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249 reviews by:
oofsharkz73
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Don't judge a book by it's genre, I say, as I begrudgingly open to the first pages of this dreaded sci-fi novel...
"'Why do you need to go to Baby?' asked Theo, but Aster was already well into a dream, images divided between memories of the past day and the world of her mind's own making...
'I'm chasing my mother's ghost,' Aster whispered..."
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon took me by surprise as it totally immersed me in the story of Aster's life. Aster, a scientist and healer on the spaceship known as Matilda, is unravelling the mystery behind her mother's suicide. Through her eyes, we see also the struggles of scrutinization and abuse those with darker skin endure in this society, and we see Aster struggle even more as to even her peers, her behaviors are queer and unorthodox. Though set in a dystopian, futuristic world, this novel offers much more than typical sci-fi, delving deeply into human emotion, social issues, and identity with raw power. Even for readers who don’t usually gravitate toward science fiction like myself, the rich characters and thought-provoking themes make this an unforgettable, emotionally intense experience.
"That's what ghosts really are, Aint Melusine had said, the past refusing to be forgot. She'd been helping Aster scrub down X deck with ammonia and bleach, a failed attempt to rub out the
stink of what had happened there. Ghosts is smells, stains, scars. Everything is ruins. Everything is a clue. It wants you to know its story. Ancestors are everywhere if you are looking."
"A scientist, Aster had learned something Giselle had not: decoding the past was like decoding the physical world. The best that could be hoped for was a working model. A reasonable approximation. That was to say, no matter what Aster learned of Lune, there was no piecing together the full mystery of her life. There was no hearing her laugh or feeling her embrace. A ghost is not a person."
As we read about the anomaly that is Aster and her life on Matilda, we see writing that is so lyrical in it's social commentary. The visionary is often disquieting, with Aster's uncompromising attitude against a bleak future if her and her peers aren't to do something, if they don't incite a revolution.
Aster knows what their fate is if she herself doesn't fight back against the harsh and challenging norms to discover the grim secrets behind her mother's death and the cruel realities of the Sovereign's intentions.
"That was how she understood hope, nothing to get too invested in."
In this multi-layered novel by Rivers Solomon, we see something so intricately human. We see passion and violence. I could not stop reading, nor could I shut my mouth from yapping on to anyone who would listen about it. An Unkindness of Ghosts is a grandiose reading experience; as I turned the last page I found myself half-crazed and hell-bent as I scoured for some sort of sequel, only to be disappointed with Solomon wanting it to be a standalone.
Just not my style, unfortunately. Although, I am almost positive it probably excels in its genre and is a feel good, relatable sci-fi/superhero book for those it is more curated too (young adults and queer).
Very cute, children's novel. Educational and inspirational. Read it to my 3month old and plan to purchase it for when he's older. So cute for everyone!
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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:
No
The entire time I read this novel, the song "Sunflowers" by PeachPRC was stuck in my head. Take that for what you will. We Can Be Heroes by Kyrie McCauley was instantly promising to me when I discovered the author had written a favorite of mine, If These Wings Could Fly. In this novel, McCauley weaves a tale of friendship and justice. Two young girls are betrayed by their town, by society, when their best friend is killed in a school shooting, and they begin advocating for gun reform. Through the eyes of Beck and Vivian, fueled by loyalty and love, we see the unravelling of an artful plan to invoke change. McCauley captures the reader with another gripping narrative as she explores themes of gun violence, domestic violence against women, and grief. The "anger" stage of grief that the characters were in correlated well with the plotline, though I do wish that we were able to see more into their mourning process, and that the glimpses we saw of Beck and Vivian's relationship were extended upon. Unfortunately, I feel like we only skirted on the outside of the characters' stories, that McCauley didn't write the novel with the same intensity as her debut. While We Can Be Heroes is compelling mix of heartache and hope, but it does lack depth. Still, a solid read for young adults and did not disappoint!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"...We have only to think about what was done to us, and about the justice that was never ours. We have only to think of the children who have crossed our paths and have been so unhappy because of the neglect, humiliation, and mistreatment they have suffered."
The Girl By the Bridge by Arnaldur Indridason was certainly impressive. In this harrowing novel, translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton, retired detective Konrad is investigating both an intriguing paranormal case with his friend Eygló, and a presumed suicide/accidental overdose of a young woman. Indridason brilliantly intertwines every subplot in the storyline, creating a gritty and otherworldly experience for the reader. In the dual-natured novel, sinister pasts are dug up and the roots of evil are examined by Konrad and his companions. Though this was the first book I read by the author, The Girl By the Bridge is a masterfully curated mystery, everything a novel of the genre wants to be and more, thus compelling me to dive into more of his works.
The Girl By the Bridge by Arnaldur Indridason was certainly impressive. In this harrowing novel, translated from the Icelandic by Philip Roughton, retired detective Konrad is investigating both an intriguing paranormal case with his friend Eygló, and a presumed suicide/accidental overdose of a young woman. Indridason brilliantly intertwines every subplot in the storyline, creating a gritty and otherworldly experience for the reader. In the dual-natured novel, sinister pasts are dug up and the roots of evil are examined by Konrad and his companions. Though this was the first book I read by the author, The Girl By the Bridge is a masterfully curated mystery, everything a novel of the genre wants to be and more, thus compelling me to dive into more of his works.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"It seems to me incredibly cruel that no matter how much has been taken from you, you never get used to the dizzying shock of losing something you love, the dull, crushing ache of it afterward. There's no way to rehearse for heartbreak, no matter how much you might walk around expecting it."
