strabbyfieldz's reviews
58 reviews

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

there was a lot of dubious stuff in this one tbh, but the Rampion crew dynamic is really fun I wish there was more of that 
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Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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

3.5

OK so I have to first say that, thanks to Asian reviewers writing on the world-building of Cinder (reviews like this! https://noveltoybox.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/review-cinder-lunar-chronicles-1-by-marissa-meyer-2012/) it's messy and pretty offensively not very accurate esp because Meyer kind of just smushed lots of cultures together. also Levana straight up just being the western beauty standard in her super beautiful form?? no thanks. its not good or okay, obviously. I love and hold a special place in my heart for the characters, I just wish that the world they inhabited was a bit better thought out, instead of an aesthetic coating. 
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Beloved by Toni Morrison

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

the final part of this book filled me up and then emptied me out again, Toni Morrison's style and wielding of chronology is like no others. a really powerful exploration of the trauma that inevitably follows slavery.  
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The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre by John Polidori

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

3.75

some of these stories actually did make me feel a physical impact of shock or just sadness after reading them, and some of these stories were My Hobby- Rather in which a cat tries to eat a corpse and that's it. That's the story. OoOoOoOoo(?)
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The Vampire: A New History by Nick Groom

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challenging funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

so well-researched and broad that it hit on something from every part of my a level course 😳 slightly spooky! if it was a little less repetitive, info-overload-y and better organised in terms of chapters this would be a 5/5 for sure but as it is I recommend any humanities student, let alone literature need read it!! there really is something for everyone here. 
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The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

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

0.5

This book had some really evocative images and ideas, but you can find these ideas in a book that is significantly less socially darwinistic / flat out racist and ableist. 
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悪ノ娘：黄のクロアテュール Aku No Musume: Ki No Kuroatyūru by 悪ノP（mothy）

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.25

mothy can write about magical green onions in one chapter, and a deeply heart-wrenching story of betrayal and duty in another. that's some impressive genre hopping! also no I'm not making bad jokes to avoid acknowledging that this book made me teary, why would that even be a thought that crosses your mind? haha,, ha,,,, ha,,,, 😭
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No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

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challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this book is just experiencing a constant sensation of falling, endlessly, right up until the end when Dazai slaps you in the face. a book that I feared to put down because halting the fall might lead me to return to rationality. its hard to rate, but the experience I had reading it was like very few other books. 
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The Journey to the West, Volume 1 by Wu Ch'eng-En

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

4.75

this volume ends on a cliffhanger 😭 ig its not too much of a cliffhanger cause I'm sure Pilgrim will get out as he always does but the fun is always in the how. 

this is one of the most readable and engaging 16th century texts I've read, even if it has a very dense religious context that I can't say I entirely get. Anthony C Yu is an incredible translator and I have to thank him profusely for working so hard to bring this story in its entirety to non-native speakers in such a comprehensive and enjoyable way. 
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Doctor Who: Winner Takes All by Jacqueline Rayner

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

3.25

Jacqueline Rayner is probs the best dw author out of the ones I've read tbh. Her character voice is great. 

they never did thank mickey :/ 
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