aztlan's Reviews (238)

Before The Coffee Gets Cold contains four semi-separate stories set in a small basement cafe in Tokyo. This cafe is mostly like any other, except for the fact that people can, in a limited way, travel in time. I thought this was a really interesting premise, especially the time limit on traveling, and I'd heard many good things about this one, so I had high expectations.
I found it a little bit different to get into this book. The first story centred on a girl who didn't really interest me much at all, so I didn't really care about her reasons for travelling back into the past. However, after the first story we started seeing stories from the cafe regulars, which I was more interested in. I really hope that a future book will tell the story of the ghost, though, as I think that's the most interesting story to me

It took me a really long time to read this book. I put it off because the state of the world at the end of the second book was so dire and I couldn't see how it could possibly improve, but I'm glad I eventually picked up the courage to read it. 
I really enjoyed seeing how Shusterman resolved the issues he had built up through the course of this book and the whole series. Although a less than perfect solution, it feels like a truly human solution to the state the world is in, and although the situation is completely different to reality, it felt hopeful for humanities ability to pull through crisis and improve the world again. I also enjoyed the continuation of the existing relationships in the series, in particular that between Rowan and Citra, and Rowan and Scythe Rand. 
Finally, this book introduced potentially my favourite character in the series, Jericho. I thought Jeri was an extraordinarily interesting character, who's gender is fluid and dependent on the weather (male in cloudy skies, female in clear). I really appreciated this choice, and Jeri was also an amusing and sensitive character who contributed in many ways to the novel.
Overall, it was a great conclusion to a masterful series.

I really enjoyed revisiting the staff and community of the Tabletop Tavern in Wisdom Check, the second book in the Dungeons & Dating series. In the previous book, Cal was one of my favourite characters in their little group, and so I was really glad to get to read a book featuring him. I was less familiar with Jules going in, but I quickly came to love him too.
McIntyre is really wonderful at creating characters with depth and personality, and especially showing us how they came to be the person they are. Cal and Jules both have rich histories as you would expect of adult men, and they interact with each other and the world in ways that align with that history. 
I loved seeing the little family Cal and Jules created throughout this novel, and I can't wait to read the next in the series. 

When I first picked up this book, I quickly realised that I had no real idea what had happened in the majority of this series. I followed the main plot, but the plot revolving around the ark and the city minds? No clue. In the previous books it had been possible to dismiss as a subplot, but I quickly realised that sometime between the start of the second book and the start of this one, it had actually become the main plot. Thankfully, the author included a summary of the story so far, so I wasn't too far behind!
Once I actually started getting into it, I found this book a lot easier to follow than the previous ones. The threat was more present than ever before, and I started to feel like I actually understood the world and the mechanics behind it. I liked getting to revisit these characters, especially Thurin and Erris, and although I'd hardly call him likable, I also really enjoyed seeing Theus again. 
This book, and the series as a whole, is one I think I'd need a reread to fully understand, and I also highly recommend reading them in close succession, now that they're all released. I read these with a long gap between each one, and that definitely didn't help me in following the overarching plot. However. it is still a pretty good series, and one I think is worth reading.

My Sister, the Serial Killer follows Korede, a nurse in a Lagos hospital, who also happens to regularly have to help clean up after her sister, Ayoola, murders her boyfriends. When Ayoola starts flirting with Korede's own crush, a doctor at her workplace, Korede has to decide who to protect.
Now, this book was well written, but I felt a bit let down by the description. There was a few funny lines, but I wouldn't have called it 'full of deadpan wit', and it definitely wasn't as thrilling as I was hoping for.
I enjoyed most of this book, watching Korede realise that quiet resentment of her sisters behaviour is not going to be sufficient to protect Tade, and watch her battle with her loyalty and knowledge of how her sister would respond to knowing her feelings. I thought the relationship between the sisters was well developed, but over all this book suffered from how short it was. Aside from the sisters history, there was little development of the characters. There was discussion of

the abuse their father inflicted

but no real discussion of why that was important in their story. 
Additionally, I didn't love the ending. I don't mind that she

chose her sister over Tade

but I do mind that there was no exploration of the repercussions of this. The end felt abrupt, and I would have liked to see a bit further into the future.

Does Ayoola continue killing, and Korede more 'officially' help her? Does Ayoola understand the choice Korede made or does she just continue on, oblivious?

Oh my goodness, this book genuinely has my entire heart. I loved it so much, and what an introduction to audiobooks too. I picked this up on a whim because I wanted to try reading an audiobook, and I absolutely adored it.
The whole cast of characters is absolutely adorable. Linus is a kind hearted and bumbling sweetheart, Arthur is a hopeless romantic with a fierce protective streak, and Zoe is also fiercely protective and so supportive. Every single one of the children is sweet, with troublemakers such as Phee, Talia and especially Lucy, alongside eager Chauncy and Theodore, and shy Sal. I spent most of this book absolutely beaming as this cast was brought to life with unique voices that brought through their personalities. I just love them all.
It was also a nice relaxing read. It was super cosy and didn't feel too stressful, so it was easy to get into and keep going.
Overall, this book is one of my favourite books I've read, and I will definitely be picking up more of Klune's books.

Oh I am scared writing this review. I'd heard so many good things about this book, it was so hyped up for me, and while it was good, it was nothing incredible for me. The glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood didn't make up for the moderately likeable cast of characters. Now, I get that Evelyn is not necessarily meant to be likeable, but I didn't feel much attachment to most of the other characters. Even the ones I did like, like Harry Cameron, I didn't bond to as much as others seemed to. The book was very well written, but it just didn't hit me as hard as I expected.

I think for me, the amount of hype this book received did it no favours. I especially think it was hurt because of how often it was sold as a sapphic love story. While it is true that a sapphic relationship is a key part of the book, it didn't feel like a love story to me. Evelyn and Celia's relationship, while joyful at times, was not one I envied, pressures of Hollywood or no. They were both too hard on each other, and they didn't work to understand the others motivations or compromise. Although this could be chalked up to their lives as Hollywood royalty, it didn't feel like the wonderful love I was expecting.

Finally, I had to question why Taylor Jenkins Reid, a (as far as I can tell) white woman, wrote a book from the POV of not one, but two mixed racial women. Evelyn's Cuban heritage is essentially discarded when she enters Hollywood, and although I understand why, from a white woman in a book that doesn't show Evelyn ever struggling with that identity, it seems like a disingenuous addition. 
Overall, it was a decent book, but did not live up to its hype at all for me.

Maia Kobabe's memoir about eir life growing up and eir discovery of eir queer identities is told through expressive art and poignant words. E tells us about how e was raised by parents who didn't place too much stock in gender norms, and early in eir life e often struggled with how the world tried to restrict em because e was perceived as a girl. E tells us how as e learnt more about queer communities, e also learnt new identities which e tried on until one fit, and how e struggled for a long time to share eir identity with other people.
I had a personal connection to Maia's story. I am also queer, and have not yet settled into my identity. Many of the things e wrote about eir experiences questioning eir sexuality and gender rang true for me, and as such this book was incredibly special to me.
I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to any young queer folk out there who are questioning who they are.

In Cultish, Amanda Montell discusses some of the most common language traits and behaviours present in some of society's most well known cults, and how some of those markers turn up in more benign, everyday settings. She shows us how despite how many of us wonder 'how could anyone possibly follow such deluded people?', these systems are built to draw in even the most rational of people. 
I found this book fascinating. I'd heard of many of the cultish groups Montell explicitly mentions before, but I didn't know much and thought the connections she drew between them were very interesting, and gave a lot of interesting insight into society and human psychology.
However, it was not as linguistically focused as I expected, and instead took more of a sociological perspective. Montell also came across as having a slightly 'better than' attitude, as she often implied that she would never personally be drawn into a cultish organisation herself (despite discussing frequently how factors such as desperation and optimism are a greater predictor for being influenced, rather than poor rationalisation skills).
Overall, I did enjoy this a lot, but it did have a couple of minor complaints.

I absolutely adore Madeline Miller's writing. Something about it I find so calming, even though her books are actually anything but. As such, I really enjoyed reading Circe, it was easy to pick up and easy to keep reading.
I wasn't at all familiar with the story of Circe prior to picking this up, and I really enjoyed hearing a somewhat less often told story from Greek mythology. Circe is the story of a lesser Titan who, although she did not inherit any of her family's godly traits, she does have witchcraft. Exiled to Aiaia, she learns to use her powers and builds herself a life there. 
I really enjoyed seeing her perspective as a god who is shunned for being unlike other gods. I enjoyed watching her grow into her power, both her witchcraft and her power as a woman who stands against the world. Circe was a woman who made choices out of love where possible, but was not weak and did not easily give herself up to others.
Overall, Circe is a powerful story about women choosing their own path, despite the difficulties they may face.