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saint_eleanor's reviews
264 reviews
House of Cotton by Monica Brashears
challenging
dark
reflective
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
4.75
This was so fucking good
The writing is amazing and the characters feel so real. I loved that the main character’s sexuality/need for sex was maintained throughout the whole book as something that was important to her and not a ‘vice’, which is rare in novels i feel. I hatedthe scenes with cotton tho, bc hes way older i thought?? . A couple plot points were lost on me in the end (the cricket stuff, and the stuff w her dead/unborn baby ?) but ultimately this is a really triumphant book, no gods no masters vibe. Super unique and creative premise and the setting is so realistic it felt like something that really happened.
I also loved her friendship with Cigarette Sammy, i just found her character to be so well written.
The writing is amazing and the characters feel so real. I loved that the main character’s sexuality/need for sex was maintained throughout the whole book as something that was important to her and not a ‘vice’, which is rare in novels i feel. I hated
I also loved her friendship with Cigarette Sammy, i just found her character to be so well written.
“How many goddamn swallowed thoughts can a woman take, before her insides rupture?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Bunny by Mona Awad
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Absolutely. I fear this book was not exactly as mind-blowing as it was hyped up to be (I was promised high disturbance and upsetted-ness and i was not exactly disturbed or horrified), but had I read it without that expectation i would have given it 5⭐️ so thats what I'm giving it. The writing style is, the only way i can put it, delicious. I felt like i was eating a magical creature and sucking on its bones (wAH SORRY!).
Despite being less disturbing than i wanted, the twist at the end still broke my heart into many pieces.
My only other qualm isthat the Bunnies were so easily undone by Max, i wanted them to be more sinister and complex than that, but their revenge was terrifying. Also i am so happy Jonah showed up in the end, he's the best.
Despite being less disturbing than i wanted, the twist at the end still broke my heart into many pieces.
My only other qualm is
The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories by Eric LaRocca
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Yep, every story in here made my skin crawl. Particularly the 'You Shouldn't be Here' , and 'the strange thing we become' , and the title story. I think some of these are set in the same town as "Everything the Darkness Eats" (which i actually didn't really like) in Henley's Edge. But i could be imagining that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Torture
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
This was fun but ultimately very simple. I felt the plot to be very predictable and it seemed like not fleshed out all the way maybe? I also didn’t like that the only indigenous characters were “very stupid” i felt that was lazy, especially considering the time period its set in. Also Wallace’s death was not nearly satisfying enough.
HOWEVER! As a straight up folktale, it was super lovely and sweet. i bet this would be really fun to read out loud, or maybe if i was teenager. Classic defiant girl consorting with monsters story. I kind of wanted them to … kiss…
HOWEVER! As a straight up folktale, it was super lovely and sweet. i bet this would be really fun to read out loud, or maybe if i was teenager. Classic defiant girl consorting with monsters story. I kind of wanted them to … kiss…
Man Tiger by Labodalih Sembiring, Eka Kurniawan
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I just don't know about this one.
if it had been marketed as "sad story that examines a young boy's relationship with his mother and father and the consequences of conditional love and distrust" i would have been more prepared and liked it way better i think.
It's not really about a boy who has the spirit of a tiger at all but about his relationship with his family.
It's told backwards which is cool, hyperlink style where each thing mentioned triggers a backstory and then each thing in that backstory triggers a different one etc on and on. The whole book is centered around one event and then technically nothing happens after that, the rest of the book is just context.
I didn't like how much of the book was centered on the abuse of the mother and her being SA'd, nor that we know next-to-nothing about the tiger. The writing was really good and the ending (which is the beginning) was also really good.
if it had been marketed as "sad story that examines a young boy's relationship with his mother and father and the consequences of conditional love and distrust" i would have been more prepared and liked it way better i think.
It's not really about a boy who has the spirit of a tiger at all but about his relationship with his family.
It's told backwards which is cool, hyperlink style where each thing mentioned triggers a backstory and then each thing in that backstory triggers a different one etc on and on. The whole book is centered around one event and then technically nothing happens after that, the rest of the book is just context.
I didn't like how much of the book was centered on the abuse of the mother and her being SA'd, nor that we know next-to-nothing about the tiger. The writing was really good and the ending (which is the beginning) was also really good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Rape
Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.75
a very beautiful examination of the human condition told over 2 generations.
The story takes place in the possibly unreal village of Primeval and follows a number of different residents through their 'times' as they grow old and die and are born all set during pre/during/post WWII. It has heavy themes of survival and loneliness and like focusing on the small things people cling to when they start to witness their own mortality.
I particularly loved the story of Cornspike & Ruta, and the old woman Florentynka. I also really liked the 'game' which was pretty much just an analysis of faith and god.
I think I liked the first 3/4 of the book way more than the last quarter, possibly because the last quarter was just so bleak. If you liked Lapvona you might like this.
The story takes place in the possibly unreal village of Primeval and follows a number of different residents through their 'times' as they grow old and die and are born all set during pre/during/post WWII. It has heavy themes of survival and loneliness and like focusing on the small things people cling to when they start to witness their own mortality.
I particularly loved the story of Cornspike & Ruta, and the old woman Florentynka. I also really liked the 'game' which was pretty much just an analysis of faith and god.
I think I liked the first 3/4 of the book way more than the last quarter, possibly because the last quarter was just so bleak. If you liked Lapvona you might like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Rape and War
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
challenging
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
This book is so unique, I loved it though it made me cry quite a bit.
Its a novel telling the true story of the kidnapping and killing of a Bedouin-Palestinian girl by Israeli soldiers in Negev 1949. The protagonist discovers this event coincides with her birthday, and wonders about how much this 'minor detail' could have contributed to the 'war' (occupation).
The author was supposed to receive the LiberaturPreis from Germany in 2023 but was denied at the last minute because the judges felt it was "antisemitic" (there is not a single antisemitic word in this book, plus everything in it actually happened).
The protagonist goes on a dangerous excursion near Rafah and Negev just to learn more about it, and sees ghosts in the desert, strange dogs, and camels before she starts to find parallels between her and the girl. Please read!! Its short. 🇵🇸
Its a novel telling the true story of the kidnapping and killing of a Bedouin-Palestinian girl by Israeli soldiers in Negev 1949. The protagonist discovers this event coincides with her birthday, and wonders about how much this 'minor detail' could have contributed to the 'war' (occupation).
The author was supposed to receive the LiberaturPreis from Germany in 2023 but was denied at the last minute because the judges felt it was "antisemitic" (there is not a single antisemitic word in this book, plus everything in it actually happened).
The protagonist goes on a dangerous excursion near Rafah and Negev just to learn more about it, and sees ghosts in the desert, strange dogs, and camels before she starts to find parallels between her and the girl. Please read!! Its short. 🇵🇸
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Murder
Moderate: Rape
The Between by Tananarive Due
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Sooo good
Combo of Ghanaian folklore, donnie darko wormholes, and murder mystery (whose murder????? U wil see 🤓) ; As a story of people facing extreme racism in the U.S. and its horrors
Do we think Hilton died for real and thats his final “good deed” or do we think he lived hence the pin from his daughter
Combo of Ghanaian folklore, donnie darko wormholes, and murder mystery (whose murder????? U wil see 🤓) ; As a story of people facing extreme racism in the U.S. and its horrors
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
The Vine That Ate the South by J. D. Wilkes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
INDRID COLD MENTIONED RAHHHHHHHHHH 🦅🦅🦅💪💪💪