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1.84k reviews by:
caseythereader
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Orbit Books for the free copy of this book.
- Y'all, I loved THE CITY OF DUSK! I was nervous because it's been awhile since I've read a 500+ page fantasy novel and my concentration has been shot recently, but I could not put it down.
- The world of this book is quite complex, and only keeps gaining layers as the heirs learn more about themselves, history is uncovered, people are double crossed, and more, so do know that going in.
- Each of the heirs was messy and headstrong in their own ways, and I loved and rooted for them all, even when they were at odds with each other.
- This is also a lowkey queernorm world. Everyone was at least a little queer, but it doesn't matter to anyone and it's great.
- All that said, I do think this will probably be a divisive book, given that it's so long and complicated, possibly a bit overstuffed, and yes, some plot developments do get confusing at times. I'm all in, though.
- Y'all, I loved THE CITY OF DUSK! I was nervous because it's been awhile since I've read a 500+ page fantasy novel and my concentration has been shot recently, but I could not put it down.
- The world of this book is quite complex, and only keeps gaining layers as the heirs learn more about themselves, history is uncovered, people are double crossed, and more, so do know that going in.
- Each of the heirs was messy and headstrong in their own ways, and I loved and rooted for them all, even when they were at odds with each other.
- This is also a lowkey queernorm world. Everyone was at least a little queer, but it doesn't matter to anyone and it's great.
- All that said, I do think this will probably be a divisive book, given that it's so long and complicated, possibly a bit overstuffed, and yes, some plot developments do get confusing at times. I'm all in, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
Thanks to Harper Perennial for the free copy of this book.
- WHAT WHITE PEOPLE CAN DO NEXT isn't so much an instruction manual, but a reframing of the situation we are in today in regards to racial justice and allyship.
- Dabiri urges us to look at the larger historical context and work on dismantling our embedded worldviews - things like a capitalist mindset, the idea that race has always existed, etc. - and work from there instead of getting caught up in things like online cancel culture and policing language.
- I think this book makes a good companion to adrienne maree brown's WE WILL NOT CANCEL US. Both are pieces of an in-progress conversation, and both encourage us to tear the whole thing down rather than try to make incremental change from the inside.
- WHAT WHITE PEOPLE CAN DO NEXT isn't so much an instruction manual, but a reframing of the situation we are in today in regards to racial justice and allyship.
- Dabiri urges us to look at the larger historical context and work on dismantling our embedded worldviews - things like a capitalist mindset, the idea that race has always existed, etc. - and work from there instead of getting caught up in things like online cancel culture and policing language.
- I think this book makes a good companion to adrienne maree brown's WE WILL NOT CANCEL US. Both are pieces of an in-progress conversation, and both encourage us to tear the whole thing down rather than try to make incremental change from the inside.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Torture
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to FSG Books for the free copy of this book.
- ONE FOR ALL is a gender bent Three Musketeers retelling, with swashbuckling girls, fancy parties and mysterious machinations.
- Tania's chronic illness is central to her life, and I loved that this wasn't a story about "fixing" her, but learning how to both manage it herself and ask for help when she needs it.
- ONE FOR ALL is a gender bent Three Musketeers retelling, with swashbuckling girls, fancy parties and mysterious machinations.
- Tania's chronic illness is central to her life, and I loved that this wasn't a story about "fixing" her, but learning how to both manage it herself and ask for help when she needs it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Tor Books for the free copy of this book.
- THE ATLAS SIX shouldn't work, but it does. Does it? It does. I liked it. I was sometimes bored? But I kept going? Yeah, I have no idea how I feel about this book.
- It's definitely very clever and keeps you hooked, unspooling plot twists and major actions slowly, between all the long conversations about the nature of time and whatnot.
- I think my main reaction is that this is what THE MAGICIANS should have been.
- Also, that Parisa realllllly verges on the trope of the insatiable bisexual (yet also unclear if she's actually queer or just slept with some women for power reasons? Why is this book hailed as full of queer characters?), though the reasons why she is who she is are laid out in the text, it still felt weird.
- I dunno, I'll probably read the sequel? Have you read this? Tell me what you think.
- THE ATLAS SIX shouldn't work, but it does. Does it? It does. I liked it. I was sometimes bored? But I kept going? Yeah, I have no idea how I feel about this book.
- It's definitely very clever and keeps you hooked, unspooling plot twists and major actions slowly, between all the long conversations about the nature of time and whatnot.
- I think my main reaction is that this is what THE MAGICIANS should have been.
- Also, that Parisa realllllly verges on the trope of the insatiable bisexual (yet also unclear if she's actually queer or just slept with some women for power reasons? Why is this book hailed as full of queer characters?), though the reasons why she is who she is are laid out in the text, it still felt weird.
- I dunno, I'll probably read the sequel? Have you read this? Tell me what you think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
No
Thanks to Avon for the free copy of this book.
- I love how Beverly Jenkins' books are so rich in historical detail, really rooting the reader in the places in the novels.
- Valinda and Drake are a wonderful, fiery pair who make for a great, slow burning love story built not just from attraction but respect for each other.
- I love how Beverly Jenkins' books are so rich in historical detail, really rooting the reader in the places in the novels.
- Valinda and Drake are a wonderful, fiery pair who make for a great, slow burning love story built not just from attraction but respect for each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Homophobia, Slavery, War
An interesting and beautiful world, but unfortunately a ton of information that isn’t really explained and many characters who don’t have very distinct personalities, making it hard to keep track of everyone.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Honestly, who gave John Green the right? Who let him make me experience the fullness of the human condition via audiobook?
- So many essays in this book had me thinking, oh this will be silly. Rating the Disney Hall of Presidents? This will be a laugh. Yes, but then he'll take a roundabout through a seemingly unrelated anecdote and suddenly you're crying while commuting to work.
- I do think a lot of the power of this book comes from the fact that Green wrote much of it during the early stages of the pandemic, and he frequently references that in the text. But it also adds more layers to the essays, helping to bring our current moment into the context of the whole of human history (whether or not that makes you feel better about the state of things...I'm not sure).
- I do recommend the audiobook for this, as Green puts so much emotion into his reading. Plus, you must hear the call of the extinct bird included in one of the essays. I hear the print version has additional notes, though, so I'll be checking that out as well.
- So many essays in this book had me thinking, oh this will be silly. Rating the Disney Hall of Presidents? This will be a laugh. Yes, but then he'll take a roundabout through a seemingly unrelated anecdote and suddenly you're crying while commuting to work.
- I do think a lot of the power of this book comes from the fact that Green wrote much of it during the early stages of the pandemic, and he frequently references that in the text. But it also adds more layers to the essays, helping to bring our current moment into the context of the whole of human history (whether or not that makes you feel better about the state of things...I'm not sure).
- I do recommend the audiobook for this, as Green puts so much emotion into his reading. Plus, you must hear the call of the extinct bird included in one of the essays. I hear the print version has additional notes, though, so I'll be checking that out as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
- LOVE AFTER THE END is a short collection of stories that really pack a punch into under 200 pages.
- Some stories are set in futures that are terrifyingly easy to envision from our current moment, and some feel beyond any possibility; it's a great mix of visions.
- A theme running through these stories is the fact that Indigenous people have survived the apocalypse before, so they can do so again, in whatever form that takes. This theme is present in many Indigenous-authored books, but the stories here center queer people in a way many other books don't, and how their specific histories and circumstances shape their reactions and actions in each of these futures.
- Some stories are set in futures that are terrifyingly easy to envision from our current moment, and some feel beyond any possibility; it's a great mix of visions.
- A theme running through these stories is the fact that Indigenous people have survived the apocalypse before, so they can do so again, in whatever form that takes. This theme is present in many Indigenous-authored books, but the stories here center queer people in a way many other books don't, and how their specific histories and circumstances shape their reactions and actions in each of these futures.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- I'm not sure if there's anything I can add to the discussion of HOW THE WORD IS PASSED, other than to concur with everyone that yes, this book is as vital and as good as everyone says it is.
- I learned a lot from this book: even if you're read a lot of history and antiracist literature, there's still more to excavate, and Smith brings it all up.
- Smith's inclusion of his personal experiences while visiting the sites in this book keep it from becoming a dry historical text. It does exactly what the sites are trying to do: bring the past into the present because it has never left us, as much as many of us try to pretend it has.
- I learned a lot from this book: even if you're read a lot of history and antiracist literature, there's still more to excavate, and Smith brings it all up.
- Smith's inclusion of his personal experiences while visiting the sites in this book keep it from becoming a dry historical text. It does exactly what the sites are trying to do: bring the past into the present because it has never left us, as much as many of us try to pretend it has.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail