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skylacine's reviews
1024 reviews
Dieren zonder kleren by Delphine Lecompte
dark
slow-paced
0.25
What a fucking terrible book. Worst and most offensive one I've read in years.
First of all, it's falsely advertised as being primarily about animals (which is why I picked it up in the first place). It's not. The animals are THERE, but the book is just primarily the author traumadumping about her terrible life. The animals feel like an afterthought.
Secondly, the author couldn't even be arsed to give content warnings. This book contains a shitton of child abuse, animal abuse, racism, incest, rape, pedophilia, pretty much every issue you can think of needs a content warning. And it's not like the author is only describing other people's behavior here: she is guilty of a few of these things herself as well (e.g. using racial slurs).
Thirdly, the author's writing voice is dreadful to have to read. She is fucking obsessed with using adjectives (sometimes five to six in a row) and refuses to italicize the titles of media (movies, books, etc.).
Skip this one
First of all, it's falsely advertised as being primarily about animals (which is why I picked it up in the first place). It's not. The animals are THERE, but the book is just primarily the author traumadumping about her terrible life. The animals feel like an afterthought.
Secondly, the author couldn't even be arsed to give content warnings. This book contains a shitton of child abuse, animal abuse, racism, incest, rape, pedophilia, pretty much every issue you can think of needs a content warning. And it's not like the author is only describing other people's behavior here: she is guilty of a few of these things herself as well (e.g. using racial slurs).
Thirdly, the author's writing voice is dreadful to have to read. She is fucking obsessed with using adjectives (sometimes five to six in a row) and refuses to italicize the titles of media (movies, books, etc.).
Skip this one
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Ranger by Michael Hoyt
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, and Death of parent
The Robin: A Biography by Stephen Moss
4.0
I genuinely had no idea these cute round birbs can turn into murder machines when it comes to defending their territory.
Het loon van de duivel (De bende van de Bokkenrijders #4) by Ton van Reen
5.0
Bullet review:
+Definitely the most anxiety-inducing book of them all, you never once feel like you get a moment's rest alongside Mathijs because he might be arrested and tortured at any point in the book.
+Interesting character development for Mathijs (and to a lesser extent Kirchhoffs).
+Some very brutal scenes, but written in an engaging way still.
+Lots of action in this one.
-Ending is a bit ambiguous. It didn't bother me TOO much but I can see this putting people off, since this is the final book in the series.
+Definitely the most anxiety-inducing book of them all, you never once feel like you get a moment's rest alongside Mathijs because he might be arrested and tortured at any point in the book.
+Interesting character development for Mathijs (and to a lesser extent Kirchhoffs).
+Some very brutal scenes, but written in an engaging way still.
+Lots of action in this one.
-Ending is a bit ambiguous. It didn't bother me TOO much but I can see this putting people off, since this is the final book in the series.
De gesel van het zwarte goud (De bende van de Bokkenrijders #3) by Ton van Reen
5.0
Bullet review:
+Van Reen is REALLY good at making the reader feel immersed in this location, the characters and the culture at the time.
+This is a book that has mostly more mellow scenes and less "Bokkenrijder-ing", but it still was thoroughly engaging. Honestly I could read a book JUST about Mathijs' studies and the mineworkers' rights and I'd be just as engaged even without the Bokkenrijder stuff.
+Interesting character development for Mathijs and Kirchhoffs.
+Van Reen is REALLY good at making the reader feel immersed in this location, the characters and the culture at the time.
+This is a book that has mostly more mellow scenes and less "Bokkenrijder-ing", but it still was thoroughly engaging. Honestly I could read a book JUST about Mathijs' studies and the mineworkers' rights and I'd be just as engaged even without the Bokkenrijder stuff.
+Interesting character development for Mathijs and Kirchhoffs.
Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo by Graham Spence, Lawrence Anthony
4.0
Really interesting account of the author's journey to help the animals at the Baghdad Zoo around the time of the Iraq war. At times hard to read and quite brutal, but it makes the heroic efforts of Anthony and the other rescuers all the better to read about. I quite enjoyed reading this book and really got enveloped into the events here. Might check out more of Anthony's books at a later date.
The Great Timbers by Erica Summers, James A. Kane
3.0
This book is sexist and the wolf(dog) on the cover is barely in it. Kinda disappointing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury