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sophiesometimesreads's reviews
221 reviews
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
It was so wonderful to be back in this world and with Dex and Mosscap. I really loved this duology, it was just cozy and funny and warm.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
I didn't know if this one could best out the last but somehow Talia Hibbert has done it again, and even better than before! Dani and Zafir are wonderful characters, both individually and as a couple, and I loved their growth throughout this story. I was kicking, giggling, screaming through the whole book, I absolutely loved it. The romance denial may have gotten a little old by the end if it wasn't so damn relatable, as someone who has also written off romantic feelings as completely a result of being "besties".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
PLEASE check the trigger/content warnings for this book before reading. CW for war, violence, death, genocide, classism, rape, child death, and animal death.
I'm still unsure what I want to rate this as it made me so uncomfortable and was so dark but I guess that was the point. War isn't supposed to be comfortable, the things people and nations do in war can be horrific and there is often no black and white good guy versus bad guy. I wanted to root for Rin and her friends but by the end I wondered if I really should.
Some scenes or descriptions were so intense that sometimes I wondered if they needed to be, but these things do happen in real life so why should we tone them down in fiction for the comfort of the reader? RF Kuang posed so many deep and thoughtful questions about the nature of conflict, war and genocide in this book and I thought that was good but I don't know if I can really say I enjoyed this book because there wasn't much fun about the content, but I found it interesting and well-written (though I could tell how much her writing has improved between this and her recent work).
I'm still unsure what I want to rate this as it made me so uncomfortable and was so dark but I guess that was the point. War isn't supposed to be comfortable, the things people and nations do in war can be horrific and there is often no black and white good guy versus bad guy. I wanted to root for Rin and her friends but by the end I wondered if I really should.
Some scenes or descriptions were so intense that sometimes I wondered if they needed to be, but these things do happen in real life so why should we tone them down in fiction for the comfort of the reader? RF Kuang posed so many deep and thoughtful questions about the nature of conflict, war and genocide in this book and I thought that was good but I don't know if I can really say I enjoyed this book because there wasn't much fun about the content, but I found it interesting and well-written (though I could tell how much her writing has improved between this and her recent work).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, and War
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Suicide, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Slavery
Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on the U.S.-Israeli War on the Palestinians by Noam Chomsky
informative
slow-paced
This book was dense and took me a loooooong time to read but I did it. I am deciding not to give this a star rating as this is my first non-fiction read on this topic and I believe my knowledge is not enough to warrant that, but I will highlight some of my thoughts.
It had some good insight into Israel's war on Gaza and Palestine as a whole, including highlighting the extent to which the United States has been involved, which was confronting and eye opening.
It was absolutely shocking to read this and realise it was published in 2010, which is fourteen years ago, and have it still feel relevant to what we are observing today.
Some of the chapters, particulalry the one drawn straight from an academic paper, felt a little too complicated for me, with this being my first non-fiction read on the topic after becoming more educated on the extent of what is happening in Palestine recently, and some of it went over my head. In saying this, even though I didn't grasp everything outlined in this book, it was useful in deepening my knowledge and I learned a lot from reading it.
I would recommend others who are new to non-fiction books on this topic start elsewhere and read this once a solid basis on the topic has been formed.
It had some good insight into Israel's war on Gaza and Palestine as a whole, including highlighting the extent to which the United States has been involved, which was confronting and eye opening.
It was absolutely shocking to read this and realise it was published in 2010, which is fourteen years ago, and have it still feel relevant to what we are observing today.
Some of the chapters, particulalry the one drawn straight from an academic paper, felt a little too complicated for me, with this being my first non-fiction read on the topic after becoming more educated on the extent of what is happening in Palestine recently, and some of it went over my head. In saying this, even though I didn't grasp everything outlined in this book, it was useful in deepening my knowledge and I learned a lot from reading it.
I would recommend others who are new to non-fiction books on this topic start elsewhere and read this once a solid basis on the topic has been formed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and War
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
- 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
Though it took me a little to get through this, the storyline was heartbreakingly beautiful and I really enjoyed it. It poses interesting questions about life and how everything is temporary and changing. I think that taking my time and reading this over a week was better, as it allowed me to feel the full force of the story.
I say this a lot with translated fiction, but I wish I knew enough Japanese to read this in the original language, as I believe it would hold even more power. From my little knowledge of the Japanese language, the translation felt very literal, with the translator not taking many liberties in how things were explained (eg translating what I believe would have been the characters calling each other oneechan/oniichan or similar out of respect and admiration to "sis" and "bro", which holds far less weight and connotation in English language and culture). I think this did a little disservice to the storyline itself and took away from some of the emotion the original text may have had, though this is a bit of speculation.
In saying this, the book was wonderful and I am excited to continue with this series.
I say this a lot with translated fiction, but I wish I knew enough Japanese to read this in the original language, as I believe it would hold even more power. From my little knowledge of the Japanese language, the translation felt very literal, with the translator not taking many liberties in how things were explained (eg translating what I believe would have been the characters calling each other oneechan/oniichan or similar out of respect and admiration to "sis" and "bro", which holds far less weight and connotation in English language and culture). I think this did a little disservice to the storyline itself and took away from some of the emotion the original text may have had, though this is a bit of speculation.
In saying this, the book was wonderful and I am excited to continue with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Death and Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent
Welcome to St Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure by Lewis Hancox
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
I really enjoyed this. I loved how Lewis incorporated a mix of humour, emotion and realism throughout the comic to explore the different facets of his journey. The little reflections on how everyone in his life was feeling at the time versus how they feel now were also really sweet, to see that growth and support from those who knew him from a young age. The art style was fun and easy to follow, whilst also providing the necessary detail.
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.75
WHAT DID I JUST READ?!?!
I binged this over two days and now I am NOT OKAY. Everyone read this book right now.
This book was an absolutely wild ride. It was the sort of book that, maybe if I had the desire to put it down and think about it, that I may have seen a few things coming, but I was just so invested and the pace was so quick that I flew through this and was shocked by some of the things that happened at the end!
I don't want to give much away, as it is best to go into this knowing very little about it, I think. I will say that some of the reasons for people being there and doing things were a little weak, but whilst I was reading I didn't even care about that because I was so entertained and engrossed so I've given it a 4.75 stars.
This book may not be for everyone, but it was for me, and Adina will be living rent-free in my mind for a while to come.
I binged this over two days and now I am NOT OKAY. Everyone read this book right now.
This book was an absolutely wild ride. It was the sort of book that, maybe if I had the desire to put it down and think about it, that I may have seen a few things coming, but I was just so invested and the pace was so quick that I flew through this and was shocked by some of the things that happened at the end!
I don't want to give much away, as it is best to go into this knowing very little about it, I think. I will say that some of the reasons for people being there and doing things were a little weak, but whilst I was reading I didn't even care about that because I was so entertained and engrossed so I've given it a 4.75 stars.
This book may not be for everyone, but it was for me, and Adina will be living rent-free in my mind for a while to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Vomit, and Alcohol
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
5.0
5 stars, absolutely loved it, no notes.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
emotional
funny
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
4.5
I really really enjoyed this book! I was kicking and giggling and blushing through a large portion of this book.
I loved how fleshed out both the characters were, and both had backstories and valid reasons for their reactions, which made the conflict far more believable despite the fact that I don't particularly enjoy miscommunication and a third-act break up.
I thought the representation was great and really added depth to the story, though I haven't experienced the things represented in this book so take my review of this with a grain of salt - those who are being represented may have a more valid take on how good the representation actually is.
Talia Hibbert's writing style was fun and quirky and the banter was amazing. I really enjoyed her writing style, but I can see that it may not be for everyone.
The only very slight negative I had was that the MMC gave me a little bit of the ick at the start when he was (in my opinion) oversexualising the FMC when he barely knew her, but I think that's more of a me/personal preference thing.
I am definitely reading the rest of this series!
I loved how fleshed out both the characters were, and both had backstories and valid reasons for their reactions, which made the conflict far more believable despite the fact that I don't particularly enjoy miscommunication and a third-act break up.
I thought the representation was great and really added depth to the story, though I haven't experienced the things represented in this book so take my review of this with a grain of salt - those who are being represented may have a more valid take on how good the representation actually is.
Talia Hibbert's writing style was fun and quirky and the banter was amazing. I really enjoyed her writing style, but I can see that it may not be for everyone.
The only very slight negative I had was that the MMC gave me a little bit of the ick at the start when he was (in my opinion) oversexualising the FMC when he barely knew her, but I think that's more of a me/personal preference thing.
I am definitely reading the rest of this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
A wonderful little collection of letters showing the friendship across oceans forged between people who have never met. It just shows the wonder of correspondence and community with those who share your interests. Though, I felt I would've understood and resonated with this more had I read the pieces of classic literature referenced throughout the text.