obscurepages's reviews
374 reviews

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Okay this was good 🥺 Hilarious and heartwarming all at the same time, and highlighted Chinese culture and traditions so well. 

Have to admit some parts were already a bit predictable (especially if you're a fan of Crazy Rich Asians 😂), some themes could have been explored more, and the romance could have had more to it, but I just enjoyed reading this a lot. I think it's because the writing style and the humor was just excellent. 

Big thanks to Fully Booked PH and Get Underlined for sending over an e-arc my way! (This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.)

Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>

Marking this book as part of reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/de133357-4196-421b-8d50-0445bfec4ec3/">#ReadQueerly2023</a>.

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She Gets the Girl by Alyson Derrick, Rachael Lippincott

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Okay so I had high hopes for this book, and although I enjoyed it, it felt like something was missing for most part of the story 😅 

Like I liked the writing style, and I loved the rep, I loved the two MC's own individual character arcs. But the two of them together? The romance? The chemistry? I wasn't that convinced 😭 I mean up until 60-70%, I didn't love them as much as I imagined, and their chemistry was lacking (altho I did swoon in a few lines/scenes back there). I guess I wanted more?

Still a solid read tho. I definitely stayed for the character arcs and back stories 😆

Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>

Marking this book as part of reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/de133357-4196-421b-8d50-0445bfec4ec3/">#ReadQueerly2023</a>.

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Forward March by Skye Quinlan

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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? No

5.0

TOP TIER 😭😭

Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>

Marking this book as part of reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/de133357-4196-421b-8d50-0445bfec4ec3/">#ReadQueerly2023</a>.

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Only on the Weekends by Dean Atta

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challenging funny reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Well this was certainly entertaining at best. But unlike The Black Flamingo, I did not got invested unfortunately 🤧

I loved the themes of gender and identity in this story, as well as friendship. But as for the romance, it's a no for me 😅 I can also appreciate that Mack is a messy character (YA characters are allowed to be messy and learn from it ofc). But this whole thing overall just did not work for me. 

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Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

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emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

 Not even 30 minutes into this book and I already felt like crying because of how I could relate to this book and the author's thoughts 😭 Not everything, no. But I see parts of me so clearly every time I flip the page.

Figuring out your gender and sexuality is confusing and exciting and comforting and messy. It's all those things all at once. And the journey's not a simple and fast one too. It's a constant learning process. This book shows that so perfectly well. I am so glad I read this book 🥹

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Marking this book as part of reading challenge: #ReadQueerly2023
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

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

5.0

 Okay? I loved this?? Fall of the House Usher retelling, fungal horror, and trans/nonbinary MC??? Perfection.

CW: body horror, graphic violence, fatal injuries, injuries due to war, PTSD, amputation, animal death, mild transphobia

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Marking this book as part of reading challenge: #ReadQueerly2023

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Kites in the Night by Blaise Campo Gacoscos

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challenging reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 This book is a good glimpse into the life of a Filipino/Ilocano, from childhood to adulthood–navigating through young love, family conflicts, sexuality, friendship.

I do wish there could have been more? Like I wanted to see and feel more emotion. I also felt like it would have been good to see the story to expand more on discovering sexuality, and family themes and conflicts (specifically, the estranged father/brother). I do get that this is the author's writing style though, and of course, considering this is literary fiction, it definitely focused more on the character and his experiences.

Overall, Kites in the Night is a solid read.

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Marking this book as part of reading challenge: #ReadQueerly2023

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Into the Light by Mark Oshiro

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 Goosebumps. Goosebumps all over. This book is a dark and haunting journey into light of a boy broken and betrayed by the very people who claim they give love and healing. This speaks so much of what queer trans people (especially QTPOC) go through in real life, and how dangerous/destructive others' religious bigotry and dogma can be. I think I'm going to need a few days to process all of this tbh.

Also, I have to commend Mark Oshiro once again. If there's one thing they can do, it's to pull you in with masterful storytelling and riveting perspectives. This book did just that and more.

Full review on my blog soon.

CW: religious bigotry, religious abuse, conversion therapy camps, techniques and forms of conversion therapy, parental abuse (especially from adoptive parents), predatory adults, mentions of sexual assault/harassment, homophobia 

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The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 The minute I found out about this book, I wanted it. A pirate fantasy starring a transmasc nonbinary teen who seeks revenge?! It reminded me immediately of Our Flag Means Death! To make matters even more exciting, I also found out that Vico Ortiz, the amazing actor who plays the nonbinary pirate in OFMD, is going to narrate the audiobook. Since OFMD is my current obsession, I took this as a clear sign that I was meant to read this book. And I did. and I loved it!

The Wicked Bargain has everything for me. Good characters, good plot/plot twists, good writing, representation among the characters, intriguing world-building/magic. It’s hard for me not to like this book, especially when I was hooked right from the start.

The writing style here is good, easy to follow. And yet, there’s a subtlety to it that adds to the mystery and the twists in the plot. I also appreciate how it pulls us back from Mar’s perspective and gives us some sort of flashback that is crucial to Mar’s story.

Speaking of Mar, the characters are amazing in this book. They definitely made this story so unique and exciting on its own. Mar is a compelling main character. You can see their grief and doubt, especially at the start of the story. It was nice to see them grow and accept their identity as the story went on. And of course, I loved the genderfluid demon, Dami. I love how confident they are in their skin and how they command the reader’s attention whenever they’re on the page. And Bas, I adored Bas. However, I wanted more of his characterization, maybe to dive a little deeper into his wants and aspirations.

As for the romance, I kind of expected more? But at the same time, I liked the softness and innocence of Bas and Mar’s relationship. They banter around, Bas annoys Mar sometimes, Mar remains unimpressed most of the time. They’re just funny and lovely together. I feel like I wanted to see more of that, more of their little moments together as well as pivotal moments in their relationship.

When it comes to the plot and the world-building, I loved the blend of magical elements and historical inspirations. On one hand you have Mar’s magia and El Diablo and the myth of the forbidden magic. But also, you get to see elements pulled from real life, like Latinx people resisting and fighting the Spanish colonization, and Carribean pirates and their life on the seas.

Though the plot seemed simple, you were easily pulled in and hooked into the story. Suddenly, you find yourself following Mar and the rest of these pirates into raids and shore leaves, demon deals, and bar fights. You’ll want to know what will happen next—if Mar will get the revenge they’re looking for, and if they will finally learn to wield their power. The story just gets better and better as you flip the page.

Overall, this book was a wonderful read, and it surely did not disappoint. And now, I want more stories from this world. 

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Always the Almost by Edward Underhill

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? No

4.0

The rumors are true. This was a wonderful read! I loved Miles and his journey. I loved getting to know him as a pianist, and a queer trans kid who just wants to find himself and his joy.

Also, this is a certified cozy read!