actual Haitian person narrating or at least someone Caribbean. The accent used by the narrator sounded more like an amalgamation of West African accenta than anything resembling an actual Haitian’s. The creole was mispronounced and even the way that Haiti was said was incorrect because they kept pronouncing the H even though in creole it is Ayiti. I was incredibly frustrated throughout the experience.
My only qualm with the novel itself was the ableism toward a disabled character and how he is basically used as a prop within that short portion where he appears.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I started this book on my birthday and really wanted to finish it before the year ended so I'm glad I did. Overall, this was a book that was definitely written with teens in mind. I think the decisions that Avery made were very much so ones that an actual 17-year-old would make. There's also a lot of pop culture references and it is definitely set in our current time period, including references to the pandemic which I think would be great for teen readers who are also trying to process how much their lives have been affected by it. There's a ton of queer rep and it's done excellently. Definitely the kind of book I'd recommend to teens or give as a gift to one.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I got this through my library’s digital catalogue and it was so cute! Fun, quick read.
I read this for my thesis since I’m focusing on Caribbean lit. When I first started this, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to finish it. Individual sentences take up multiple pages and there are no paragraph breaks. Thankfully, there’s an audiobook. I listened to the audiobook while annotating my physical copy and I love that the narrator distinguishes between the descriptions and dialogue since that isn’t always clear in the formatting of the novel. That being said, I do think this is masterfully done. I hated the main character yet I was so intrigued that I couldn’t put it down.