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sarah_cameron's reviews
102 reviews
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
My feelings about this book are complicated to say the least, and deeply personal to say the most.
I’m very impressed by Jennette’s ability to share her story. She does it with an incredibly strong and unflinching voice. She is generous and poised despite the awful things she has endured at the hands of others and herself, and I like that her relationship with everything and everyone is complicated and authentic, including the relationship she describes with herself.
This book was weirdly triggering and healing. It really doesn’t pull any punches, especially if you find yourself relating to any aspects of her life that are particularly uncomfortable. It was hard to see aspects of my life mirrored in Jennette’s. It was also deeply comforting to see her progress, and hope for that for myself.
I’m really grateful for this book, and suspect it’s one I’ll revisit many times in years to come.
I do want to echo the general sentiment that you should be mindful of when and how you pick this book up, and that it’s okay to put it down and return to it when you feel ready.
Thanks for sharing this piece of yourself Jennette. It might be weird to say, but it really did mean a lot to be able to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Vomit, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual assault, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Addiction, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
This was a super interesting read!
It’s was very quick and accessible for a modern audience, despite being written in 1872. I also really enjoyed the audio dramatisation, and think it added a lot to the story.
I suspect that if this was written today, the relationship between Laura and Carmilla would have been more fleshed out and explored. Had this been the case, this would have easily been a 4 star for me. Regardless, as many have noted, I do enjoy that their relationship is never subject to discussion in any particular moral light because of them both being women. That is merely happenstance , and it is only Carmilla’s nature that causes unease.
A fun, intriguing, and well written classic, I’d definitely recommend checking it out!
It’s was very quick and accessible for a modern audience, despite being written in 1872. I also really enjoyed the audio dramatisation, and think it added a lot to the story.
I suspect that if this was written today, the relationship between Laura and Carmilla would have been more fleshed out and explored. Had this been the case, this would have easily been a 4 star for me. Regardless, as many have noted, I do enjoy that their relationship is never subject to discussion in any particular moral light because of them both being women. That is merely happenstance , and it is only Carmilla’s nature that causes unease.
A fun, intriguing, and well written classic, I’d definitely recommend checking it out!
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book quite literally blew my mind.
I loved the progression from the start of the trilogy, where the focus was on individual characters and arcs, and how this built to encompass such a rich world and incredible forces and powers. This and The Poppy War are about the only series I’ve seen go to this level and do it well. They really put the work in and deserve the climax and ending the authors have craft.
I also really liked that we gave space to some of the secondary characters to be explored and fleshed out in this book. It added so much to the story, but there was still space and time for Vin to shine through. This also made the pay off so much more worth it in how all the threads were woven and eventually came together.
The only drawback really was that the pacing felt a bit off at times, particularly in the final third of the book. Regardless, this was still a fantastic read, and thanks everyone who encouraged me to pick this series up! The ending literally had me grinning like an idiot at how clever and satisfying it all was.
This really was a masterfully told story, and a must-read for sure.
Galatea by Madeline Miller
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Wow what a story!
This book is very short, and yet still manages to immerse the reader. As always, Miller’s writing is honest in an almost brutal way, and I just love it
I would highly recommend reading the afterword, too - if you haven’t already considered the similarities between this ancient story and people’s experiences today, it provides some great commentary
Definitely check the content warnings for this one, but it is so worth the read
This book is very short, and yet still manages to immerse the reader. As always, Miller’s writing is honest in an almost brutal way, and I just love it
I would highly recommend reading the afterword, too - if you haven’t already considered the similarities between this ancient story and people’s experiences today, it provides some great commentary
Definitely check the content warnings for this one, but it is so worth the read
The Drowning Faith by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Not me crying over a 15 pages pdf omg I’m unwell
That last paragraph ruined me, I will never recover
This really added to much in such a short amount of pages, god I love these books, Kuang is an actual deity I stg, just blown away by everything she writes
That last paragraph ruined me, I will never recover
This really added to much in such a short amount of pages, god I love these books, Kuang is an actual deity I stg, just blown away by everything she writes
Lore Olympus: Volume Three by Rachel Smythe
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
The art was once again top tier, such a cool style!
I loved this addition to the story and he insight into some side characters, particularly Eros and Minthe, their development really added to the narrative. I just need more Hades and Persephone 😩
Can’t wait for vol. 4!
I loved this addition to the story and he insight into some side characters, particularly Eros and Minthe, their development really added to the narrative. I just need more Hades and Persephone 😩
Can’t wait for vol. 4!
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I’m pretty torn about this book, and on the whole feel it just missed the mark.
There were some aspects that were really well done. I enjoyed the world-building and how Harkness was able to establish her own twist on the creatures including vampires, witches, and daemons in a way that was interesting and a bit unique. I also loved that she clearly put a lot of time into carefully researching history and science to create a foundation for the novel.
I struggled at times with some inaccuracies (e.g., diagnosing someone with tachycardia incorrectly) and the scientific discussions particularly around reproduction felt a little….eugenics-ey honestly. I really don’t feel that was the author’s intention but it gave me the ick.
Finally, I’m someone who gravitates towards character-driven stories. This was definitely not that, but rather set everything up for the plot that I assume kicks off in books two and three - seriously this is all build up, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it pays off with the future books, but the slow pace and length of this book did have me struggling.
Additionally, I didn’t really connect to any of the characters. I actively disliked a lot of the behaviour directed towards female characters (e.g.,’you married this man without being aware and were therefore unable to consent to that decision’, ‘you must always obey the head male of the household because he is old and wise and knows best’, ‘let’s throw in a torture scene that was unnecessary and doesn’t advance the plot or lead to character development’ ). We were also repeatedly told that the female protagonist was strong-willed and stubborn, despite her being constantly damseled and having practically no autonomy for the entire novel.
Additionally, I didn’t really connect to any of the characters. I actively disliked a lot of the behaviour directed towards female characters (e.g.,
I do own the trilogy, so I’ll likely read at least the second one at some point, but this one was a little rough off the bat. I’m hopeful now everything is set up that the pacing will be faster in the next one, and fingers crossed that now Diana has a stronger grasp on her powers we see her regain her autonomy and independence.