Gina Chung's Sea Change is satisfying in its straightforwardness. In sum, it's a novel about a heartbroken young woman trying to make sense of the shambles her life has seemingly become. Ro - or, Arim - finds the last connection she feels she has with her father being threatened, all while still processing childhood traumas, going through a rough breakup, tiptoeing around a failing friendship, maintaining a relationship with her mother, and struggling with alcoholism and her own poor choices that have landed her in a rather lowly place in life. Chung uses visualization like shattered mugs and the biology of animals to convey Ro's relatable emotions.
"I wonder if we would take better care of our bodies if our skin was transparent, if every little thing we did and said and ate was observable. If every hurtful or careless thing we ever said to one another manifested itself visually in the body. Would we be any different than how we are now? Would we do more to protect each other, ourselves?"
"As for the shattered mug on the kitchen floor, despite Apa's best efforts of cleaning up the mess, we continued finding small ceramic shards here and there as the days went by. Now matter how closely we looked or how thoroughly we swept or vacuumed, there was always more tiny pieces of green shrapnel hidden in the corners of the kitchen, like the remnants of a battle or the artifacts of a lost civilization."
There's no dramatic twists, there's no amazing relevations. Sea Change just is. Not groundbreaking, just a regular, unoriginal book, ideally written for women finding their place in the world. It is unpretentious, comfortably predictable, and enjoyably typical for a book with this plotline.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
As far as manga goes for a non manga reader, this was adorable. Pure and wholesome and easy to read and follow. I am now definitely invested in tea dragons and wish the society was real.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-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:
No
"A lot of books have a moral, some lesson about how you have to stay true to who you are. How it doesn't matter if you're different, you don't have to act like everyone else, and the most important thing is to be yourself. But those books never tell you how to figure out what your self is. They assume that you know already, and are pretending to be someone else for awhile to fit in."
Too Bright to See set up expectations and surpassed them. You'll go in just expecting the typical middle-grade, coming-of-age novel and turn the last page with tears in your eyes, overcome with emotion and wondering how a 184 page book on the supernatural world in the eyes of a 12 year old could be so impactful. This book is important, embodying so much acceptance and love all around. In Too Bright to See, Kyle Lukoff has written a wholesome tale of the process of grief and finding your own identity tied together with a handsome bow. What a lovely book.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Some stories - such as The Era - were akin to Ray Bradbury's writing style, which I found made them even more enjoyable. My favorite had to be The Era or Lark Street. Each story has it's own unique sense of impending doom, some ending in a dreadfully vague way, leaving it up to the reader to interpret the true meaning or envision the next happenings themselves. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah writes 12 different stories that while with differentiating plotlines, all consistently carry the same themes of oppression, capitalism, and racism in both crude and subtle ways.
Unfortunately I did have to skip Zimmer Land, simply because it didn't interest me. But out of 12 varying stories, only DNF'ing one is pretty lucky, with my attention span these days. Each story Adjei-Brenyah writes is easy to digest while still being entirely compelling. Compelling and digestible enough to read within a day, a one-sitting novel.
Unfortunately I did have to skip Zimmer Land, simply because it didn't interest me. But out of 12 varying stories, only DNF'ing one is pretty lucky, with my attention span these days. Each story Adjei-Brenyah writes is easy to digest while still being entirely compelling. Compelling and digestible enough to read within a day, a one-sitting novel.
medium-paced
"People see other people and they don't know what they've lived through. They just see what they want to see."
"...'There's no one to help anyone in this city, is there?'
'It's each one for themselves,' said the man, handing me my bag. 'And that's exactly how they want it.'"
"I've had a recurring nightmare that's haunted me for as long as I can remember. Stephanie's nightmare is losing all her teeth. Shereef's is being buried alive. In mine, I'm on a ladder that stretches out into space. At the bottom, where I've cimbed from, there is a pit of fire. The blaze burns each step as I hang on tight to the scorching-hot wood. I move as quick as I can, looking up into a new world, and then a hand reaches down and pushes me back into the flames."
In the first half of Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns, a sense of desperation is invoked. The main character, Damani, works tirelessly for a RideShare company for nine dollars an hour on a good day. She is trying to take care of her sick mother and keep up with her activist friends while still grieving the loss of her father, who died because he was worked to the bone like she is. "You know where to go, right?" "Fucking drive, bitch!" These repetitive phrases emphasize society's attitude toward Damani - because of her gender, her ethnicity, her class. Damani is insulted consistently, not just by her passengers, but by the world she lives in. A world of constant pressure and scrutiny, a world where while just trying to get by, she is pummelled back down.
Though the dialogue is often hard to follow, the first half of Gun's novel was enjoyable if not relatable - you admire Damani's determination to keep going in such a gruelling city. It moves at a good pace, purposely choppy, as the choppiness shows Damani's perspective: blurry and exhausting. By the time it gets to the second half though, it feels as though Gun's has given up on writing Your Driver Is Waiting. It shifts from a novel focused on a triple-minority getting by in a greedy capitalist society, to a book that is just lesbian smut and Insanity. I feel as though the author didn't truly take her time and with that, this book could've been so much more than what it was. It could've actually had an impact. Instead, it was a mediocre half-atrempt. TLDR: Stop somewhere in the middle and pretend it's a WIP Wattpad fanfiction or something - it'd read better that way.