spacerkip's reviews
253 reviews

Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline

medium-paced

2.5

It's been a good 16 years since I read the original, so I remember the plot well enough, but the finer details are a bit too fuzzy for me to really critique this as a Secret Garden remix. Even if this retelling didn't grip me the way I hoped it would, I still very much enjoyed it! The new cultural context (and the sapphic romance) breathed fresh life into a story I remember loving as a child.

Some of the reasons this didn't quite click are entirely personal - I found the third act conflict pretty triggering (child abuse involving isolation and subjecting someone to harmful medical treatments), so I skimmed through a lot of the last chapters. I also wish there was more time spent in the titular secret garden. I remember there being a lot of attention drawn to different plants and how to tend a garden in the original, and I would have enjoyed seeing this translated with Ontarian plants and wildlife.

All in all, an enjoyable read! Gonna keep going down the list of these remixes.

Content Warnings

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.25

I found the use of the original novel's themes to explore Black queerness very clever. This new lens breathed fresh life into a well-known story, and gave me a different perspective on a setting I'm already familiar with. I'm a hard sell on romance, but I thought Henry and Gabriel were sweet, compelling, and tragic without losing my attention.

Spy x Family, Vol. 9 by Tatsuya Endo

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medium-paced

4.5

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture by Sherronda J. Brown

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challenging informative slow-paced

5.0

Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia by David Graeber

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.

Maybe I would have had an easier time if I read a physical copy instead of listening via audiobook, but this was way too rambling and confusing. I listened to part one TWICE - and was considering going back and reading again - before just deciding to call it. A book being short does not mean I have to sit through two more hours of dull bewilderment.

Spy x Family, Vol. 8 by Tatsuya Endo

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Brutal and disturbing, and delightfully fast-paced. I found Sarah to be ruthless and clever, and her reactions to everything that happened to her wholly human. A teenager forced to adapt to horrible situations, but in heartbreaking moments, still just a kid.

Expected warnings for antisemitism, violence, and fascism, but HUGE tw for child abuse and attempted (but unsuccessful) and referenced CSA.

Content Warnings