literaryelephant's reviews
1060 reviews

Anna K by Jenny Lee

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emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was my first Anna Karenina retelling, and it was a lot of fun rediscovering those characters in a modern setting and seeing how their traits and predicaments translate onto supperrich Manhattan teens. It's over-the-top ridiculous in a way that makes it feel more campy than the obvious Gossip Girl comparison, but Lee commits to the bit in a way that keeps the story rolling. 

Two downsides, imo: 1) I can't really imagine this holding up without the classic it leans on; doing a mental compare/contrast with Anna Karenina was 90% of the draw for me here and I would not recommend picking it up without first reading the original. And 2) these characters are incredibly shallow in a way that's not fully explored within the text. We've got teens giving Pre-Emptive Guilt Gifts and getting nose jobs and ranking girls on a Hot List; men are forgiven for cheating and general promiscuity while women are condemned. There's *some* self-reflection and challenging of unfairness here (Anna in particular is a stronger and more sympathetic character) but those moments are few and far between compared to the general glamour and excess coating every page. The presentation without commentary feels like a missed opportunity, and in a book marketed as YA it's a little worrying to me that there seems to be plenty of room for taking any of the sexist/elitist/self-destructive details at face value. 

But I see Lee has a sequel coming up, and I suspect the need to go off-script there will push the story in some new, more interesting directions. Oh, and a warning: despite the smiling girl on the cover and the "A Love Story" tag under the title, this is still a tragedy, not a cute romance. The jacket had me fooled, but the classic ending is... not entirely eliminated. 
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Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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

SO GOOD. There were a few rookie maneuvers in the writing (especially in regards to characterization and info dumping), but even so I thought this was an incredibly strong debut and I expect Deonn's work will just keep getting more impressive with subsequent publications. This is the only Arthurian retelling that actually managed to interest me in Arthur's character (he's usually so BORING, isn't he?) and a rare YA that I wholeheartedly enjoyed as an adult rather than spending the read thinking about how much more I would've liked it 10 years ago. The themes are mature, the commentary is on point, the plot is fresh, and I cannot wait for the sequel! 
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The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was such a sad and beautiful read packed with nuance on the traumas inflicted by slavery in the southern US (circa 1830s), particularly in regards to Black LGBTQ+ experiences. The structure of the novel is modeled on that of the bible, which fits the theme; it is Christianity that is essentially weaponized against our main characters. I thought the setup was clever and enjoyed getting a new perspective with almost every chapter, but I also found it episodic in a way that made it easy to put the book down at any point and harder to pick it up and get back into the flow of the overall story. Nevertheless, a brilliant and heartbreaking book.
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One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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? Yes

4.0

There's a lot to appreciate about this one, not least of all the exploration of fatphobia and body positivity in the media and beyond, but it did not sell me on reality dating shows. That's on me, I knew going in that this book is styled on The Bachelorette, and I decided to take a chance on a premise that didn't quite fit my taste in hopes of some great characterization, and that at least I did get. It's also a lot of fun guessing who'll be kicked off the show at which point, and seeing a glimpse of the fandom that brings so many people together is a glorious thing to behold. I had some issues with the ethics of reality dating shows in general and the romance tropes involved here just don't fit my personal preferences, but I was aware of the premise beforehand and had a great time reading even if the setup wasn't quite a perfect fit for me. 
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Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir by Lacy Crawford

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A haunting #MeToo account of a woman denied both immediate aid and eventual justice when her school chose to cover up her assault to protect its own reputation. Crawford's memoir is beautifully written, opening new avenues of conversation by digging into (US) boarding school culture and examining terminology around cases of trauma. Some pieces of the story may seem infuriatingly familiar, but Crawford's thoroughness and willingness to look at the night of her assault as only a small piece in a much bigger story makes this one well worth the read.
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The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I was under the impression that this book would be a fast-paced, plotty sci-fi, perhaps even a sci-fi thriller, but instead found it to be fairly slow and introspective. Part of what makes it drag is the writer's tendency to overexplain, pausing each scene to tell the reader outright what each gesture, expression, and comment means, leaving nothing for the reader to decipher or interpret. The careful detailing of minutiae makes it easy to see which direction the book is going at almost every turn, before it gets there. 

I agreed with/appreciated the feminist commentary but didn't feel it pushed any boundaries- that some women desire to reproduce, others do not, and both choices are valid is not new to me, nor is the narrative of a man taking advantage of a smart/successful woman in a quest to secure his own power both personally and professionally, though they're nice points to see made in mainstream lit. 
Ultimately this story just wasn't quite as punchy and innovative as I expected, though I did enjoy the focus on morality, on personality, on what differentiates a human from a highly successful clone. Gailey also weaves in some very specific and believable scientific details, which adds a sense of authenticity and makes for a more engaging read. 

I'd recommend this one to readers curious about the human condition who like close attention to detail and no questions left unanswered.

Thanks very much to Netgalley (and Tor) for the eARC! All of my thoughts and reactions stem from the advance edition of this book. 
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Outlawed by Anna North

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective tense 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

There were a couple of things I would've liked this book to do/address that it didn't, and some of the info conveyance felt a little clumsy- the narrator asking nosy personal questions and the others just... telling her whatever she wanted to know. But even so, this was an absolute delight to read, heavy without taking itself too seriously, full of twists, and just such a fun world and cast to spend time with. I wanted it never to end, so I'm rounding my rating up for now! 
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Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

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adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Inventive, fun, and enticingly critical, this is a spoof on Hollywood filmography and a commentary on life in Chinatown, simultaneously a refuge and a trap of its own. The book examines anti-Asian racism in the US through the internal struggle of a Generic Asian Man striving to be Kung Fu Guy, along the way realizing that the success story imposed on him by white society is perhaps not the victory it purports to be. It's a quick, meta read that plays with form in exciting ways, and I loved every minute of it.
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Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This is a great crime novel with a bit of mystery and a heavy focus on the complexity of being part of a Native community in modern USA. What it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in heart, providing through strong characterization both a thought-provoking and entertaining read. Highly recommend to crime novel fans, and especially to those new to Indigenous work, whom I think will find this an easy and engaging introduction to commentary on Native (specifically Lakota) life.
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One by One by Ruth Ware

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Not Ware's best; the mystery is a little too convenient in places and some of the possible explanations believed or ignored felt like a stretch. I also found the killer's characterization immediately suspicious and was certain about their identity less than 100 pages in, but it's to Ware's credit that I was drawn in by the book's tension and completely entertained watching events unfold anyway. And the atmosphere, as usual, is wonderful. This wasn't a standout for me, but for a bit of weekend enjoyment it did the job just fine.