whatchareadingheather's reviews
705 reviews

the mermaid's voice returns in this one by Amanda Lovelace

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

What a rollercoaster of emotions! I need to go back and read the other 2 poetry collections now!

Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

UGH! This had soooooooo much potential with how creepy the first 1/3 of the book was but it straight up fizzled out and the big reveal was the utmost definition of WTF. This is an example of how sometimes an idea works in short form and fails when it gets expanded upon. Maybe I'll give the original short story a try in the future to compare notes.

Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I was expecting this to be a bit more dystopian given the book’s description, but I think this shows what our future may hold as a society that disregards climate change while also showing the potential good that environmental leaders can have. Slightly lowered rating because of not being a fan of how the pit bulls were represented in this (as a mom of the sweetest pittie boy).

Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.25

This book had no business being as long at it was considering the description for it, but this author did an absolutely spectacular job at building the world of everyday Jamaica and cast of characters to the point where you’re completely immersed into the plot as if you were a local. 

The Cube by Adam Rapp

mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

The potential for this to be super thought-provoking was there, but the execution was definitely not the best. Narration was decent. I can see this being expanded in an indie film.

Unfree Speech by Joshua Wong

challenging informative medium-paced

4.25

Very much a cautionary tale that everyone who lives in the United States should read because this is quite literally happening to us. This made me understand why people get super paranoid about their personal information and date being sold to China, and the parallels of how far their government is going to silence their own people from fighting back and sharing the truth about what is going on in their country is absolutely mind-boggling to see as we are currently entering another 4 years of the president that I refuse to claim.

Grief by Frank Gogol

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A uniquely beautiful and easily digestible collection of stories that visually shows the many forms that grief can take and how anyone who has suffered can find a semblance of light in the darkness. I found that I shared experiences and emotions with many of the stories, and if they weren’t directly personal to me, I could think of certain people in my life that the story would relate to. 

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This book is unique to the point that I can't pinpoint any other book to compare it to. I think it does an amazing job of discussing the concept of grief and how it can take many forms that people tend to not be aware of (ex: grieving of a loved one, grieving a lost body part/organ, grieving of your former way of life). It also showcases the many different kinds of behaviors, actions, and coping methods of those experiencing depression and anxiety in such a beautiful and honest way for a work of fiction.

Disclaimer: I have educated myself on controversies regarding this author and this specific work in general. I had purchased this book long before I educated myself on the political climate regarding Isreal-Palestine, and do agree that the language used in this book is Zionist in nature. I have also sought out information on the plagiarism claims made against this book, and can definitely see that overt similarities to the game 'Train' and believe that it should receive its due acknowledgement (Linking article below)

 A novel, a Holocaust game, and accusations of uncredited work – J. 

In My Father's Basement by T.J. Payne

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I've previously read 'The Venue' by this author, and while this is a very different style of book than that one, I still really enjoyed it. This does a great job at making you think about how uncomfortable it actually is that there's such a thing as a 'murderabilia' market when it comes to serial killers that goes beyond tangible items, specifically the journalism and general media worlds trying to capitalize on the pain that comes with these types of crimes. I think the biggest lesson I took away from this book is the self-defense tactic of breaking someone's pinky as it's the weakest part of the hand that's usually still  accessible. 

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

emotional funny 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

4.25

As someone who's come from the journalism world, this made me miss my past experiences a teeny tiny bit. I thought the slow-burn buildup (which I personally am a fan of) was done in an entertaining way, and I thought that this did a fantastic job as showcasing the concept of grief in multiple facets. I do wish the ending was a little bit stronger and more dramatic (maybe something to tie in what happens at the beginning of the book), but otherwise I really like this one overall.