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ali1311's reviews
191 reviews
The Details by Ia Genberg
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The language and writing of this book is so gorgeous that the book itself flies. It feels insightful without being pretentious. A really cool dive into life and the complexities of such different people. My favorite chapter was the last one--I didn't even realize the book was ending, I was so wrapped up in the story of this character. The whole thing just felt really profound and insightful with a cool look into life and all its messiness.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
Dare I say it...this is a perfect book. Grabs your attention immediately and manages to keep it for nearly 600 pages. Every time I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about reading it. It felt like all the other books existed so that this one could exist, and I loved it. Everything came together fantastically, (almost) every character got to shine, and of course and most importantly, we got loads of Percabeth content! I am sad that these lil guys are all significantly more traumatized now, but hey, I had a good time. Also, Nico, you have my heart.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
This book has such a great concept, shoutout to the Miami Library for recommending it in their pride collection. Sometimes, there is nothing more beautiful or poignant than comparing queerness to the ocean and sea creatures. Sometimes the metaphors felt like a bit of a stretch (but that may just be the fact that I listened to it on audio), but I didn't even mind. It was cool to learn about so many sea creatures, but of course, the parts that really struck a cord were Imbler's own narrative reflections. The collection of essays were wide in scope and very straightforward where they could have veered into pretentious (but never did). All the essays were so great to read, even if harrowing at times. I don't expect to forget about this one for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
3.75
This book was drama!! I loved the drama of it even if that meant it was a bit cheesy. It was definitely a bit heavy handed with the message, and sometimes it felt like the book was dragging, but overall, I enjoyed Soledad's journey enough that I didn't really mind. It was a great read, if not particularly memorable outside of the juicier bits. But I loved the characters and their journeys.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming and Death of parent
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Such an accessible way to discuss gender and not shy away from complicated questions and issues on the subject. It was great to read about a nonbinary person who uses e/em/eir pronouns, which I'm less familiar with! The storyline was easy to follow and I think Maia did a great job of showcasing the complexity, hardship, and beauty of genderqueerness. Just a really moving book. Reminds me of Fun Home but with more introspection from the author. I also appreciated how this book didn't really provide easy answers. It invited you in to think like Maia does and join em in the deluge of questions and uncertainties. Also, the art was beautiful!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma and Dysphoria
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
lighthearted
slow-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
2.75
This book was a bit disappointing mostly in the way that I didn't feel much connection to the characters or believe any of the romantic tension between them. It was just a little forgettable and the story felt somewhat incomplete at the end for me. For a book that was pretty heavy on some therapy speak, the characters rarely communicated well with each other. Which could be a choice in itself but just didn't seem like it was done intentionally. It also felt like nothing really happened. The stakes were pretty low and unfortunately the characters didn't make up for the lack of plot.
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this one! Honestly liked it more than the first by a long shot. I think that's because I loooved Hannah's character. I'd read a handful of books about her. I liked her and Fox's relationship and that the insecurities were largely the man's. However, I do think the third act breakup was a bit unnecessary for this book since there had already been many moments like it. The presence of the breakup made the ending feel a bit less rewarding, and I wish that they had gotten back together when Fox got off the boat , that way that page space could've been used for further relationship development. Overall, I liked the concept of this story and the characters in it a lot more than I was expectng!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
As always, a bit of a slow lead up but wellll worth the wait! I love Rowan. I love Aelin. This book was such a great analysis of grief and loss alongside the supernatural and other-worldly. I cried, I gasped! I'm so glad our girl finally got a true friend and was able to come out of her grief on the other side of things. Only thing was that the witch chapters sure did drag. The book was brutal and unrelenting and so so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Vomit
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Unfortunately, this was not one of my favs from Tessa Bailey. I thought the characters weren't as complex as some of her other stories, and I wasn't too invested in the plot. It was good in the way that her books are always a fun read but nothing really memorable. A pleasant enough summer read, but I've liked her most recent books much more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book was so disappointing :/ I think it fell victim to the TikTok marketing tactics, which just meant that it used buzzwords and was marketed as something that it really was not. It was not really a romance or much of a fantasy either. I never really cared about the characters, even at the end, and I wasn't buying their connection. I only started being able to keep up with the timelines about 2/3rds of the way through the book (maybe a skill issue rather than writing issue) and even then I wasn't drawn in. The concept was so cool, so it was a bummer to see it executed so mid-ly. A lot of the writing felt bland and the present-time dialogue was cringe. Overall, I think this book needed like 3 more rounds of edits to make it as good as the premise was.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault