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michaelion's reviews
250 reviews

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

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funny lighthearted mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.5

Extra points because of the family tree in the front!!! I love Ostertag's art style. I can't rate this one too high, not because the story wasn't good or anything, but I think there's room for more with this world.
Now grandma why did you wait so long to speak up? you were just gonna let your grandson suffer forever when you saw this happen before? No parent is without flaw and with age unfortunately it seems they get worse!
Anyway it's very cute and delightful otherwise! Also extra points because this comic has page numbers!
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Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

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emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

WHICH WAY DO I TURN WHEN THE ROAD'S BECOME SO TWISTED?

I read the Mahabharata for a college class and I'm amazed how much I remembered. Even though I read a translation, and I didn't read the Ramayana (yet?), Patel perfectly captures that voice of an epic in her storytelling. It's an equally exciting read and an epic in its own right. It's such an interesting concept / premise: religion + history + men (ancient and modern) and their belief that war and power and conquest is their divine right / destiny, but what about the women in their lives? What about the every day issues that need to be solved? And the idea that a woman's destiny is to suffer to make any significant change... The woman has no free will yet tries to carve her own destiny yet the gods are against her yet it's all apart of their plan yet yet yet! There's just so many layers! I gasped so many times! What a tale!

Rama fell down the cosmic Pewdiepipeline.
Tell me I'm wrong. I dare you. 
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Bitter Root, Vol. 2: Rage & Redemption by Chuck Brown, David F. Walker

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dark reflective 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? Yes

3.5

This one got repetitive. Like they were just saying the same thing when maybe the art alone could've just told the story. I liked the expansion of the world / inclusion of other people groups fighting the same fight. Solidarity Forever!
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Courting Samira by Amal Awad

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funny lighthearted 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

4.75

Honestly not enough courting of Samira to me. Much more cousin's wedding talk. Other minor issues: I thought Samira would be sassy / mean based on the cover photo, she wasn't! She was an absolute sweetheart and problem solver! Boo!!! Also! The book says she's blonde hair blue eyes, but the cover shows her with brown eyes. So I gotta take points away since this is a pro brown eye black or brown hair household!!!

Jokes aside, she just like me fr. I'll be on the lookout for Awad's next book, this was great. It was funny and sweet and very informative about Australian culture. Which was surprising. I know more about diaspora Palestinians & Arabs than I did about Australians before reading this! I love the parallels to classic English romance novels, even if I haven't read them I GET it. Awad is a true talent!
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Zulu Dog by Anton Ferreira

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3.25

This book has a MAP. And a GLOSSARY. 5 stars for that.

Good lesson for kids but not good enough. Like it's a big deal to talk about racism but in the end
the Black family moves on to the property of the white family, the dad and son both shown to be racist.
That's just unrealistic and an unpolished ending. I'm sure the issues of South Africa, which during this time seemed a lot like America in the 70s, or even America now honestly, couldn't be solved
if white people who lived on stolen land were just like "Sure come hang out on MY property and work for me! Forget about ALL of our history and I won't try to atone for any of it!"
BFFR.
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One Hundred and One Poems of Romance by John Keats, Various

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adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

3.75

I always have a good time reading poems that rhyme. A lot of poems don't do this anymore so I find them quite the bore. No complaints for this collection, now off to find another selection!
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P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

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emotional lighthearted tense 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

Amazing wonderful perfect just like the first one except this one gets less points for attempting to make a love triangle. You'll never make me turn again my baby boy Peter! Nice try! It was cute tho! 
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Attack of the Black Rectangles by A.S. King

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense 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

4.75

Immediate Ella Minnow Pea vibes so obviously it was amazing. I love a story for kids that doesn't talk down to them. Like, kids are worthy of respect too even if they don't fully understand what's going on they're still fully capable.
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Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I gotta read more comics by black women. Or at least follow more black female artists. My peoples! This was beautiful! Story's okay/fun.

A joke I'll always make is a parent, a parent of COLOR apologizing for something is so unrealistic... Says more about my life than the book... But sis keeping the Jamaican flag on her at all times? I C O N . That bumped my rating up. 
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

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hopeful lighthearted 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

4.75

I first read this probably in 2016, also in one day, and I feel very feral rereading it. Words, the English language, language in general, cannot express or contain the joy I feel. I want to scream at a pitch only perceptible to dolphins. What a great damn near almost perfect story. It's got everything and then some, and more! Lara Jean, she just like me fr!
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