claudcloud's Reviews (310)

I think I'll be spending the rest of my life trying to understand what the hell I just finished reading - in the best possible way.

I had my gripes with this book, but the thrilling atmosphere, lush writing and compelling, although deeply, deeply fucked-up characters spoke to my very soul! Couple that with the fact that I've loved Shakespeare for years (though I won't pretend to be as well-versed in the Bard's work as these fellows are), and this was the perfect start to autumn for me 👏🏻

Please come yell at me about it once you read the final line. I have SO many thoughts swimming around in my little head!

Beautiful, beautiful writing, that shines when coupled with the atmosphere of Gatsby and the 1920s and renders it all the more vivid than the original, while still paying tribute to its themes and critiques of high society. Jordan and the exploration of what it meant to live through those times not only being queer, but also foreign, broadened the scope of the book immensely and added a much-needed level of depth that Fitzgerald perhaps failed to capture - however, I wanted this exploration to be even more incisive, to be relentless and cut right to the quick of America's rottenness. That, coupled with the magical realism elements that felt all too quick and never reasoned enough, made this book a wonderful experience, but which also felt lacking in some ways.

With all that being said, though, Nghi Vo is an incredible talent without a shadow of a doubt, and I very much look forward to reading more of her works!

This was just okay for me - I wanted so much more from the world-building, the setting, the drama, and even the characters themselves... Am always a sucker for sapphic enemies-to-lovers, though, so I'm excited to see where Ayla and Crier's story goes next!

...Yeah I am firmly on the Emily Henry train and I am not getting off any time soon. Absolutely no complaints, though!

I don't know what she puts in these to make them feel like absolute magic but rest assured this was perfect for the perfectionist, book-loving, anxiety-ridden little thing that I am - and those final couple of lines are going to stay with me forever 😭

I wanted to love this way more than I did because the edition I own is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, but between a world that felt like it lacked any depth, characters that you have no way to get attached to (other than our main trio who, surprise surprise, are the exact same trio we've been getting since the 2010s), a magic system that... honestly just wasn't that interesting, and the very trope-y vibe that also enabled me to predict a lot of the plot within the first hundred pages, it unfortunately ended up falling quite flat.

The premise had a lot of potential, and I can't say that I didn't enjoy my time with this book, but I just wanted so much more from it, especially since it's a 500-page chonker!!

Beautiful reflections on art and how an artist should approach it! After this brief introduction to the themes that Rilke explores in his poetry, I can definitely see myself picking up more of his work.

"We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here."

Trust John Green to write a book that is as filled with whimsy as it is deeply poignant in its exploration of the human condition! This was both fun and very thought-provoking; and also very validating, especially for someone who also struggles with mental illness like John does. 

I (obviously) give "The Anthropocene Reviewed" 4 stars!

Coming to us from our very own lesbian Jesus, I was so excited to finally pick this up and re-live the Girls Like Girls music video through her writing! It has some very strong points that I really appreciated, like its exploration of grief, which is as poignant as it is delicate, and also its discussions of internalized homophobia that occur throughout (and that, thankfully, are resolved, albeit a little too quickly!)

I fully take responsibility for and acknowledge the fact that I'm no longer the intended audience for YA, which is why they're generally starting to be rated a little lower - but I did still very much enjoy this and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to any queer kids who want to finally feel seen. That's why books like this exist, that's why they're so, so unbelievably important, and that's why I hope we never stop seeing more of them!!