saint_eleanor's reviews
264 reviews

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was so upsetting lmaooo
Maybe not ‘horror’ persay but definitely horrific. The writing style echoes Kazuo Ishiguro and is really unsettling and like deadpan. 

The story is about like the effects of childhood trauma on development esp in someone who is clearly very neurodivergent and around people who enable their delusions, and creates like “the perfect sh!tstorm”. FOLIE-A-DEUX!!!

I loved this story and the ending was SO insane

I’m curious to know how ‘real’ people think the poppinpopopia stuff was only bc of the way Natsuki was so certain that Piyut was speaking to her. Like i pretty much thought it was all delusions except Piyut talking made me wonder 🤔
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The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher

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emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

This book is so beautiful and intricate and delicate. It definitely pushes you away then pulls you back in, i almost stopped around 40% but I’m glad i didnt. 

It takes place between the bay area, portland, and palestine and follows the life of Elspeth who was born blue, the first half of the book is from when she is a baby. Her aunt tells her all these Palestinian folktales and they get more and more complex and interesting as the story goes on. Its also such a lesbian love story it really tickled my lil heart

Definitely read it!! 
Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns

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adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring 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

4.0

ALL I’m saying is i knew
jolene was the worst
from the start! Super gay, super funny, super lit. 🇱🇰 🏳️‍🌈 
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Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Hell yeah 
We got catboys, we got eldrich horrors beyond the imagination in a river, and we got skinty girls who murder men for fun 
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Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih

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challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I think this book is really thought provoking and raises some really good questions about culture, race & fetishization, and the gender issue. 
As a woman tbh it was kind of hard to read just like the language and the men’s discourse around women just made me sad but that’s pretty much the point of the book. 
Definitely no realistic women in this and no women acting independently of men, but i understand that that’s a literary tool for the message. 
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The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I really like the story but the writing style was too hard for me to follow, even tried audio
All Systems Red by Martha Wells

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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

3.75

Very cute and sweet 
Maybe not my fave plot but  it was super enjoyable and really short so whatever
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

TLDR: read this!!

This was very beautiful to read, its about a Mètis woman whose husband goes missing a year ago and turns up as a famous christian Reverand and no memory of his wife, and she suspects the ‘rogarou’ a sk!nwalker type creature has something to do with it and she teams up w her nephew to get him back.

The ‘romance’ and the family dynamics were so realistic and lovely as well as complicated i thought it was so well written. I put romance in quotes bc its not like sappy hallmark romance but DEEP LOVE FOR HER HUSBAND who she is also pissed at and she like goes into combat mode to get him back even tho they have a complicated history and its dope. 

I took a star off bc i felt the ending to be a tad predictable. 
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Jackal by Erin E. Adams

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This book is great and super exciting and like kind of more of a supernatural  mystery vibes, i really liked the plot and it was so emotional the author is really good at evoking anger and frustration from the reader to sympathize w the characters. I didnt love the end as much but i think thats just bc of the fantasy element at the end.

But i think this book does a really good job of bring attention to the very real issue of missing black and indigenous girls and women using a fictional and supernatural lens.

For more info on the stuff in this book which is Not Fiction you should check these links ;

https://www.blackandmissinginc.com/still-missing-black-women-and-girls-who-havent-come-home-yet/

https://mmiwusa.org/ 
Happiness, Vol. 4 by Shuzo Oshimi

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5.0

So f*ckin scary bro
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