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sophiesometimesreads's reviews
189 reviews
Squire by Nadia Shammas, Sara Alfageeh
adventurous
challenging
fast-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
4.25
The art style of this graphic novel was nice and I liked the action scenes, particulalry. I felt like some of the early parts of the novel were a little wordy and the panels didn't have a lot going on, despite the actual drawings being done well technically, which made some parts drag a little for me. I liked the premise of the story though, and the ideas it presents on colonisation, racism/classism, military and revisionist history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Colonisation
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Blood
I Don't Need Therapy: (and other lies I've told myself) by Toni Lodge
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Disclaimer: I no longer rate memoirs, or most non-fiction in general. See below for thoughts!
I picked up this book after being invested in and obsessed with the Toni and Ryan Podcast for the last two years, and absolutely loved it! Toni's voice is so authentic and I could honestly hear her reading it in her voice in my head. Her humour, but also her deep stories and authenticity, both shone through in the pages and made this a wonderful (albeit emotional, at times) read.
I loved the fact that each chapter is named after a lie she told herself, and I found a lot of the content to be very relatable. It almost felt at times that I was reading my own memoir, so cheers to Toni for that, you love to see it (or maybe not if a lot of it was related to anxiety...). Also, I could've sworn only my mother called the caravan park bathrooms the "ablution block" but I guess not, the more you know.
I do think that perhaps those who don't already know and have a (parasocial) relationship with Toni may not get as much out of this, but it is a funny, emotional, heartwarming journey through her life until now, with a bit emphasis on her mental health and journey with grief.
Due to the non-chronological nature of the book, there were a couple events that were rehashed multiple times that did stall the pacing just a little, but I was having such a great time with the book that it wasn't a huge deal for me.
I would recommend, particulalry for those who are TARPers (fans of the Toni and Ryan Podcast) and if you're not a fan, go check it out because it's a whole lot of hilarious nonsense that's so much fun.
I picked up this book after being invested in and obsessed with the Toni and Ryan Podcast for the last two years, and absolutely loved it! Toni's voice is so authentic and I could honestly hear her reading it in her voice in my head. Her humour, but also her deep stories and authenticity, both shone through in the pages and made this a wonderful (albeit emotional, at times) read.
I loved the fact that each chapter is named after a lie she told herself, and I found a lot of the content to be very relatable. It almost felt at times that I was reading my own memoir, so cheers to Toni for that, you love to see it (or maybe not if a lot of it was related to anxiety...). Also, I could've sworn only my mother called the caravan park bathrooms the "ablution block" but I guess not, the more you know.
I do think that perhaps those who don't already know and have a (parasocial) relationship with Toni may not get as much out of this, but it is a funny, emotional, heartwarming journey through her life until now, with a bit emphasis on her mental health and journey with grief.
Due to the non-chronological nature of the book, there were a couple events that were rehashed multiple times that did stall the pacing just a little, but I was having such a great time with the book that it wasn't a huge deal for me.
I would recommend, particulalry for those who are TARPers (fans of the Toni and Ryan Podcast) and if you're not a fan, go check it out because it's a whole lot of hilarious nonsense that's so much fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, and Mental illness
Moderate: Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Alcohol
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I don't know if "enjoyed" is the right word to describe my experience with this, as it was a rollercoaster, with some very intense scenes at times, but I thought this was a very interesting book that was well-constructed and made the points it was aiming to make well. Just make sure to check content warnings before reading.
There were some very good and interesting conversations and points throughout this book on the prison system (in the USA, specifically) and the treatment of incarcerated humans, as well as demographics of people more likely to be subject to these things. As a non-American, I thought the footnotes were useful to provide context and outline some of the hypocrisy in the system and judgements made. They were also used sparingly so didn't interrupt the overall flow of the story.
There were many points of view, but I found I followed them all well and I liked how we got the intersection of all these stories by the end. I have seen people say they got confused listening to the audio, but personally, having read the book with my eyes, I thought it was easy to follow who the character of interest was each chapter. I think the multiple POVs gave a lot of context to the dystopian world and really hit home the shocking nature of the death games, and how involved the community is.
The characters in here were really interesting. I appreciated how we saw them as human, but their crimes were never pushed to the background. It was a really good way of showing that even people who have committed crimes are human and have the ability to think, feel and change in some circumstances. It was a good way of furthering some of the points made in the book, particulalry about the death penalty and solitary confinement.
The only real thing I wanted more from was the ending. I read it and was like "that's it?", though I did go back and reread the last chapter and it did feel a little more solid of an ending the second time when I knew I was on the last chapter. I'm just not a huge lover of an open ending, so I personally would've liked to see a little more resolution, particularly in the other storylines. But part of me also thinks maybe the point was that, as much as the others fight, it's not going to nicely resolve in such a short period of time. I think I'll be pondering this ending for a while, either way.
There were some very good and interesting conversations and points throughout this book on the prison system (in the USA, specifically) and the treatment of incarcerated humans, as well as demographics of people more likely to be subject to these things. As a non-American, I thought the footnotes were useful to provide context and outline some of the hypocrisy in the system and judgements made. They were also used sparingly so didn't interrupt the overall flow of the story.
There were many points of view, but I found I followed them all well and I liked how we got the intersection of all these stories by the end. I have seen people say they got confused listening to the audio, but personally, having read the book with my eyes, I thought it was easy to follow who the character of interest was each chapter. I think the multiple POVs gave a lot of context to the dystopian world and really hit home the shocking nature of the death games, and how involved the community is.
The characters in here were really interesting. I appreciated how we saw them as human, but their crimes were never pushed to the background. It was a really good way of showing that even people who have committed crimes are human and have the ability to think, feel and change in some circumstances. It was a good way of furthering some of the points made in the book, particulalry about the death penalty and solitary confinement.
The only real thing I wanted more from was the ending. I read it and was like "that's it?", though I did go back and reread the last chapter and it did feel a little more solid of an ending the second time when I knew I was on the last chapter. I'm just not a huge lover of an open ending, so I personally would've liked to see a little more resolution, particularly in the other storylines. But part of me also thinks maybe the point was that, as much as the others fight, it's not going to nicely resolve in such a short period of time. I think I'll be pondering this ending for a while, either way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Self harm, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Domestic abuse
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an interesting read. I went into this with very little knowledge of the civil war in Sri Lanka, but came out with a general understanding of the time and what it was like to live within it. This was partially a result of the book, but I was also intrigued enough to engage in my own research, which I think was the best way to read this book and if this doesn't sound like an interesting time to you, then this book may not work as well for you. The second-person prose was an interesting choice that I wasn't sure about at first, but I think it worked for the story, or at least didn't take away from the narrative the author was trying to tell. Magical realism in a book about civil war was a choice I was intrigued but wary about going into this, but the balance between the realistic and unrealistic worked in this context to show Maali's life, his photography and the brutalities of the civil war. Aside from the brutalities of war that the book showed, it was actually quite funny and sarcastic and witty at times, which was a good contrast to some of the intense content covered. There were parts of this novel that were a little repetitive and slow-paced, which is why it wasn't a five star for me, but I enjoyed the reading experience, even if the content and storyline of the book was not necessarily "enjoyable".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Homophobia
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Suicide, Drug use, Racial slurs, and Torture
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, and Sexual content
Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This was a really insightful and important read. I thought a lot of these essays or stories from peoples' lives growing up Aboriginal in Australia were great and shed light on these experiences that I, as a white Australian, have not experienced and the privilege that provides me. There was a good mix of happy, sad, beautiful and ugly throughout these stories. It also really shows how recently the atrocities against the Aboriginal population occurred, with stories from people part of the stolen generation included, as well as their children. It really highlights how much better as a society we must strive to be to be inclusive and accepting of the Aboriginal people and their ways of life. I think this was a great and important read for anyone in Australia, or even those globally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Addiction, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this! I loved how magical realism was woven through this and the writing style was wonderful, lyrical but easy to follow too. I liked that we got snippets from journal entries and letters through the stories. It was funny and emotional and real, and I had a great time reading this. Check the content warnings, though, as this does have some intense themes at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
There were lots of things I loved, including Ray as a whole, an enby love interest, the found family, exploration of gender and performative workplaces, the food descriptions, and top surgery representation. I felt a lot of this was done well and I was invested in that part of the story. However, some things didn't sit great with me. In particular, I didn't particularly like Simone as a character and this this would've been amazing from Ray's point of view. Simone's early inbuilt prejudices against herself and Ray were never completely addressed, which I felt cheapened some of the discussions around misgendering and transphobia/homophobia, and she was also just kind of rude a lot of the time for no real reason. She did get a character arc and these behaviours stopped but I felt that she never really took responsibility for the fact that she was doing these things in the first place, which would've made it better for me. This took me out of the romance and meant I didn't care too much for it by the end. In saying this, it felt like the romance was a small portion of this story overall, so I did have an enjoyable time overall and the more I think back on this, the more the good parts stick out for me over the parts I didn't enjoy as much, so I'm sitting at about a 3.75 stars at the moment. I would recommend this if solely for the representation of an enby love interest!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol
Magical Boy, Volume 2 by The Kao
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was a good end to this graphic novel duology. This volume was action-packed and everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow, though I did feel some characters did probably get redeemed a little too quickly and easily for some of the ideas they pushed throughout the story. Please check the trigger warnings though as there is A LOT of deadnaming, transphobia and homophobia throughout these two graphic novels and that may not be for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia
Magical Boy, Volume 1 by The Kao
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
This was an enjoyable read. I loved the art style and the dialogue was funny and had me laughing out loud at times. The storyline was good, it was a little trope-y at times like with the closeted bully, but was fun and a good spin on the "magical girl" storyline. I did like how they blurred the characters deadname in the dialogue in the print version compared to the online one (I read the first chapter online before deciding to buy the physical copies). I'm excited to see how it wraps up in the next volume.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, and Deadnaming
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think this is what I want to rate this, but I'm still a little unsure on where I fall with this. I felt a little disconnected from the story and confused or unsure about what was happening or the point of the story for a lot of this, but that might also be my mood so I think I might want to reread this at some point, maybe before reading the second book. I did really like the prose and writing, and how the story came full circle at the end.