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tascaraudo's reviews
62 reviews
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Seems like the Twist was a little sudden/separate from the "reality" of the world. I say this because I think it would have made sense for the twist to be echoed in the world outside of Niveus Private Academy.
Blazed through this in one sitting, it's an incredible ride. You start putting the pieces together as the Main Characters do. Told from alternating perspective of two protagonists. Sometimes the high school politics felt unrealistic and over-the-top to me, but then again my high school experience was very much like that of Devon Richards prior to this book's happenings.
Blazed through this in one sitting, it's an incredible ride. You start putting the pieces together as the Main Characters do. Told from alternating perspective of two protagonists. Sometimes the high school politics felt unrealistic and over-the-top to me, but then again my high school experience was very much like that of Devon Richards prior to this book's happenings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Outing, and Alcohol
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
This book sucked me in! I kept thinking about it throughout the day when I wasn't reading it. The world here is so much more than what the main character and we the readers know and understand, and the sense of mystery and unknowing is prevalent throughout the book. Magical to read. Took me a while to get used to the longer sentences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Grief
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
I am not used to reading autobiographies... I appreciate that Ma-Nee shared her story in this book. It feels very vulnerable, honest, and raw.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Grief
A Guide to Undressing Your Monsters by sam sax
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Take the content warnings seriously. Some of the poems were very hard for me to read.
I never read poetry so this was a new one for me. I was attracted to the premise of monstrousness and queerness being linked; I find it discussed regularly in online spaces that queer people often identify with or are attracted to the "monstrous" characters in media, and that this could be linked to all the ways society can make a queer identity monstrous. It makes sense to me. To feel understanding for the monster is to recognize that you yourself are also monstrous by nature or nurture.
I never read poetry so this was a new one for me. I was attracted to the premise of monstrousness and queerness being linked; I find it discussed regularly in online spaces that queer people often identify with or are attracted to the "monstrous" characters in media, and that this could be linked to all the ways society can make a queer identity monstrous. It makes sense to me. To feel understanding for the monster is to recognize that you yourself are also monstrous by nature or nurture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book explores what it's like for one girl, Jam, to look past the niceness and comfort of believing everything to be safe. It is a story about what it can take for justice to be served, and whether justice means punishment for the monster or protection for the victim.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse and Vomit
Main character is what we would call trans. She does not face any transphobia during the book's journey. She dissociates at least once.
The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
What a wonderful world Drayden has given us. I loved the characterization of the robots.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Transphobia
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
I CRIED
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
sweet, tender story about two boys who face their last day on earth together despite their differences
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
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
4.5
Wonderfully funny look into the life of Murderbot, who just wants to watch TV and not be bothered, but eventually begrudgingly accepts that it may care a little bit about the humans it is working for .
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Dead bodies, violence, shooting
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Highly recommend. I love Death.
The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Alright, so I respect this as an important work in the field of science fiction and robots in literature. However, for a book comprised of so many short stories with different characters, there is an incredibly noticeable lack of women. Many stories do not have women present at all.
The various iterations of Robot Problems are interesting. Worth a read, but annoyingly chauvinistic.
Women aren't fridged or murdered, but, when mentioned, are decorative, unnamed, nagging wives whose husbands don't seem to like them, "bitchy", or making a robot call them "Mommie". Only three characters seem to simply be women as characters. (As compared to, as expected, countless male characters who are allowed to Be).
In all the creativity of robot progress and its tricky interplay with Human Nature it's disappointing to know that women existing within that space was essentially inconceivable for Asimov.
The various iterations of Robot Problems are interesting. Worth a read, but annoyingly chauvinistic.
Women aren't fridged or murdered, but, when mentioned, are decorative, unnamed, nagging wives whose husbands don't seem to like them, "bitchy", or making a robot call them "Mommie". Only three characters seem to simply be women as characters. (As compared to, as expected, countless male characters who are allowed to Be).
In all the creativity of robot progress and its tricky interplay with Human Nature it's disappointing to know that women existing within that space was essentially inconceivable for Asimov.
Content Warnings
There is a story that addresses autism in a way I did not entirely understand. I can't really say if it was ableist or not because I literally didn't understand the ending of the story. But watch out for that I guess.