cielosiluminado's Reviews (443)

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Malinda Lo

4.0

emotional hopeful reflective 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

why was i expecting a HEA for a lesbian story set in the 1950s… </3

Heated Rivalry

Rachel Reid

5.0

emotional funny lighthearted 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: Yes

2nd read — 5 stars
06/03/2025 to 06/05/2025
i loved rereading shane and ilya’s story from the beginning again after ~7 months. their story is one that i constantly think about, no matter how much time passes. i love them so much!!!!!

1st read — 5 stars
11/22/2024 to 11/24/2024
i feel the brain rot setting

The Grimrose Girls

Laura Pohl

0.5

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

tldr: crappy rep and disgusting, harmful stereotypes ruined the entire vibe for this book

even though there were like 5 subplots intertwined with the main plot line, i was very bored and nothing made sense. too many povs was exhausting. then magic was thrown into the mix and everyone just accepted it? it was very much “tell but don’t show” and it really felt like the author wanted to meet a diversity quota with her characters because any time she wanted to add more fluff, she kept described them being ‘diverse’… then too many of the characters were insufferable.

the fmcs are each tied to a different fairy-tale curse:
ariane (rip) = the little mermaid
yuki = snow white
ella = cinderella
rory = sleeping beauty
nani = beauty and the beast

can i also say that i am appalled the author made nani, a half-black half-native hawaiian girl be belle from beauty and the beast which makes svenja, her love interest and the only trans girl in the entire book… the beast!!!???!!! what the fuck…!!

Imogen, Obviously

Becky Albertalli

4.0

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: Yes

this was still cute af and the audiobook made the reread so much more entertaining and fun

Carmilla

J. Sheridan Le Fanu

2.5

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

i had no idea this pre-dates dracula but i can definitely see what influenced stoker. this had lots of potential but it wasn’t executed well (it was 1872). still adored the gothic atmosphere though.

“Darling, darling,” she murmured, “I live in you; and you would die for me, I love you so.”

like reading carmilla is crazy because what do you mean there were people in the late 1800s that didn’t get gay vibes from this and the ones who did used it to demonize sapphics... sigh.

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

5.0

it’s even more beautiful on reread <3

Oathbound

Tracy Deonn

5.0

I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHAT TO WRITE AND I STILL CAN’T FOR WORDS 24 HOURS LATER

The Charlie Method

Elle Kennedy

2.0

emotional funny lighthearted 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: Yes

this had so much potential but on principle i can’t rate this higher because what do you mean this was an mfm romance and the men don’t even kiss once or tell each other ‘i love you’!!!! how is this the same author that co-wrote him?! i feel lied to!!!