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susukam's reviews
231 reviews
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Silence of Bones by June Hur
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Even though it’s the beginning of the year, I don’t think I'll find another book to top this. Looks like I found my book-of-the-year early. To put it simply, this book was beautiful. There’s a couple of features I look for when I have a book that just makes me feel so many emotions by the end of it. The first is its prose, it's hard to balance unique and creative prose without it feeling like it’s just a work of modern art that isn’t tethered to a plot-this novel however not only had flowery prose filled with well crafted literary devices (my favorite being well used metaphors & vivid storytelling), but it also balanced a very unique plot that intertwines sci-fi with a magic system that’s rooted in the prose. It’s a book to experience.
This book is very intimate, reading it I felt like we, as the readers, are almost intruding on Blue & Red’ (the protagonists) letters. We get to see their most vulnerable emotions and how they discover what love means to them, both characters felt so real despite them being alien-sort-of beings. My favorite stories are character-driven ones and this one does an amazing job at developing the characters, in what is a short novel.
My ultimate favorite novels tend to always fall within the 200 page mark making them short and sweet. Usually books that touch my heart find a way of doing so through concise, yet flowery, prose. It's almost like every word used within the book has a purpose, each word and sentence feels like it was mulled over with careful thoughtfulness. I don’t just feel like I read a novel, but I read someone’s work of passion. I can see how much thought went into the creation of this novel. I will definitely be re-reading this book.
This book is very intimate, reading it I felt like we, as the readers, are almost intruding on Blue & Red’ (the protagonists) letters. We get to see their most vulnerable emotions and how they discover what love means to them, both characters felt so real despite them being alien-sort-of beings. My favorite stories are character-driven ones and this one does an amazing job at developing the characters, in what is a short novel.
My ultimate favorite novels tend to always fall within the 200 page mark making them short and sweet. Usually books that touch my heart find a way of doing so through concise, yet flowery, prose. It's almost like every word used within the book has a purpose, each word and sentence feels like it was mulled over with careful thoughtfulness. I don’t just feel like I read a novel, but I read someone’s work of passion. I can see how much thought went into the creation of this novel. I will definitely be re-reading this book.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
2.5
I who have never known a proper ending, should be the name.
There's literally no pay off for reading the book, they never explain the origin of what happened. It's such a depressing book and it's theses sort of books that irk me because they have so much plot build up, only for them to not find an ending that matches up to the plot. Not worth reading.
There's literally no pay off for reading the book, they never explain the origin of what happened. It's such a depressing book and it's theses sort of books that irk me because they have so much plot build up, only for them to not find an ending that matches up to the plot. Not worth reading.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
There’s no real payoff for finishing this book because, from beginning to end, it’s dominated by suffering and tragedy. I had high hopes initially. The story kept me hooked until about page 200, when it became clear that the characters would never experience prolonged happiness. They faced relentless hardships within their families, careers, and personal pursuits, creating a cycle of generational trauma that was never broken, only passed down.
This book reminds me of A History of Burning, which also explores how generational trauma impacts second- and third-generation immigrants and strains family relationships. Unfortunately, it falls into the same trap: too many characters and an overwhelming focus on suffering. By the time the story reaches the third generation, it feels redundant and emotionally draining.
**Spoiler Below **
It was especially disheartening to see my favorite character, Sunja, treated so poorly by those around her. She didn’t deserve the harsh treatment from her son, who never seemed to understand the sacrifices she made to keep him alive. It’s equally upsetting that she never truly healed from Hansu. He lingered like a ghost of her trauma, preventing her happiness. By the end, I felt nothing but sadness for her, but it felt unnecessary. The story might have been more impactful if Sunja had left Hansu behind and if Noa and Mozasu had embraced their identities without internalized hatred.
That said, the writing itself is skillful, and the world-building is excellent. The historical context feels accurate and immersive.
This book reminds me of A History of Burning, which also explores how generational trauma impacts second- and third-generation immigrants and strains family relationships. Unfortunately, it falls into the same trap: too many characters and an overwhelming focus on suffering. By the time the story reaches the third generation, it feels redundant and emotionally draining.
**Spoiler Below **
It was especially disheartening to see my favorite character, Sunja, treated so poorly by those around her. She didn’t deserve the harsh treatment from her son, who never seemed to understand the sacrifices she made to keep him alive. It’s equally upsetting that she never truly healed from Hansu. He lingered like a ghost of her trauma, preventing her happiness. By the end, I felt nothing but sadness for her, but it felt unnecessary. The story might have been more impactful if Sunja had left Hansu behind and if Noa and Mozasu had embraced their identities without internalized hatred.
That said, the writing itself is skillful, and the world-building is excellent. The historical context feels accurate and immersive.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
Blown away by R.F. Kuang’s Babel, I can confidently say this is the best fantasy novel I’ve ever read. It felt like a trilogy packed into one book. The pacing, plot, and characters are all written so well. A truly well-rounded novel that, to me, is a fantasy masterpiece. At 544 pages, I was worried it might drag, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of action and development throughout.
This writing style is beautiful and feels like a Fantasy novel that's targeted toward adults. The main issues it discusses is the way modern society is filled with systemic barriers created by colonialism Not only are there a vast characters, each character has their own cultural history that shapes who they are. Each character and their race and religion feels appropriately and respectfully written. I can clearly see the research and time that Kuang out into each character. The characters don't away from their roots, but are faced with moral conflicts about how they, by attending the program they're in, perpetual the colonial system at Oxford.
Kuang’s writing is so nuanced and well-crafted that I’m left in awe. I wasn’t a fan of Yellowface, and I feel like the themes she attempted in that novel were executed far more effectively in Babel. Every internal conflict is explored with depth and precision.
What absolutely made this novel for me was Robin’s internal struggle specifically his realization that the place and people he idolized were complicit in a cycle of power built on willful blindness to the Crown’s exploitation.
“He had become so good at holding two truths in his head at once.”
“He could not exist a split man, his psyche consistently erasing and re-erasing the truth. He felt like a great pressure in the back of his mind [...] Unless he stopped being double, unless he chose.”
It’s that impossible coexistence we try so hard to maintain where we desire to enjoy the conveniences that colonialism affords the privileged while simultaneously condemning the very system that provides them. We need to confront reality: colonialism forces oppression onto those who make our lives easier. Or, as Robin puts it:
“The public merely wanted all the conveniences of modern life without the guilt of knowing how those conveniences were procured.”
Unlike Ramy, who clearly understands how he perpetuates capitalist ideologies at the Institute, Robin’s slow and painful reckoning is what makes this novel so gripping. He doesn’t want to accept that the institution he idolized—the one that raised him—is also the source of immense suffering. It’s a struggle that resonates deeply, especially in today’s world, where people from diasporas grapple with their cultural identities and how their choices sustain exploitative systems.
In an era marked by Zionism and other modern colonial movements, Babel does an incredible job portraying how, under oppressive regimes, violence becomes the only remaining option when change is impossible.
The novel’s magical realism, rooted in translation, was a stroke of brilliance. Languages shape how we see the world, expanding our understanding and connecting us to different perspectives. But in the hands of colonizers, language transforms into a weapon—a tool for domination, extraction, and control.
Round of applause for R.F. Kuang—this is how you write fantasy.
This writing style is beautiful and feels like a Fantasy novel that's targeted toward adults. The main issues it discusses is the way modern society is filled with systemic barriers created by colonialism Not only are there a vast characters, each character has their own cultural history that shapes who they are. Each character and their race and religion feels appropriately and respectfully written. I can clearly see the research and time that Kuang out into each character. The characters don't away from their roots, but are faced with moral conflicts about how they, by attending the program they're in, perpetual the colonial system at Oxford.
Kuang’s writing is so nuanced and well-crafted that I’m left in awe. I wasn’t a fan of Yellowface, and I feel like the themes she attempted in that novel were executed far more effectively in Babel. Every internal conflict is explored with depth and precision.
What absolutely made this novel for me was Robin’s internal struggle specifically his realization that the place and people he idolized were complicit in a cycle of power built on willful blindness to the Crown’s exploitation.
“He had become so good at holding two truths in his head at once.”
“He could not exist a split man, his psyche consistently erasing and re-erasing the truth. He felt like a great pressure in the back of his mind [...] Unless he stopped being double, unless he chose.”
It’s that impossible coexistence we try so hard to maintain where we desire to enjoy the conveniences that colonialism affords the privileged while simultaneously condemning the very system that provides them. We need to confront reality: colonialism forces oppression onto those who make our lives easier. Or, as Robin puts it:
“The public merely wanted all the conveniences of modern life without the guilt of knowing how those conveniences were procured.”
Unlike Ramy, who clearly understands how he perpetuates capitalist ideologies at the Institute, Robin’s slow and painful reckoning is what makes this novel so gripping. He doesn’t want to accept that the institution he idolized—the one that raised him—is also the source of immense suffering. It’s a struggle that resonates deeply, especially in today’s world, where people from diasporas grapple with their cultural identities and how their choices sustain exploitative systems.
In an era marked by Zionism and other modern colonial movements, Babel does an incredible job portraying how, under oppressive regimes, violence becomes the only remaining option when change is impossible.
The novel’s magical realism, rooted in translation, was a stroke of brilliance. Languages shape how we see the world, expanding our understanding and connecting us to different perspectives. But in the hands of colonizers, language transforms into a weapon—a tool for domination, extraction, and control.
Round of applause for R.F. Kuang—this is how you write fantasy.
The Spy by Paulo Coelho
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I had never heard of Mata Hari before, despite her famous story. Hari’s only "fault" was daring to be a free woman in a society dominated by war, oppression, and men consumed by their own status and egos. I love Paulo Coelho’s writing style—concise, evocative, and rich in character development. The book delivers a powerful story in under 130 pages.
A History of Burning by Janika Oza
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
A History of Burning has many great aspects, but the pacing kept it from fully excelling. The story felt way too slow at times, and with so many characters, it became overwhelming. By Part Three, I found myself losing interest in some of the newer characters.
That said, the writing is beautiful. I loved the fire metaphors and the overarching theme of burning the old to create something new. The novel doesn’t present clear right or wrong choices for its characters; instead, it exists in a gray area, making their decisions feel all the more real. It reads like a book you’d analyze in a university English to appreciate its themes and writing style, but as an average reader, the pacing made it less enjoyable.
What stood out most was the way it portrays the immigrant experience. We often think of immigration as just the story of the immigrant or their parents, but this novel skillfully captures the full generational cycle. It’s the first time I’ve seen this journey depicted so thoroughly.
That said, the writing is beautiful. I loved the fire metaphors and the overarching theme of burning the old to create something new. The novel doesn’t present clear right or wrong choices for its characters; instead, it exists in a gray area, making their decisions feel all the more real. It reads like a book you’d analyze in a university English to appreciate its themes and writing style, but as an average reader, the pacing made it less enjoyable.
What stood out most was the way it portrays the immigrant experience. We often think of immigration as just the story of the immigrant or their parents, but this novel skillfully captures the full generational cycle. It’s the first time I’ve seen this journey depicted so thoroughly.
The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Overall quick read and mixed with witty humor + unique character. Mrs.S is quite tragic and comedic, which is the highlight for me of the play. I've never seen the on-screen counterpart, so having been my first dive into The Lady in the Van, I was pleasant surprised.