tobeeornottobee's reviews
36 reviews

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i've seen a lot of negative reviews about this book. about how it's boring, hard to get through, uniteresting. i think if your only critique of a book is that it's boring, it's not really a critique. it's a heavy book, it was written in the early 2000's and deals with a lot of trauma and unhealthy coping mechanisms. going in i thought this was a book i would have to drag myself through. i didn't find that to be true in the least. its dysfunctional and unreliable, a direct reflection of the narrator. the book takes us through a lifetime spent severely depressed and filled high with anxiety. i think if it was shorter, less wordy, it would have been so much more impersonal. it wouldn't have settled in my chest the same way. (also the characters. obviously, we're seeing it through theo's eyes so everything is tinted with his thoughts and feelings. i think boris and theo's dynamic is really important. i think andy deserved better. i think theo is a repressed gay man. i think these people were real and tangible.) take care with the topics and triggers in this book. but if it is something you think you'll enjoy, don't be deterred by negative reviews. 
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If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

my tumblr post about it: “i finished iwwv and i am nauseous, baby. i loved that cryptic bullshit. it was so tragically wonderful, what the hell.” it kept me engaged, it was twisty, it was stressful, it was frustrating, it was devastating. i recommend it wholeheartedly. 
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The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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f*ck t.j. klune. 
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

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

4.0

so so important for genderqueer people. 
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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4.0

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The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

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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? It's complicated

5.0

the magnus chase series is my favorite in the riordanverse. if this book had been around when i was younger it really would have helped me. i'll probably be talking about this cast of characters (and the ones that come later) until i die. as per usual with riordan's mc, magnus is a sarcastic little shit with his fair share of issues. but the development he goes through--along with all the characters--is really important. as casbian on tumblr once said "
i feel like everyone ignores the fact that magnus, while being a character who draws his power from kindness and healing and friendship...is not a "sunshine boy" or w/e everyone's calling him. he starts off the series as a bitter, friendless, and cynical kid who had everything he loved taken from him and over the course of the series had to learn how to let people care about him and that's how he found his new family and was able to move on from his past...
 magnus chase is a healer but this series was about how he got healed." 
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