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ali1311's reviews
191 reviews
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
This book was even better than I could've remembered. The drama, the intrigue! It was entertaining the whole way through, and I loved getting to see the different groups venture off onto their mini-quests. It was nice to see Percy and Annabeth grappling with new insecurities and persevering through them. The book was a bit long, but honestly it was worth it the whole way through. What a whirlwind!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
As a non-religious queer, this was a really good read!! To see someone interweave their radical takes on theology with their personal identity and experiences as a marginalized person...phew. It was really insightful. It made me feel like I was back in an English class in college which, loser that I am, I loved. There was so much close reading and analysis of an ancient text tied into the present/modern. I adored the way the author found such unique ways of interweaving their own life with the Quran and stories from it, not shying away from the harsh realities of religion. But these harsh realities never made the author turn away from religion, and I thought that was really refreshing. I also liked learning more about the Quran as someone who knew very little about it prior to this read. The only reason I'm not ranking this book higher was because it was a bit of a slow read despite all this, but I don't really think that's a problem; this book doesn't exist because you're eager to know exactly what happens next. I think it's more of an interrogation of identities and histories, and I didn't even really mind the slowness of it for that reason. Wouldn't be surprised if I come back to this one and rank it higher in two weeks lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Lesbophobia
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a sweet read! Good enemies to lovers content. I love Ali Hazelwood's quirky and funny writing style, and this was no exception. Sometimes the main character's people pleasing was laid on a little thick, but we move on. I love a man who is absolutely whipped, so this was a win.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
Only When It's Us by Chloe Liese
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
slow-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
This book was wayyy too long for what it was in my opinion. A lot of the writing felt very cheesy and juvenile honestly, but the characters and their chemistry made up for it. I did generally enjoy reading it up until the end where it just kept going and going. But the characters were strong and the story was compelling. I liked Ryder's deafness playing such a big role in the story and thought that was done very well. Overall it was an okay read and I appreciated the banter, but eventually it felt repetitive (re: terms of endearment they used for each other and plot).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was honestly a bit disappointing for me! There was no overarching conflict, just a handful of micro-conflicts that were easily resolved, which made for a bit of a boring read overall. The characters were quite funny, so props for that. But overall, I was dragging my feet to listen to this audiobook and then I just sped it up a lot and zoomed through it so that I could finish it. I also felt like the dialogue was weird? No one really talks like that and generally people aren't so good at processing their emotions on the spot, so it was a bit not believable for me a lot of the time. But it was definitely funny and lighthearted, so good if you aren't in the mood for conflict.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.0
What a good book! So much adventure and the mystery of the side characters and Percy dealing with memory struggles was great. It dragged sometimes, but generally, I was all in.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
A nice queer graphic novel about romance, friendship, and self love. Very sweet and the artwork was beautiful. Some things felt rushed/unfinished, but overall, a great story with great art!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Do not read this if you value your soul!! Jesus Christ, the last of these stories was so, so sad. I do not know how to move on from the pain. It was sadistic to bring that story into the world, but I guess it was helpful in understanding Celaena and her life :/ Some of the earlier stories are a bit boring and slow for a bit, but they were still good. It was nice to see Celeana before Endovier and before so much of the pain in her life. It was, however, difficult to read that pain as it happened!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Sexism and Slavery
Minor: Sexual assault
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was mid for me and I'm disappointed! I thought this was going to be cool and a cool genre mashup, but instead it just felt underdeveloped in both the fantasy and romance of it all. I didn't feel like I cared much for the characters, and the plot felt dumb. How are you going to fade to black on the fight scene? I'm not even a fight girlie and I was disappointed in that. Either way, this was not that remarkable for me and that was a bit of a bummer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This book had a lot of really great info that you don't usually get in school or culture. I do wish it had a little more science, since I found the metaphors to be a bit much by the end (and hard to keep up with, there were so many!). But overall, I think there's a lot to be said for distilling information about women's sexuality in a digestible and caring way. If you're somewhat interested in sex/sexuality studies, the odds are that you may be familiar with a handful of these topics, but it was nice to have it all laid out and gone into detail.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault