seyoban's reviews
245 reviews

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

Lilith by Nikki Marmery
Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.

If I read one more line about how a woman’s power lies in her ability to give birth I’m gonna hurl. The writing style was all over the place, the plot was somehow both outlandish and boring, and the author completely missed the mark with the attempt at a feminist re-telling. 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

challenging emotional sad 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

I don’t think there’s a single emotion that I didn’t experience while reading this book. I’d go from laughter to tears and back to laughter again within the space of a sentence sometimes. Barbara Kingsolver is a literary genius; her talent for embodying the voice of a character is like nobody else I’ve read. 

Skin Deep by Sung J. Woo

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

It had elements of a fun mystery but the plot ended up being way too far-fetched for my liking. Many of the feminist stereotypes and comments about the beauty industry felt like they came strongly from the author’s male perspective, and this book suffered as a classic example of a male author missing the mark when trying to write in a female voice. Not really here for a shallow take on crazy feminists or the lengths that evil and self-absorbed women will go through to stay young. I hope the author avoids such lazy tropes in his other work, but I’ll be giving the sequel a miss anyway. 

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

adventurous hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Becky Chambers gives me a hope for humanity that tends to be lost when I look out the window or read my newsfeed. I feel more connected to myself, the world, and other people after reading all of her books. This one is a little less fluffy and a little more science-y than her others but has left me feeling the same. 

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

3.25

A warm, cosy read that makes you hopeful for humanity (which I guess goes without saying for a Becky Chambers book) but not as enjoyable as the previous two in the series. In keeping with the themes of the book, I missed hearing about different planets and interaction between all the different species. Still worth the read though, and it’s impressive how vastly different each book of the series has been. 

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

emotional inspiring reflective medium-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

4.5

What a beautiful book, and a step-up in quality from the first Wayfarers book. I missed the characters from the Wayfarers ship (and hope they make more of an appearance in the remainder of the series), and I found Pepper and Sidra to be less loveable and cosy, but so much more realistic and relatable. This story was such an imaginative exploration of what it means to be a person, existential anxiety, and self—expression through our bodies. The writing was much less heavy-handed than Small, Angry Planet and the subtlety helped me feel more immersed in the emotional arcs of Pepper and Sidra. 

After the first two books of the series, I well and truly have no idea what could come next but I know it will make me feel lots of things and reflect on my place in the universe. 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-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

4.0

Reading a Becky Chambers book just feels like a different experience to any other author I know. Every time I feel the anxiety of anticipating conflict or characters making unlikeable decisions, the situation is diffused, lessons are learned and Becky Chambers once again imparts wisdom on how to be a grounded, fulfilled person. It’s a little heavy-handed at times but I don’t mind because it’s so enjoyable to be on the Wayfarer with all these lovely characters. A lot of the physics went over my head but if she could, I’m sure Chambers would tell me that’s ok, focus on the parts I enjoy, and make myself a nice cup of tea just because. It’s all just very warm and cosy and I can’t wait to read the next in the series. 

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

At certain points the writing was beautiful whereas at others, it fell a little flat (especially the dialogue) which made me wonder how much was lost in translation. An interesting exploration of how various patriarchal standards, influences and experiences impact women. It would have been interesting to see more of a connection made between the two parts of the book - I was really hoping for some exploration of Makiko’s obsession with breast surgery vs Natsuko’s obsession with artificial insemination, but the author didn’t really go there. It all wrapped up very neatly which was satisfying but not necessarily realistic.