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ambershelf's Reviews (1.3k)
finished copy gifted by the publisher
Set in Cameroon, a country where same-sex relationships are punishable by law, the odds are stacked against Bessem and Fatima from the start. All hell breaks loose when Fati's brother discovers their affair. 13 years later, Bessem finally embarks on a journey to find her lost love.
With lyrical prose, Xaviere explores the gut-wrenching climate when being gay is illegal while rampant violence and bribery aren't. TEARS is written from Bessem's POV to Fati in letters, and the 2nd person could create a bit of distance. But it works well in this context due to the heavy topic.
TEARS is an extremely realistic yet heartbreaking read. I finished the book feeling hopeless, aching for all the queer people forced into hiding, and raging that we can't let love be. For fans of THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI (Akwaeke Emezi), don't miss this powerful debut that will make you sob.
Set in Cameroon, a country where same-sex relationships are punishable by law, the odds are stacked against Bessem and Fatima from the start. All hell breaks loose when Fati's brother discovers their affair. 13 years later, Bessem finally embarks on a journey to find her lost love.
With lyrical prose, Xaviere explores the gut-wrenching climate when being gay is illegal while rampant violence and bribery aren't. TEARS is written from Bessem's POV to Fati in letters, and the 2nd person could create a bit of distance. But it works well in this context due to the heavy topic.
TEARS is an extremely realistic yet heartbreaking read. I finished the book feeling hopeless, aching for all the queer people forced into hiding, and raging that we can't let love be. For fans of THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI (Akwaeke Emezi), don't miss this powerful debut that will make you sob.
eARC gifted by netgalley
Following 3 timelines across millennia, an emperor & his courtier, a lonely innkeeper & his mysterious visitor, and a college student & a beautiful artist, ENDLESS explores the meaning of soulmates and the time-transcendent nature of all-consuming love.
ENDLESS is an entertaining read with a slower start. Due to the alternating timelines, the first half is mostly world/character-building, while the last half picks up speed and moves quickly. I wasn't sure where the story was going, but I was on the edge of my seat towards the end.
The twists completely surprised me, and I had a lot of fun reading ENDLESS. While the blurb made it sound serious, there are plenty of LOL moments. At times, I feel the emotions between the various MMCs are sacrificed for drug & sex scenes. For those looking for a fun time with unexpected twists, ENDLESS will surely deliver!
Following 3 timelines across millennia, an emperor & his courtier, a lonely innkeeper & his mysterious visitor, and a college student & a beautiful artist, ENDLESS explores the meaning of soulmates and the time-transcendent nature of all-consuming love.
ENDLESS is an entertaining read with a slower start. Due to the alternating timelines, the first half is mostly world/character-building, while the last half picks up speed and moves quickly. I wasn't sure where the story was going, but I was on the edge of my seat towards the end.
The twists completely surprised me, and I had a lot of fun reading ENDLESS. While the blurb made it sound serious, there are plenty of LOL moments. At times, I feel the emotions between the various MMCs are sacrificed for drug & sex scenes. For those looking for a fun time with unexpected twists, ENDLESS will surely deliver!
ARC gifted by the publisher
A young lawyer wakes up the morning after a work gala with no memory of how she got home the previous night and must figure out what happened—and how much she's willing to sacrifice to climb the corporate ladder.
JADED is a strong debut that explores racism and sexism in white-dominant spaces as a half-Korean, half-Turkish first-gen immigrant. Lee discusses essential issues of sexual assault, DEI programs, power imbalance when WOC date rich white guys, and assimilation at the cost of one's mental health.
Following a cookie-cutter template of Asian women navigating whiteness in their early 20s, JADED can be a bit heavy-handed with stereotypes; one's enjoyment of the book largely depends on whether you've read something similar. I recommend JADED for those who are new to reading books by BIPOC women.
A young lawyer wakes up the morning after a work gala with no memory of how she got home the previous night and must figure out what happened—and how much she's willing to sacrifice to climb the corporate ladder.
JADED is a strong debut that explores racism and sexism in white-dominant spaces as a half-Korean, half-Turkish first-gen immigrant. Lee discusses essential issues of sexual assault, DEI programs, power imbalance when WOC date rich white guys, and assimilation at the cost of one's mental health.
Following a cookie-cutter template of Asian women navigating whiteness in their early 20s, JADED can be a bit heavy-handed with stereotypes; one's enjoyment of the book largely depends on whether you've read something similar. I recommend JADED for those who are new to reading books by BIPOC women.
Gifted by the publishers. 3.5/5
What I liked
- the historical setting of the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn and the 1972 protests on the Pine Ridge Reservation
- 2/3 of the POVs are from the Indigenous women across 100 years and how similar/different their struggles are as Natives
- the emphasis on their connection to their ancestral homeland and nature
- I really appreciate that the author doesn’t hand hold the readers & give too much historical background—most readers will likely have to google to get a full picture of the historical backdrop (this can be a negative for some readers)
What didn’t work
- there’s one POV written from the white colonizer’s perspective that I think could’ve been excluded completely to make room for the other two more interesting & important narratives
- lack of distinction between the three POVs. In the beginning I had to guess which perspective it is. I’m not sure if the author meant it as a way to show how similar the hurt and trauma of land dispossession manifests even after 100 years. But I think having chapter titles of the narrators & time would’ve been helpful
- the writing is more telling at times, and I feel the narrative is somewhat distant. I would’ve liked to see more “rage” especially given the title & themes
What I liked
- the historical setting of the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn and the 1972 protests on the Pine Ridge Reservation
- 2/3 of the POVs are from the Indigenous women across 100 years and how similar/different their struggles are as Natives
- the emphasis on their connection to their ancestral homeland and nature
- I really appreciate that the author doesn’t hand hold the readers & give too much historical background—most readers will likely have to google to get a full picture of the historical backdrop (this can be a negative for some readers)
What didn’t work
- there’s one POV written from the white colonizer’s perspective that I think could’ve been excluded completely to make room for the other two more interesting & important narratives
- lack of distinction between the three POVs. In the beginning I had to guess which perspective it is. I’m not sure if the author meant it as a way to show how similar the hurt and trauma of land dispossession manifests even after 100 years. But I think having chapter titles of the narrators & time would’ve been helpful
- the writing is more telling at times, and I feel the narrative is somewhat distant. I would’ve liked to see more “rage” especially given the title & themes
Read in Mandarin. IB 2025?!
Very abstract with lots of metaphors that I’m sure I didn’t fully get. I loved how the writing intertwines the past and present—at times I couldn’t tell them apart. And perhaps that’s the message, that what ever happened in the past still lives in us, that we can never forget history, that we shouldn’t look away.
This story is about the 1948 Jeju uprising, where the South Korean government (with support from the US government) massacred 30k (~10% of the population) “suspected communists”. Some historians describe this event as a genocide.
Very abstract with lots of metaphors that I’m sure I didn’t fully get. I loved how the writing intertwines the past and present—at times I couldn’t tell them apart. And perhaps that’s the message, that what ever happened in the past still lives in us, that we can never forget history, that we shouldn’t look away.
This story is about the 1948 Jeju uprising, where the South Korean government (with support from the US government) massacred 30k (~10% of the population) “suspected communists”. Some historians describe this event as a genocide.
Twenty-nine is a milestone year of transformation. In this collection, Alyan traverses memories of family members, past lovers, another land, and a foreign language to examine the tolls that displacement takes on the body and mind.
Alyan's poems are often more abstract, and I suspect more seasoned poetry readers might get more from this collection. Nonetheless, my favorites include
• The Honest Wife: "I lied and said I loved Philadelphia, but really I just loved the idea of a place so old it only knew how to tell the truth"
• Aleppo: "In the city bombs peck the streets into a braille that we pretend we cannot read. A treat full of / :: girl bodies / :: mattresses / :: cooked hearts"
Alyan's poems are often more abstract, and I suspect more seasoned poetry readers might get more from this collection. Nonetheless, my favorites include
• The Honest Wife: "I lied and said I loved Philadelphia, but really I just loved the idea of a place so old it only knew how to tell the truth"
• Aleppo: "In the city bombs peck the streets into a braille that we pretend we cannot read. A treat full of / :: girl bodies / :: mattresses / :: cooked hearts"
In this searing collection, El-Kurd doesn't shy away from exposing the extreme violence he's witnessed in Sheikh Jarrah, an infamous neighborhood in Jerusalem facing increasing settler violence.
El-Kurd dedicates this collection to his grandma, Rifqa, who embodies steadfast resilience even in the face of displacement and threats of imprisonment. In the author's notes, he writes, "I learned that poetry is planting a bomb in a garden—a masquerade. Language is not free." Every poem hits hard, but my absolute favorites are 1948/1998 and Martyrs.
I also loved Aja Monet's foreword, in which she wrote, "May we see ourselves in these poems and steward their truths. The freest people on earth are not controlled by hatred or fear but moved by love and truth. We are more than what was done to us; we are who we've become in spite of it all." I've never cried so fast reading forewords.
El-Kurd dedicates this collection to his grandma, Rifqa, who embodies steadfast resilience even in the face of displacement and threats of imprisonment. In the author's notes, he writes, "I learned that poetry is planting a bomb in a garden—a masquerade. Language is not free." Every poem hits hard, but my absolute favorites are 1948/1998 and Martyrs.
I also loved Aja Monet's foreword, in which she wrote, "May we see ourselves in these poems and steward their truths. The freest people on earth are not controlled by hatred or fear but moved by love and truth. We are more than what was done to us; we are who we've become in spite of it all." I've never cried so fast reading forewords.