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471 reviews by:
starrysteph
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nimona is a really sweet story with a lot of heart. It’s got a devilish bit of wit and a big dose of discovering identity while becoming your boldest & most brilliant self.
Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villainous ex-knight who has a bone to pick with the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics. Nimona is a superpowered shapeshifter who is ready to cause as much chaos as possible. When she declares herself Blackheart’s violent sidekick, the two embark on a mission to show the kingdom what their heroes are hiding. But things get murkier and deadlier, and Nimona is unpredictable.
Nimona is such a rockstar of a character and her dialogue made me laugh out loud so many times. And Blackheart is the sweetest, clumsiest, most earnest villain around. It’s clever and I enjoyed the explosive art style during shapeshifting and fighting moments.
I read half of this graphic novel before watching the film adaptation and half afterwards – and that sandwiching experience definitely impacted my rating. I thought the adaptation was phenomenal and both improved on & expanded the source material. It took the subversiveness and queerness and heart of the original story and crafted it in a way I thought was brilliant.
In the novel, I wanted less subtlety around Blackheart’s romance. I wanted a deeper exploration of what it means for Nimona to shapeshift. I wanted more backstory around the knights & Nimona – and to my delight, the movie did all those things.
CW: murder, death, confinement, blood, fire, injury, child abuse, torture, gun violence, ableism, pandemic, classism, body horror, gaslighting
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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This made my stomach churn from start to finish (complimentary!!). Ashley Audrain has done it again - she’s created a compelling, unsavory psychological drama that zeroes in on the most painful aspects of motherhood.
The Whispers centers around a group of women who neighbor each other in suburbia. Their lives are altered when a young boy falls from his bedroom window in the middle of the night and ends up fighting for his life in the hospital. Each narrator hides their own secrets & desires & uncomfortable truths - and they eventually have to confront their own roles leading up to the events of that tragic night.
It’s about the transformational power of motherhood, sacrifices made for partners and children, uncontrollable envy, and those intuitive ‘whispers’ that we often try to silence.
I would call the story both slow burn and character-driven, but I was reading FRENETICALLY. I couldn’t part from the book, even when it made me nauseated or horrified or furious. Audrain writes these perspectives so intimately, carefully, and compassionately that it’s hard not to place yourself in their shoes (and cross your fingers that you would make different choices).
None of these women can have it all - career-wise, love-wise, child-wise - and it breaks them one by one.
It’s messy and terrible and you may want to climb into the book and shake some of these women (Whitney, I’m looking you dead in the eyes). I felt raw after reading the final words.
CW: child death, child abuse, graphic miscarriages, pregnancy, infertility, infidelity, ableism, medical trauma, suicidal thoughts, grief, toxic friendship, bullying, sexual content
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship
adventurous
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
funny
reflective
fast-paced
I can REALLY appreciate Sam’s openness, vulnerability, and wit, but a lot of these essays didn’t land for me - and I think I would have a hard time pinpointing who to recommend this book to.
I don’t know enough about Dave Matthews, and I DEFINITELY don’t know enough about Sex and the City to truly appreciate a 33-page chapter rewriting episode after episode. I was just not in the in-group here and that was a massive section of the book! I also felt a bit overwhelmed by the self-deprecation at times.
But there were some moments that had me smiling from ear to ear. “Please invite me to your party?” A total masterpiece. Same with the commentary on teenage approval and navigating public restrooms - and Sam’s essay on reconnecting with a half-brother was very sweet.
In general, I much preferred the essays that were about Sam’s personal experiences to the ones that were commentary on other media. They were so much more relatable. I enjoyed more essays than I didn’t, but there were some really long pieces in the middle (ie. “Superfan”) that I had to force myself to finish.
CW: excrement, vomit, death of parent, chronic illness, medical content, fatphobia, pandemic, body shaming, grief, ableism, terminal illness, abortion, sexual content
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dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dark and dangerous, The Salt Grows Heavy is a sinister fairytale that plays with the power of storytelling.
We follow a creature of the deep (a mermaid if you wish): mutilated, mute, and on the run after consuming a kingdom. Her travel companion is a plague doctor with a mysterious history. When the pair discover a pack of endlessly-reincarnating children and their godlike rulers, they must discover the truth and learn to control or embrace their own monstrosity to stay alive.
Language is currency here. Yes, there’s necromancy and many-toothed-creatures with insatiable appetites, but stories have perhaps the greatest power of all. Those who wield words can form followings, create legends, and exploit all who stumble into their kingdoms. And those who are forced to be without authorship are weakened and contained.
The writing is lush, clever, and gory. There’s body horror on nearly every page and the visceral terror will seep right into your soul.
You’ll wonder about narrative power, and how those in control suppress any who could potentially challenge their leadership, and what it truly means to be vulnerable.
