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ambershelf's Reviews (1.3k)
ALC gifted by the publisher
What I liked
-very fast paced
-inspired by Chinese history
-great narration and audio experience
-beautiful cover
What didn’t work
-characters feel a bit one dimensional
-maybe because I already know the history, it feels very predictable? I wish the author took more liberty with the reimagining
-i would consider this light magical realism than fantasy. There’s barely any fantasy
What I liked
-very fast paced
-inspired by Chinese history
-great narration and audio experience
-beautiful cover
What didn’t work
-characters feel a bit one dimensional
-maybe because I already know the history, it feels very predictable? I wish the author took more liberty with the reimagining
-i would consider this light magical realism than fantasy. There’s barely any fantasy
4.75/5 ALC gifted by the publisher
First of all, lots of reviews have spoilers!!!! Watch out when you read them
First of all, lots of reviews have spoilers!!!! Watch out when you read them
3.75/5 ARC gifted by the publisher
I enjoyed this metafiction about the stories we use to reinvent ourselves. Things seem very meandering and meaningless right until the end. Definitely a book that will require lots of patience to decipher the meanings.
Reminds me of PARASOL AGAINST THE AXE a bit with its structure and themes! Perfect for lovers of weird books
I enjoyed this metafiction about the stories we use to reinvent ourselves. Things seem very meandering and meaningless right until the end. Definitely a book that will require lots of patience to decipher the meanings.
Reminds me of PARASOL AGAINST THE AXE a bit with its structure and themes! Perfect for lovers of weird books
Betty Rummani was born with blue skin, a sign her great aunt Nuha believes embodies the Rummanis' sacred history. Decades later, Betty faces the difficult decision of staying in America, the only country she knows as home, or following the woman she loves, perpetuating the family cycle of exile? Betty turns to Aunt Nuha's notebooks for answers and finds so much more.
SKIN is a profound novel about the power of storytelling and the importance of memorializing history. Cypher's writing of disconnection—as a closeted queer individual, being in exile, and losing the connection to one's homeland & familial history, is deeply introspective and powerful.
As one of the most lit fic books I've read, the lyrical prose is an art in itself. Nonetheless, I sometimes lose track of the plot/characters buried within the complex sentences. Coupled with the timeline jumping around and me listening to the audiobook, SKIN is perhaps the best read on paper. For fans of character-driven books with few plots and more vibes, SKIN could be a great experience.
SKIN is a profound novel about the power of storytelling and the importance of memorializing history. Cypher's writing of disconnection—as a closeted queer individual, being in exile, and losing the connection to one's homeland & familial history, is deeply introspective and powerful.
As one of the most lit fic books I've read, the lyrical prose is an art in itself. Nonetheless, I sometimes lose track of the plot/characters buried within the complex sentences. Coupled with the timeline jumping around and me listening to the audiobook, SKIN is perhaps the best read on paper. For fans of character-driven books with few plots and more vibes, SKIN could be a great experience.
Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora
Marcelo Hernández Castillo, Esther Lin, Janine Joseph
4.5/5 gifted by the publisher
As with poetry, i only understood very little. Especially for an anthology, each poet’s styles are so different they don’t always work for me. That said, I love that each poet had an essay accompanying their poetry to talk about how their lives as undocumented individuals have inspired their work, and vice versa. I’d love for all poetry to have this!
As with poetry, i only understood very little. Especially for an anthology, each poet’s styles are so different they don’t always work for me. That said, I love that each poet had an essay accompanying their poetry to talk about how their lives as undocumented individuals have inspired their work, and vice versa. I’d love for all poetry to have this!
Inventive structure set within an 8 hour timeframe where an unfulfilled wife wouldn’t get out of the swimming pool. A very character driven work with rich interior depictions. I’m just not super interested in upper middle class and their marriage issues as a theme