sahanasri's reviews
173 reviews

Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I read this at the recommendation of one of my favorite book/pop culture Youtubers because she described it as so snowy and bleak, which perfectly matches the vibes in New York right now. The writing style and setting are so unique in a short, matter of fact way. So much is said in each line with very few words - I’m sure there are things I missed just by reading a little too quickly. I will say this did feel a little too short, mainly because I was invested in what would happen next but overall a perfect snowy icy cold day read.
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The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

When I was little, the Mahabharata was a long and winding bedtime story my father would attempt to recite from memory, often forgetting or weaving in new details. As I grew older, I started reading the stories that made up the epic on my own, and learning how to tell them myself through dance. Although these stories were such beloved cultural texts and connections to me growing up, lately I’ve struggled to connect back to them as I’ve started to understand the prejudice (casteism especially) woven into their fabric. The Palace of Illusions (while not perfect) helped fill the gap in storytelling I’ve been looking for. While it’s definitely not  perfect (I personally didn’t connect to Panchaali as a main character much), it considers and brings to the surface a lot of the casteism and misogyny in the original epics, giving room for readers to shift their interpretations. While Panchaali’s lack of agency often feels frustrating (especially with a lot of her development or contributions happening off screen), I can still respect the choice to write her as a very flawed and imperfect main character. I loved how the story was told while still maintaining its mythic quality - especially how it accounts for differing perspectives, rumors, and stories within the story. Overall, it’s given me a lot to think about in how I would tell these stories to the next generation.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a silly little book for the train I pretty much enjoyed! Abby Jimenez tends to be a bit too cheesy for my liking but the dynamics are always so sweet and tender. What stood out to me in this one was the main theme - what makes love real are the ordinary, unglamorous parts! The levels of trauma these characters are working through are crazyyyy so it does feel earned when they have to put in a lot of work to be together. Also I found their ages actually pretty realistic for the conflict they were experiencing with families and settling down which was nice. Good stuff not my favorite but cute and honestly quite sweet.
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The Wedding People by Alison Espach

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dark emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I unexpectedly enjoyed this quite a bit! For some reason I got the vibe that this was a rom com type book but ended up loving the actual (very different) content, felt very Anxious People. Overall this book blended humor and simple emotional truths really well. I really liked Phoebe as a character despite her not liking herself much at the beginning of the book, but all the characters are really well fleshed out and flawed in fun ways. Phoebe’s discovery of what makes life living (spoiler: having just one more nice day on your own terms could make life worth living) felt particularly touching and comforting, especially as I’ve had to ask myself many similar questions as of late. In general super well written dialogue and premise! and a stellar endorsement of uncomfortable emotional honesty.
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A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

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funny hopeful relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

god im so sad this is over i could read a thousand of these 

and yet what a perfect way to sum up what keeps me living and appreciating natural beauty than a quote from this very book: 

“There was only shouting, cheering, cries of delight as the two of them jumped and played and marveled at the spectacle that would’ve existed whether anyone was there to witness it or not.”
 
Overall I loved this extension of the universe and its characters! This world feels so warm and well loved. I also enjoyed the answer / exploration of the question of purpose posed by the first book. I read Dex’s burnout as more of a depression which felt particularly relatable without feeling preachy. This book really knows how to embrace just letting things be and enjoying the moment :,)

will be returning to this series often in the future to renew myself i hope 
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

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hopeful inspiring relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

a very suitable new year beach read! read this at sejals recommendation (and read their copy)

Truly one of the things that causes me the most despair is climate change and the slow realization that it may well at this point be irreversible and impact most of my life directly. I think many people my age experience a level of constant low level anxiety about climate change and its immediate effects on our future. With that in mind, this book is an absolute breath of fresh air that I would prescribe to anyone who fears the death of our planet and species the way I often do. I really can’t remember ever reading a story about a true utopia (shoutout to 2010 dystopia fiction lmfao) but this is the closest I’ve read to what I think a utopia should be. This really felt like a hug - the stakes are not high and the universe feels as cozy as its cups of tea (fun fact i met a guy in nyc who i think is essentially emulating the tea monks irl it’s sick). It really brings me peace to think that even if humanity burns everything down and destroys itself, hopefully nature can still reclaim the earth. Or even more hopefully maybe we can create a society more in tune with nature like this one (loved all the descriptions of their houses and technology). Definitely going to check out more solar punk stuff! most i want to go to there type book ever 
Babel by R.F. Kuang

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emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-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

5.0

man … still processing this one and the ending / how sad i am its over 

Babel felt frighteningly relevant to not only my personal revelations of late but the state of the world as it is now. I actually really enjoyed how slow paced it was (and all the footnotes!) because of the major soft spot I have for linguistics and etymology (and dark academia lmao). As I’m learning (or maybe relearning?) my mother tongue as an adult, the discussions present in Babel on colonialism and language ring so true for me - Eurocentrism robbed me of a language I wish I’d kept since birth. Reading this now is continuing to fuel my curiosity on Telugu and its origins. 

I loved the characters (especially Ramy lol) and how much you see them grow and change in revolutionary ways.
Robin in particular being so hesistant for the majority of the book was so interesting.
Overall I really enjoyed Kuang’s strategic and thorough takedown of colonial power structures and how they were/are able to last because of their incredible violence (both physically and linguistically). Anyway fuck the British empire and I loved this book

Definitely didn’t fully see that ending coming especially with its discussions on dying for a cause… really thought provoking I gotta sit with that one for a while

also R F Kuang always on her white woman hater soapbox lmfaooo
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Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

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emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.0

Super interesting read on what really defines humanity! I loved the main character Klara for the unique and innocently optimistic perspective she has in exploring the world. I would have really enjoyed reading and unpacking this in English class (probably because I read Never Let Me Go in class and the atmosphere is pretty similar). The descriptions of the world - which can feel friendly and natural or cold and filled with machinery based on Klara’s interpretation - really made it feel real and invite commentary on humanity’s developing relationship with technology . Definitely the kind of book where you need to read between the lines especially with the way it ends but enjoyably so.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

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

3.0

This was a silly christmas rom com for work book club that I found just fine. It was definitely entertaining enough to keep me reading but the mystery wasn’t super satisfying (although it did help the book not get too Christmasy). I found the main characters pretty annoying although their dynamic is fun at times (especially how they are one sided enemies for technically no reason) The female lead is just so self pitying at times it gets irritating and the male lead, although more tolerable, definitely veers into creepy possessive territory with how much he talks about wanting to protect her… overall quick and easy read, maybe I would enjoy watching this as a movie more (and apparently the author writes  movies too so i feel like it would be good!).
The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is the sequel to one of my favorite books of 2022 that got me back into reading (The Darkness Outside Us). I love how once again the plot and mystery build very quickly and effectively - and man does this series know how to do a plot twist. However, this felt a lot more contrived or just written for the sake of having a sequel. I didn’t particularly love the new characters (owl u are so annoying but in the way most 15 year olds are i suppose) and the plot felt a bit rehashed in some ways. Overall though I liked the creativity given to fleshing out the world and characters more and how sci fi tropes feel pretty fresh within this world. Also damn some of the tense action sequences really had me on the edge of my seat and they’re so well described it feels like watching a movie. SPEAKING OF THERES GONNA BE A MOVIE OF THE FIRST BOOK everyone go watch it because i will be :D