It was a fascinating read that both repulsed and compelled me. The climax was a bit muddied, the relationship between the two journeyers expanded a bit too quickly, and the language was a bit TOO dense at times, but I’ll do anything for a murderous mermaid.
CW: body horror, death, murder, gore, cannibalism, medical trauma, medical experimentation, mass death, fire, child abuse, torture, grief, genocide, pandemic, animal death, animal cruelty
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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina was simply magical.
When matriarch Orquídea sends out an invitation to gather her massive family in the days before her death, they come - reluctantly - to collect their inheritance. But nothing is normal about the Montoya family. As magic and family members clash during their long-delayed reunion, an evil that has followed Orquídea for her whole life returns, threatening to rip up the roots & safety & protection she spent her whole life cultivating.
“You could be born into a family, but you still had to choose them.”
It’s all about family. About loving your family - and accepting their mysteries and secrets - even though you never quite understand them.
It’s about the struggle of creating a home where you and your descendants will be safe. About ancestral trauma and how different generations attempt to push back against their roots.
It’s about the power of protecting the ones you love while trying to create a better life for those who come next. And when you create those barriers between parents and children - putting up walls to protect your vulnerabilities with the hope of preserving their magic - that ultimately does more harm than good.
“We don't talk. None of us. Why don't we ever talk? Silence is a language of its own in this family. A curse of our own making. That's the inheritance my daughter got from me, and I am very sorry.”
Generational trauma is the Montoya family curse. But their power is in their magic - their love and tradition and ferocity. What will you inherit from your ancestors? And how well do you really know your family?
I loved getting to character hop and spend time with so many branches of the Montoya family tree - all the while jumping back and forth through time as more and more of Orquídea’s peculiar life is revealed. Each character has a distinct voice and distinct troubles, and each pushes back against their inheritance in a compelling way.
There was a bit of a super villain-y bit at the end that got wrapped up oh-so-neatly which didn’t quite mesh with the rest of the mystical magical tone, but I cried at the end all the same.
It’s enchanting and poignant and comforting. This story truly came to life for me.
CW: death (child and parent), grief, body horror, toxic relationship, fire, abuse, blood, abandonment, stalking, infidelity, self harm, racism, xenophobia, sexism, murder, drowning, pregnancy, sexual content
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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
This story has sunk deep into my flesh. Aden Polydoros, you’ve done it again.
Vera was created to destroy. She’s a golem, crafted with ancient and shameful magic by a grieving Jewish father in his daughter Chaya’s image. Chaya was murdered during an act of resistance against the Nazis, and Vera is now commanded to enact vengeance.
But Vera was also imbued with Chaya’s essence, with scatterings of her memories. She is committed to noble violence, but can’t help but question her existence. Then she meets Akiva - Chaya’s love - and feels torn between her vengeance and her new ruminations about humanity.
As Vera’s journey further blurs the line between human and monster, she must discover her purpose and decide what exactly is worth fighting for.
Wrath Becomes Her is about necessary desecrations. It’s about separating yourself from your actions of survival, moments of quiet defiance, and agonizing about what will be left behind.
Truth is the word on Vera’s forehead that brings the golem to life, and her search for the truth of her existence torments her. She constantly asks: who am I? What does it mean to be?
She understands herself to be a monster - and her creator views her as such - but she quickly starts to wonder about the capacity for monstrosity within all of us. Vera sees people and golems as blank slates, and the acts of violence committed by the Nazis go beyond her perceived sin of existence.
She also witnesses the dehumanization of the people that surround her: the cruelest soldiers view their victims as less-than-human, but so do the bystanders. The Jewish people are simply necessary sacrifices for the safety of the whole town. By not speaking up, by not listening or caring, these impartial observers are in truth active causers of harm.
And for those fighting alongside Vera? Akiva shuts everything else down, not allowing himself to feel or hope or visualize a future. Vera expresses a desire to have been created without emotions, so she could simply do what needs to be done without pain. She witnesses Akiva shatter bit by bit; that’s the cost of separating himself from his feelings.
Vera is memory. Vera is memorial. She is defiance in both small and large ways. She is honoring culture and tradition and keeping spirits aflame. She is a physicalization of her religion and her community.
At times, the writing is a wee bit formulaic and repetitive (especially in the middle sections). I forgave this, because the philosophizing was SO good and I was SO invested in Vera’s journey.
Wrath Becomes Her asks: what is the best way to honor life? Is destruction in someone’s name - even when the cause feels hopeless - honoring them? I’m not sure. But I’ll be pondering.
And yeah, there’s lots of Nazi punching (as promised).
CW: murder, antisemitism (Nazis), death (child), gore, body horror, vomit, genocide, war, violence
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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, War
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An imaginative vampire crime-noir piece set in Mexico City - I found Certain Dark Things to be captivating and tightly-paced, with a sharp look at cycles of poverty, classism, and colonialism.
In a world where many subspecies of vampires are known (and barely tolerated), Mexico City is meant to be a vamp-free zone. Domingo is a teenage street kid who collects and sells garbage. He’s barely surviving when he meets beautiful & dangerous Aztec vampire Atl.
Atl is on the run from a rival vampire clan, and when local police stumble onto her trail things only get messier. She’s isolated from her surviving family and fiercely independent, but Domingo slowly finds his way into her heart. Only problem is .. they’re running out of time to escape Mexico City with their lives.
This was a lush world with an expansive & detailed history. It was a little awkwardly-navigated at times, and the glossary at the ending provided details that I only wished were organically woven into the story.
I really enjoyed all of the POVs, and the experience of attempting to root for several characters who were working directly against each other. Domingo was sweet and naive, Atl’s grief and ferocity were compelling, Ana’s desperation to protect her city and daughter was heart-wrenching, and even Rodrigo had his moments. The main villain was a bit cartoonishly evil at times, but I thought everyone else was pretty fleshed-out for such a short read.
It’s moody and atmospheric and I was very drawn into the world and lore.
CW: blood, violence, gore, murder, death (of loved ones, children, and parents), gun violence, body horror, animal cruelty, animal death, drug use, misogyny, torture, excessive vomiting, grief, adult/minor relationship, police brutality, slavery, colonization, fire, racism, mass death, kidnapping
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Why We Meditate: The Science and Practice of Clarity and Compassion
Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Daniel Goleman
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Why We Meditate didn’t quite answer its titular question – but it contained some great nuggets of insight as well as practical knowledge. Rinpoche offers an array of simple exercises as well as frameworks of thought that are easy to implement and curated with care.
Each chapter has two portions: Tsoknyi Rinpoche begins with detailing the practice and its personal impact, and then Daniel Goleman weaves in a scientific approach.
I imagine this book would land differently with someone brand new to meditation. I didn’t find many fresh takeaways and the writing was not always as tight or compelling as I wished it to be - and felt disjointed at times between the two authors. I also wished that the science portions had more, well, science.
However, this writing clearly comes from two deeply knowledgeable meditators and I definitely found some value here.
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(4.5 ⭐) Warrior Girl Unearthed is riveting, infuriating, and has SO much heart and spirit and love. Angeline Boulley is a gifted writer, and she brings earnest teenage voices to life in a thoughtful way.
We follow teenage Perry Firekeeper-Birch, who is stuck in a summer internship that most definitely wasn’t in her plans. But after she banged up her car, she’s got to work to repay her debt. But although Perry is initially reluctant, she’s startled into action after discovering indigenous remains & ancestral items held by a local university.
Perry is determined to learn more about NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) and bring “Warrior Girl” and others home, but the university takes advantage of every legal loophole. She starts to plan a heist with her friends – but then women start disappearing and the situation gets more complicated than ever. Perry and Team Misfit Toys must find a way to make things right.
Perry is young, fiery – and a little naive. So we get to learn alongside her, specifically about NAGPRA. She starts off with boundless energy and relentless hope. But she soon discovers that repatriation is not that simple, and that most folks don’t treat indigenous communities fairly or with respect. Perry learns the different ways you can stand up for yourself and really do the work. You can stay in line and work slowly, gritting your teeth and getting things done in heart-wrenching, agonizing, humiliating ways. But - as we see in Warrior Girl Unearthed - it’s hard not to be tempted to take matters into your own hands and get justice.
The plot additionally has a focus on the MMIWG2S (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people) movement. Perry does not have the ability to be young or optimistic here – she knows this horrifying trend intimately. She’s lost friends and loved ones. She’s seen the cycles of missing posters.
I really appreciated that Boulley left a list of resources & further nonfiction reading at the back of the book as well.
Perry has a lot of growing up to do, and I enjoyed witnessing her arc. She grapples with her personal hopes and dreams alongside a desire to serve and protect her community. She learns to manage her impulsivity and strengthens her bond with her “perfect” twin Pauline. She gets a splash of romance and a brand new focus.
It was a delight to be wrapped up again in the world of Sugar Island and the Ojibwe community. If you’ve read Firekeeper’s Daughter, you’ll note some references and recognize many characters (including Perry herself).
I did sometimes feel like the actual plot/scenes were weaker than the ideas, and that Boulley didn’t grant Perry quite as much depth and unflinching exploration into complex issues compared to Daunis in her debut.
But overall - it was a great mystery (with some heist action swirled in) with a super compelling cast.
CW: death, grief, murder, kidnapping, confinement, racism, cultural appropriation, colonization, car accident, pedophilia, sexual harassment, sexual assault, injury, genocide, pregnancy
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)