pellepanda's Reviews (271)

Minor spoilers, but it's not worth reading anyway.

I just wanted a boring book to fall asleep to (which this definitely did), but the racism was a real jumpscare. The abelism wasn't great either, and using FGM for shock factor is just icky. It reads like a right-wing persecution fanfic.

(It's free on audible, but it's not worth what you pay for it)

[ARC recieved via Netgalley]

The Third Love follows Riko through her journey from child to a married adult. Her story is one about unfaithfulness, and finding connections with other women throughout historical Japan.

I really enjoyed the historical aspect we see in Riko's dreams. Kawakami uses the dreams as a way to process Riko's situation, as well as give a historical context to women's role in the marriage in Heian-, Edo-, and current day Japan. 

I'm not a huge fan of the age gap situations in the book, but they don't feel very looming while reading. There were also times I got frustrated because Riko didn't do what I wanted her to, but both of those are personal complaints.

Overall it was a good book I had fun reading, but it probably won't be a book that ends up becoming a part of me. 

[ARC recieved via Netgalley]

Doctor Strange: Dimension War includes a story about Doctor Strange against Mordo and Dormammu. It is set before he joins the Avengers, and we get the backstory without it being an origin story.


This book didn't hit for me. I've read a few comic novelisations, and this one utilises the format change in a boring way. It still feels like a comic, trying to keep the fast action pace that just feels flat without the illustrations. Some things that are included also feel very unnecessary. One example is that Strange instantly trusts a woman because he finds her attractive, then as an afterthought, it's added that she has good vibes basically. Strange is a very perfect and flat character in this book. He used to be an arrogant asshole, and now he is so selfless and pure that all his praise comes from others. It was just boring. 


For the audiobook, the narration was fine. It's just a bit slow. I rarely speed up audiobooks, and when I do, it's 1.2. I had to go 1.5 for this one.