taylor_annotates's reviews
215 reviews

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

I will read anything Nghi Vo writes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Abortion

Moderate: War and Domestic abuse

Minor: Sexual assault

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

It is rare that I give a book a two star rating, but this book was incredibly frustrating to read. I found the characters’ actions and motivations to be unreasonable and unrealistic. Further, the incident which much of the book hinges on feels incredibly overblown. The magical realism of the book sat in a weird juxtaposition with the style of writing and lastly the structure of the story felt very unbalanced to me. OOF. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

challenging informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

This book is heavy, but I loved it. The writing wasn’t entirely smooth in my opinion, but the overall themes and structure of the story were powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, War, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

Moderate: Infertility

Beach Read by Emily Henry

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

It was okay!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Child abuse

Minor: Suicide

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

This book is beautiful, but goodness it is slow. I savored my time with it, but was looking forward to moving on by the end. 

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

I disliked this for the first 100 pages or so for a few reasons. Then the book grew on me a bit. A bit. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Misogyny

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Rape

Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Death, and Grief

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Suicide, and Death

Minor: Child death