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1.84k reviews by:
caseythereader
- THE MARROW THIEVES is tense and dark, yet full of love for history and tradition, family and found family.
- The book draws explicit comparisons between the marrow factories of the book's world and the residential schools of the past (our world). There is an ongoing theme that this has happened before, and Native people will survive it again, and survive it by holding on to their language and culture (and that they shouldn't have to be in this position, of course).
- Between reading THE MARROW THIEVES and EMPIRE OF WILD this year, Dimaline is a new favorite author for me. She is so great at writing page turners that build off of deep emotional connections.
- The book draws explicit comparisons between the marrow factories of the book's world and the residential schools of the past (our world). There is an ongoing theme that this has happened before, and Native people will survive it again, and survive it by holding on to their language and culture (and that they shouldn't have to be in this position, of course).
- Between reading THE MARROW THIEVES and EMPIRE OF WILD this year, Dimaline is a new favorite author for me. She is so great at writing page turners that build off of deep emotional connections.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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 Quirk Books for the free copy of this book.
- Y'all, this series is just too cute. I love the con setting, and even the fake Starfield franchise sounds so fun I wish it was real.
- THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL is at its heart a love letter to fandom. Though a lot of the plot hinges on the dark side of that world - misogyny, entitlement, over-veneration of nostalgia - it also gets at the joy of falling into another universe, sharing your enthusiasm with others, and the excitement of seeing yourself reflected there.
- It does require a bit of suspension of disbelief to buy that a famous starlet could pull off a Prince and the Pauper scheme in the age of social media, but the story and these characters are so loveable, who cares?
- Y'all, this series is just too cute. I love the con setting, and even the fake Starfield franchise sounds so fun I wish it was real.
- THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL is at its heart a love letter to fandom. Though a lot of the plot hinges on the dark side of that world - misogyny, entitlement, over-veneration of nostalgia - it also gets at the joy of falling into another universe, sharing your enthusiasm with others, and the excitement of seeing yourself reflected there.
- It does require a bit of suspension of disbelief to buy that a famous starlet could pull off a Prince and the Pauper scheme in the age of social media, but the story and these characters are so loveable, who cares?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual harassment
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Thanks to Books Forward PR for the free copy of this book.
- As you may know, one of my all time favorite books is CANTORAS, which is set in Uruguay in the 1970s. I picked up this book to learn more about the real life events depicted in that book, and there was so much to learn.
- The author used a narrative style for much of the book, which not only kept it from being a dry recitation of the historical timeline, but really brought these people - flaws and all - right to the reader.
- It's obviously a tough read, and the descriptions of what happened in the prison are brutal. It was worth it for me for the ruminations on what and who exactly is family when life has been torn apart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to Harlequin for the free advance copy of this book.
- Queer screaming time! I adored this F/F romance between a butch Afrolatina and a curvy Black woman as they fall in love while fake engaged for a reality show. It's deeply queer and deeply lovable. It's laugh out loud funny while also handling some hard emotions.
- This book strikes the perfect balance between electric chemistry and gentle, caring support.
- POSSIBLE SPOILERS: I admit I was a bit nervous about the part of the plot where D'Vaughn is using the show to come out to her family (especially as Colton Underwood's show is under fire for doing just that). But Higgins uses the situation to talk about a coming out experience that is under-discussed: how even when your family is supportive after you come out, the fact that they kept quiet before can be hurtful and damaging in a different way.
- Queer screaming time! I adored this F/F romance between a butch Afrolatina and a curvy Black woman as they fall in love while fake engaged for a reality show. It's deeply queer and deeply lovable. It's laugh out loud funny while also handling some hard emotions.
- This book strikes the perfect balance between electric chemistry and gentle, caring support.
- POSSIBLE SPOILERS: I admit I was a bit nervous about the part of the plot where D'Vaughn is using the show to come out to her family (especially as Colton Underwood's show is under fire for doing just that). But Higgins uses the situation to talk about a coming out experience that is under-discussed: how even when your family is supportive after you come out, the fact that they kept quiet before can be hurtful and damaging in a different way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Yes
- Y'all know I love a Gays In Space book, and A Pale Light In The Black is super queer. Named on the page we have asexual, bisexual, lesbian, gay, nonbinary and trans characters, plus poly and disability rep as well.
- There's a lot going on in this book, with the crew both training for the annual Boarding Games competition between space military branches, their regular missions, and the mystery that's hounding them. It made for a lot to keep track of, and things started off slow with so many people and ranks and relationships to learn. It took about 200 pages to get to the meat of the plot, but toward the end things really picked up.
- The universe Wagers has built is fascinating, and I hope to see both aspects of the setting and some of the secondary characters expanded on in the next book.
- There's a lot going on in this book, with the crew both training for the annual Boarding Games competition between space military branches, their regular missions, and the mystery that's hounding them. It made for a lot to keep track of, and things started off slow with so many people and ranks and relationships to learn. It took about 200 pages to get to the meat of the plot, but toward the end things really picked up.
- The universe Wagers has built is fascinating, and I hope to see both aspects of the setting and some of the secondary characters expanded on in the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- TRAINING SCHOOL FOR NEGRO GIRLS is a collection of stories that range over several decades, each following a Black girl or woman in D.C. who is grappling with respectability politics, gentrification, and simply trying to be who they are in a difficult world.
- This book skewers a lot of life in D.C., but it and the author also hold a deep love for the city, taking us through many neighborhoods and social strata, showing the reader the many sides of life here outside the halls of power.
- I wanted a hundred more stories in this book. So many of them could be developed into whole novels, and at the same time, so many of them were perfect contained tales.
- This book skewers a lot of life in D.C., but it and the author also hold a deep love for the city, taking us through many neighborhoods and social strata, showing the reader the many sides of life here outside the halls of power.
- I wanted a hundred more stories in this book. So many of them could be developed into whole novels, and at the same time, so many of them were perfect contained tales.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug use, Abortion
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Random House for the free copy of this book.
- Let's have some queer screaming about SKYE FALLING! This book is real queer and messy in the best way! Lesbian, bisexual, and trans rep among the main characters, and everyone is out and feels at home with their identities! Love it!
- This book can be pretty heavy, especially when Skye is looking back at her childhood. But it's also super funny, keeping it from becoming a plodding recitation of traumas, as books about messy adults often are.
- It's wonderful to see a book full of queer adults. So often in books - especially non-genre fiction adult novels - you get a queer person surrounded by straight people, or maybe one or two other queer minor characters. But Skye's life is deeply queer, and her community (as small as it is at the start) feels real.
- Let's have some queer screaming about SKYE FALLING! This book is real queer and messy in the best way! Lesbian, bisexual, and trans rep among the main characters, and everyone is out and feels at home with their identities! Love it!
- This book can be pretty heavy, especially when Skye is looking back at her childhood. But it's also super funny, keeping it from becoming a plodding recitation of traumas, as books about messy adults often are.
- It's wonderful to see a book full of queer adults. So often in books - especially non-genre fiction adult novels - you get a queer person surrounded by straight people, or maybe one or two other queer minor characters. But Skye's life is deeply queer, and her community (as small as it is at the start) feels real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Abandonment
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
- BATTLE ROYAL is totally precious. Grumpy/sunshine bakers, with a GBBO-type show, and some royal wedding intrigue, too!
- This is a romance novel that really digs into feelings, both past and present. I love a book where you get to watch the leads learn how to care for and support each other.
- To be honest, I didn't really feel any heat between Sylvie and Dominic, but their relationship was so tender that I was mostly okay with it. I'll still keep reading this series; I for sure want to get stories for Pet and Mabel!
- This is a romance novel that really digs into feelings, both past and present. I love a book where you get to watch the leads learn how to care for and support each other.
- To be honest, I didn't really feel any heat between Sylvie and Dominic, but their relationship was so tender that I was mostly okay with it. I'll still keep reading this series; I for sure want to get stories for Pet and Mabel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail