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t0rixoxo's reviews
70 reviews
Rez Ball by Byron Graves
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I don’t usually read sports books, as I’ve never really cared for sports outside of track, but I decided to give this one a go. As my first sports fiction book, I think it did a good job.
The book is about an Ojibwe teenager named Tre Braun, whose older brother died in a car accident a year ago. As a way to keep his memory going, he invests his time into playing basketball and eventually works his way up the basketball ranks. His main goal is for his high school team to make it to the state championship, as they would be first Native team to do so.
I was a bit surprised at how enjoyable this book was. While it does mainly focus on basketball, there’s plenty of moments where it focuses on Tre’s life as a teenager on a reservation. It was quite a refresher to go from tense basketball games to Tre dealing with average teenage things. Dealing with the grief of losing his brother, romance, parties.
Though, there was only one subplot I felt was unnecessary. While I do love Khiana, I feel her heavy presence in the first half of the book was a bit unnecessary. She pretty much only existed to be Tre’s love interest, and once that wasn’t happening she very quickly became a background character. And I feel having Tre fall out with Wes over Khiana could’ve been removed from the story and nothing would’ve changed. Wes would still do his documentary clips, and he’d still contact Slam Magazine.
Overall, I’m giving this book four stars. Despite not knowing any basketball terms while reading this book, it wasn’t hard to figure out the general gist of things. Decent plot, enjoyable writing style, and characters I adore give this a solid rating in my book. <3
The book is about an Ojibwe teenager named Tre Braun, whose older brother died in a car accident a year ago. As a way to keep his memory going, he invests his time into playing basketball and eventually works his way up the basketball ranks. His main goal is for his high school team to make it to the state championship, as they would be first Native team to do so.
I was a bit surprised at how enjoyable this book was. While it does mainly focus on basketball, there’s plenty of moments where it focuses on Tre’s life as a teenager on a reservation. It was quite a refresher to go from tense basketball games to Tre dealing with average teenage things. Dealing with the grief of losing his brother, romance, parties.
Overall, I’m giving this book four stars. Despite not knowing any basketball terms while reading this book, it wasn’t hard to figure out the general gist of things. Decent plot, enjoyable writing style, and characters I adore give this a solid rating in my book. <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Racism
My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Sexism
Star Splitter by Matthew J. Kirby
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Gore
Minor: Medical content
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
felt like it was going nowhere. there are so many subplots going on that the main plot, the main concept we were introduced to in the atlas six was just lost.
very disappointing, i wish it lived up to the concept :(
very disappointing, i wish it lived up to the concept :(
Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
it was just a yap fest tbh
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
Friday I'm in Love by Camryn Garrett
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Minor: Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism
A Dirty War by Anna Politkovskaya
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
couldnt get invested into it. will return to it one day :(
The Symposium by Plato
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
i should have listened when they said read it in one sitting :( i started it a month ago then stopped and came back to it, and it was so confusing i didnt want to re read the entire thing tho.
will come back when im more prepared <3
will come back when im more prepared <3
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
i think it was good in the beginning and middle but i got rlly bored near the end to where i was just skimming so i could finish the book.
i wish i could say i liked the characters but i couldnt really connect with them as much as i would like to. this is probably due to the environment they were in atm but nothing clicked with me.
relating to the statement above, i wish rebecca ross had fleshed out attie more. it felt like she was just kinda there to be there, maybe for diversity points seeing as she’s the only black character in the book.
worldbuilding was kinda lackluster, the gods could easily be removed and replaced with some random country names and nothing in the story would change. maybe then the “magic” aspect of the novel would actually make sense.
i wish i could say i liked the characters but i couldnt really connect with them as much as i would like to. this is probably due to the environment they were in atm but nothing clicked with me.
relating to the statement above, i wish rebecca ross had fleshed out attie more. it felt like she was just kinda there to be there, maybe for diversity points seeing as she’s the only black character in the book.
worldbuilding was kinda lackluster, the gods could easily be removed and replaced with some random country names and nothing in the story would change. maybe then the “magic” aspect of the novel would actually make sense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and War
Moderate: Death of parent
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
emotional
reflective
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
4.75
i was very close to dnfing this book. the first few chapters were full of references to anuses and butts and i honestly couldnt take it. i think the author was just trying to depict a teenage boy’s mind, but it just came off as kind of weird. but once he stopped with the weird sphincter references, the book became much more bearable and i was actually fully invested!
this book is about a teen boy named henry trying to figure out if he should press a button that prevents the end of the world. however, he struggles with the decision as his life is pretty sucky. his boyfriend committed suicide, hes hooking up with his bully, and his family is dysfunctional and chaotic.
i love the concept and the author does a wonderful job of executing it. it deals with many philosophical/existential questions in a simple way that the average reader can understand.
the only reason i didnt give this book five stars is the issue i mentioned in the beginning. overall, this was a fantastic book!
this book is about a teen boy named henry trying to figure out if he should press a button that prevents the end of the world. however, he struggles with the decision as his life is pretty sucky. his boyfriend committed suicide, hes hooking up with his bully, and his family is dysfunctional and chaotic.
i love the concept and the author does a wonderful job of executing it. it deals with many philosophical/existential questions in a simple way that the average reader can understand.
the only reason i didnt give this book five stars is the issue i mentioned in the beginning. overall, this was a fantastic book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy