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aforestofbooks's reviews
504 reviews
The Sea Spirit Festival by Claudie Arseneault
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This was okay, but honestly the last couple chapters had me feeling kind of lost and confused. I have no idea what happened with the sea spirit under the water
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What the actual fuck
*ahem*
I have had time to think and process the ending to this trilogy, and I know people are expecting a review that is somewhat coherent, so I will try my best.
It took me a while to read this book, not because it was slow-paced or difficult to read, but because I was dreading the end. I've somehow managed to avoid spoilers for this trilogy (ignoring the one spoiler I saw because I was googling something), but despite that, I knew the conclusion to this series would hurt me, and I kind of had an idea where things were headed, so my hesitance to finish was understandable.
This book kept me on edge because Rin was constantly on edge worrying about Nezha coming out to get her. Nezha was a very interesting character in this series. I started off hating him, then growing to like him, then kind of side-eyeing him/not trusting him, to hating him again, and then watching as he tried to pick up the pieces of a broken, scattered Republic. At the end, you realize that they're all just kids put into situations and forced to make horrible decisions. I don't know if you can really love Nezha or Rin all that much as characters, but I think they're both accurate portrayals of how people would respond/react to similar circumstances. It reminds me in many ways of Palestine and the PA versus Hamas.
One character I can't help to love and cherish is Kitay. I love him with all my soul. He's that little bit of light in all the darkness, the stability to Rin's chaos. He was funnier in The Dragon Republic, but this book is so much darker and grimmer. It feels like everyone is marching to their deaths the second you turn to the first page. I love his intelligence, his ability to strategize and plan ahead, and the way he struggles so much with the morality of war and resistance. He feels like a real person. I think as the reader, he's us in many ways. What I especially loved about him was his relationship with Rin. They are really opposites of each other, but they compliment each other so well. You can feel the love they have for each other, but it's purely platonic. It's just so good, so ugh, so sdfkdsgjdsklf. The little moments we have of them together, holding each other, touching each other, watching out for each other made the ending hurt even more. As we see Rin slowly start to lose her sanity and turn on the people she loves, I had a feeling I knew where things were headed. The fight scene at the end was something that had been long coming since the beginning. But those last looks Rin and Kitay share with each other before the end will forever be etched into my brain.
<blockquote>"Do it.
Take what you want. I'll hate you for it. But I'll love you forever. I can't help but love you.
Ruin me, ruin us, and I'll let you."</blockquote>
I honestly want to curl into a ball and cry just thinking about it. My only consolation is that they both went together because if Kitay had been the only one to die, I would have thrown this book across the room.
A lot happens in this book, especially when I think back to where this book started and where things ended. I liked seeing more of southern and eastern Nikara and watching as Rin comes to accept where she's from and fight for her people. But Rin is a difficult character to enjoy. There's quite a bit of repetitiveness and not as much development in the ways you would expect. She keeps trusting the wrong people and getting screwed over. She doesn't make the best decisions. And while Kitay is there to be reasonable and cool-headed, Rin does call most of the shots. When I think about the trauma Rin has been through and how paranoid she got by the end of this book, and how fragile her victory was, I knew things couldn't stay the way they were. There was no happy ending in her future. The only option was for Rin to destroy everything, let the world burn, and succumb to the fire herself. But what was the point if nothing was left.
The ending made me feel so hopeless. And I think that hopelessness is something we're all familiar with right now as we watch oppression and dehumanization take place right before our eyes. Rin remembering Kitay's words–"it's a long march to liberation"–and realizing that sometimes you have to give in and sacrifice yourself with the hope someone else will carry along the light of liberation, is just a stab in the heart. How many times have our people resisted against the white colonizer? Only for the oppressor to be replaced with a new oppressor, to colonize us in a different way? How many times have we won, but realized that the oppressor has too much control of the world for us to survive without relying on them? How many times have we had to compromise, "bend the knee", give in a little, just to live? The offer Nezha gave Rin was horrifying. To be unable to use her powers, to be a test subject for the rest of her life, to be unable to carry on the traditions and history, to be wiped out of existence from memory as well as life. We've seen this done over and over again by colonizers to Indigenous populations around the world. We're seeing it now in Gaza.
I hate the ending of this book BECAUSE it's too real. Most of us pick up books like this and want the ending to be hopeful and somewhat happy. But there was no way for Rin, Kitay, and Nezha to move on together from this. It boils my blood to imagine Nikara under Hesperian rule again, and it hurts because I know this has happened in our world. And it might happen again and again and again. I can't help wondering when this cycle will be broken. If it can ever be broken. How long is the long game going to last? I wish I knew the answers to these questions.
Picking up this series now was probably the best decision I've ever made. The emotions I went through reading this series would not have been the same if I had read this 4-5 years earlier. I will cherish this series forever and hopefully reread it again one day. My only complaint is Rebecca not being as vocal on Palestine. I had high expectations of her after reading Babel, but now having read this trilogy, I'm shocked she hasn't said anything about what we're seeing happening in Gaza. Especially the way she word for word has described everything we're seeing live right now: the bombings, torture, rape, dismemberment, decayed corpses, starvation, illness etc. As I sit here, writing this, I just remembered back in The Poppy War when the Federation gave the Nikara barrels of salt that contained some kind of explosive powder, which exploded after they had started distributing the salt to the civilians and how that eerily mimics what Israel has done to Lebanon just a couple days ago. The parallels I keep seeing between fiction and reality...I just wish all the authors I loved used their platforms to speak out, especially those who are less likely to suffer from the consequences because of how much money they make their publishers.
4.75/5 stars. Cannot wait to reread this trilogy one day.
*ahem*
I have had time to think and process the ending to this trilogy, and I know people are expecting a review that is somewhat coherent, so I will try my best.
It took me a while to read this book, not because it was slow-paced or difficult to read, but because I was dreading the end. I've somehow managed to avoid spoilers for this trilogy (ignoring the one spoiler I saw because I was googling something), but despite that, I knew the conclusion to this series would hurt me, and I kind of had an idea where things were headed, so my hesitance to finish was understandable.
This book kept me on edge because Rin was constantly on edge worrying about Nezha coming out to get her. Nezha was a very interesting character in this series. I started off hating him, then growing to like him, then kind of side-eyeing him/not trusting him, to hating him again, and then watching as he tried to pick up the pieces of a broken, scattered Republic. At the end, you realize that they're all just kids put into situations and forced to make horrible decisions. I don't know if you can really love Nezha or Rin all that much as characters, but I think they're both accurate portrayals of how people would respond/react to similar circumstances. It reminds me in many ways of Palestine and the PA versus Hamas.
One character I can't help to love and cherish is Kitay. I love him with all my soul. He's that little bit of light in all the darkness, the stability to Rin's chaos. He was funnier in The Dragon Republic, but this book is so much darker and grimmer. It feels like everyone is marching to their deaths the second you turn to the first page. I love his intelligence, his ability to strategize and plan ahead, and the way he struggles so much with the morality of war and resistance. He feels like a real person. I think as the reader, he's us in many ways. What I especially loved about him was his relationship with Rin. They are really opposites of each other, but they compliment each other so well. You can feel the love they have for each other, but it's purely platonic. It's just so good, so ugh, so sdfkdsgjdsklf. The little moments we have of them together, holding each other, touching each other, watching out for each other made the ending hurt even more. As we see Rin slowly start to lose her sanity and turn on the people she loves, I had a feeling I knew where things were headed. The fight scene at the end was something that had been long coming since the beginning. But those last looks Rin and Kitay share with each other before the end will forever be etched into my brain.
<blockquote>"Do it.
Take what you want. I'll hate you for it. But I'll love you forever. I can't help but love you.
Ruin me, ruin us, and I'll let you."</blockquote>
I honestly want to curl into a ball and cry just thinking about it. My only consolation is that they both went together because if Kitay had been the only one to die, I would have thrown this book across the room.
A lot happens in this book, especially when I think back to where this book started and where things ended. I liked seeing more of southern and eastern Nikara and watching as Rin comes to accept where she's from and fight for her people. But Rin is a difficult character to enjoy. There's quite a bit of repetitiveness and not as much development in the ways you would expect. She keeps trusting the wrong people and getting screwed over. She doesn't make the best decisions. And while Kitay is there to be reasonable and cool-headed, Rin does call most of the shots. When I think about the trauma Rin has been through and how paranoid she got by the end of this book, and how fragile her victory was, I knew things couldn't stay the way they were. There was no happy ending in her future. The only option was for Rin to destroy everything, let the world burn, and succumb to the fire herself. But what was the point if nothing was left.
The ending made me feel so hopeless. And I think that hopelessness is something we're all familiar with right now as we watch oppression and dehumanization take place right before our eyes. Rin remembering Kitay's words–"it's a long march to liberation"–and realizing that sometimes you have to give in and sacrifice yourself with the hope someone else will carry along the light of liberation, is just a stab in the heart. How many times have our people resisted against the white colonizer? Only for the oppressor to be replaced with a new oppressor, to colonize us in a different way? How many times have we won, but realized that the oppressor has too much control of the world for us to survive without relying on them? How many times have we had to compromise, "bend the knee", give in a little, just to live? The offer Nezha gave Rin was horrifying. To be unable to use her powers, to be a test subject for the rest of her life, to be unable to carry on the traditions and history, to be wiped out of existence from memory as well as life. We've seen this done over and over again by colonizers to Indigenous populations around the world. We're seeing it now in Gaza.
I hate the ending of this book BECAUSE it's too real. Most of us pick up books like this and want the ending to be hopeful and somewhat happy. But there was no way for Rin, Kitay, and Nezha to move on together from this. It boils my blood to imagine Nikara under Hesperian rule again, and it hurts because I know this has happened in our world. And it might happen again and again and again. I can't help wondering when this cycle will be broken. If it can ever be broken. How long is the long game going to last? I wish I knew the answers to these questions.
Picking up this series now was probably the best decision I've ever made. The emotions I went through reading this series would not have been the same if I had read this 4-5 years earlier. I will cherish this series forever and hopefully reread it again one day. My only complaint is Rebecca not being as vocal on Palestine. I had high expectations of her after reading Babel, but now having read this trilogy, I'm shocked she hasn't said anything about what we're seeing happening in Gaza. Especially the way she word for word has described everything we're seeing live right now: the bombings, torture, rape, dismemberment, decayed corpses, starvation, illness etc. As I sit here, writing this, I just remembered back in The Poppy War when the Federation gave the Nikara barrels of salt that contained some kind of explosive powder, which exploded after they had started distributing the salt to the civilians and how that eerily mimics what Israel has done to Lebanon just a couple days ago. The parallels I keep seeing between fiction and reality...I just wish all the authors I loved used their platforms to speak out, especially those who are less likely to suffer from the consequences because of how much money they make their publishers.
4.75/5 stars. Cannot wait to reread this trilogy one day.
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
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
5.0
Okay but what the actual fuck just happened!!!!
This review will contain spoilers and will probably make zero sense. So much happens in this damn book, my brain will probably never be able to process it completely unless I do a reread. And I already want to reread it, even though I just finished.
The ending???!! I did kind of get spoiled for Nezha's betrayal because I was googling something completely unrelated and it popped up out of nowhere. But I didn't actually get spoiled for how exactly he betrayed Rin, so while I was on high alert and stressed out of my mind, I was still not expecting what ended up happening.
This book has so much death *cue smashing tables and breaking chairs* I was not expecting to lose so many of my favourite side characters. No one warned me (I am glad they didn't, but still). We lose two members of the Cike off the bat, which was sad at first, but THE ENDING??? Baji and Suni??? AND THEN RAMSA?? Like what is even going to happen in book 3, I don't want to know. Ramsa was one of my favourite characters. Just a leetle bebe blowing things up. I loved him so much. And with Baji and Suni, they really provided the much needed comedic relief and camaraderie I needed in this book. And this is completely ignoring what happened to Qara, who I also loved.
I think as the reader, we feel more connected to these side character deaths than Rin does. Rin brushes over the death of her friends very easily, and moves on quickly–probably as a trauma response in order to cope with what needs to be done. And while I do really enjoy Rin as a character, and am pretty invested in what happens to her and the story, I don't know if I "love" her character like I would other characters who have better access to their emotions and feelings, besides just anger and revenge and hatred. I do understand why she is the way she is, and I kind of like reading a book with a character like this because it's refreshing and different, but it is at the same time, very weird. Rin spends so much of this book trying to humanize herself and her people for the Hesperians, but sometimes I wonder if she's forgetting to actually be human herself and experience her grief and pain, rather than just play a role for others.
The character development in this book was incredible though. We see so many light bulb moments for Rin (FINALLY) and things finally click together. As a reader, reading this in 2024, I am in awe at the parallels between what is happening in this book and our life right now. The realization that it's always the white man behind the world's problems. It's the white man whispering enticing words in the ears of the people they want to manipulate and colonize, telling them what to do and how to do it, getting them to enact the wars they want, only for the white man to swoop in at the end as a "saviour" with their ships and guns, ready to stay and build their military bases, spread their religious propaganda, and exploit the natural resources.
This quote especially had me pause mid-frantic reading:
<blockquote>"We live in the most beautiful country in the world. We have more manpower than the Hesperians. We have more natural resources. The whole world wants what we have, and for the first time in our history we're going to be able to use it."</blockquote>
How true is this quote for so many countries around the world, except they never get to actualize this statement and live the life they deserve to live because of foreign powers like the US and Britain and Canada and Europe.
My favourite character in this book is Kitay and I already know bad stuff is going to happen to him in the next book and I already want to burn the entire world down to protect him, BUT ANYWAY. I LOVE HIM. My precious baby scholar, just trying to do some accounting and reading, but realizing he has to kind of save the world and help Rin. Kitay is me. I am Kitay. I think if a character were to summarize how I've been feeling the last 10 months, it would be him.
<blockquote>“Kitay wanted vengeance and blood. Under that frail veneer of control was an ongoing scream of rage that originated in confusion and culminated in an overwhelming urge for destruction, if only so he could tear the world down and rebuild it in a way that made sense.”</blockquote>
His dark sense of humour and sarcasm honestly made me laugh out loud so many times, just ask Gretal because she had to deal with me laughing randomly during our Mooby lives. I love him so much I just want to squish him. And his bond with Rin is so precious and perfect. He balances out her rashness with his calm intellect. They are literally two sides of the same coin. Both want revenge, but both need each other. AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO KITAY. The poor kid was being dismissed left right and center throughout most of this book and he was right every time.
Venka surprised me in this book and I've grown from hating her to actually loving her. I'm so excited to see what happens in book three with her part of Rin and Kitay's group.
I'm still not over this ending though. Nezha's character arc took an interesting turn. But I think my favourite part of this book was when Rin realized (or more like put words to what she probably already knew) why she and Nezha never got along in the beginning and how the class difference between them in a way reflects the broader issue we see in this world between North and South Nikan. And how this leads her to finally accepting who she is and fighting for her people and the South. I think it was a very moving, powerful moment and wrapped this whole book up so perfectly.
I still want to personally murder the Hesperians, and Vaisra and his wife. And also Nezha deserves to be punched in the face a few times because wtf you selling out Rin to the evil white men for?? Rin gave as good as she got though and honestly Nezha deserved it even if he did sort of let them escape. I can't forgive him for what they did to Rin and the Cike, and what they would have done to Kitay too.
Anyway, this review doesn't make sense because it took me 3 days to write. I'm going to go read The Burning God now and hope I don't die.
This review will contain spoilers and will probably make zero sense. So much happens in this damn book, my brain will probably never be able to process it completely unless I do a reread. And I already want to reread it, even though I just finished.
The ending???!! I did kind of get spoiled for Nezha's betrayal because I was googling something completely unrelated and it popped up out of nowhere. But I didn't actually get spoiled for how exactly he betrayed Rin, so while I was on high alert and stressed out of my mind, I was still not expecting what ended up happening.
This book has so much death *cue smashing tables and breaking chairs* I was not expecting to lose so many of my favourite side characters. No one warned me (I am glad they didn't, but still). We lose two members of the Cike off the bat, which was sad at first, but THE ENDING??? Baji and Suni??? AND THEN RAMSA?? Like what is even going to happen in book 3, I don't want to know. Ramsa was one of my favourite characters. Just a leetle bebe blowing things up. I loved him so much. And with Baji and Suni, they really provided the much needed comedic relief and camaraderie I needed in this book. And this is completely ignoring what happened to Qara, who I also loved.
I think as the reader, we feel more connected to these side character deaths than Rin does. Rin brushes over the death of her friends very easily, and moves on quickly–probably as a trauma response in order to cope with what needs to be done. And while I do really enjoy Rin as a character, and am pretty invested in what happens to her and the story, I don't know if I "love" her character like I would other characters who have better access to their emotions and feelings, besides just anger and revenge and hatred. I do understand why she is the way she is, and I kind of like reading a book with a character like this because it's refreshing and different, but it is at the same time, very weird. Rin spends so much of this book trying to humanize herself and her people for the Hesperians, but sometimes I wonder if she's forgetting to actually be human herself and experience her grief and pain, rather than just play a role for others.
The character development in this book was incredible though. We see so many light bulb moments for Rin (FINALLY) and things finally click together. As a reader, reading this in 2024, I am in awe at the parallels between what is happening in this book and our life right now. The realization that it's always the white man behind the world's problems. It's the white man whispering enticing words in the ears of the people they want to manipulate and colonize, telling them what to do and how to do it, getting them to enact the wars they want, only for the white man to swoop in at the end as a "saviour" with their ships and guns, ready to stay and build their military bases, spread their religious propaganda, and exploit the natural resources.
This quote especially had me pause mid-frantic reading:
<blockquote>"We live in the most beautiful country in the world. We have more manpower than the Hesperians. We have more natural resources. The whole world wants what we have, and for the first time in our history we're going to be able to use it."</blockquote>
How true is this quote for so many countries around the world, except they never get to actualize this statement and live the life they deserve to live because of foreign powers like the US and Britain and Canada and Europe.
My favourite character in this book is Kitay and I already know bad stuff is going to happen to him in the next book and I already want to burn the entire world down to protect him, BUT ANYWAY. I LOVE HIM. My precious baby scholar, just trying to do some accounting and reading, but realizing he has to kind of save the world and help Rin. Kitay is me. I am Kitay. I think if a character were to summarize how I've been feeling the last 10 months, it would be him.
<blockquote>“Kitay wanted vengeance and blood. Under that frail veneer of control was an ongoing scream of rage that originated in confusion and culminated in an overwhelming urge for destruction, if only so he could tear the world down and rebuild it in a way that made sense.”</blockquote>
His dark sense of humour and sarcasm honestly made me laugh out loud so many times, just ask Gretal because she had to deal with me laughing randomly during our Mooby lives. I love him so much I just want to squish him. And his bond with Rin is so precious and perfect. He balances out her rashness with his calm intellect. They are literally two sides of the same coin. Both want revenge, but both need each other. AND MORE PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO KITAY. The poor kid was being dismissed left right and center throughout most of this book and he was right every time.
Venka surprised me in this book and I've grown from hating her to actually loving her. I'm so excited to see what happens in book three with her part of Rin and Kitay's group.
I'm still not over this ending though. Nezha's character arc took an interesting turn. But I think my favourite part of this book was when Rin realized (or more like put words to what she probably already knew) why she and Nezha never got along in the beginning and how the class difference between them in a way reflects the broader issue we see in this world between North and South Nikan. And how this leads her to finally accepting who she is and fighting for her people and the South. I think it was a very moving, powerful moment and wrapped this whole book up so perfectly.
I still want to personally murder the Hesperians, and Vaisra and his wife. And also Nezha deserves to be punched in the face a few times because wtf you selling out Rin to the evil white men for?? Rin gave as good as she got though and honestly Nezha deserved it even if he did sort of let them escape. I can't forgive him for what they did to Rin and the Cike, and what they would have done to Kitay too.
Anyway, this review doesn't make sense because it took me 3 days to write. I'm going to go read The Burning God now and hope I don't die.
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I added this book to my tbr years ago and kept procrastinating reading it because everyone who has ever read it said it was a difficult book to read. I was a little scared and unsure if I was ready, but I had no idea <i>when</i> I would be ready. I picked it up in part because I felt that this book sounded so relevant to what is going on in Gaza, yet I don't think I realized just how well I timed this until I got to the last quarter of this book.
Chapter 21 is a haunting chapter. I do think if I had read this book when it came out, it would have been a very difficult chapter to read. But seeing what this book describes played out in real life...real life is honestly much more horrifying than a book. Whatever anger I can muster up for the Federation in this book, is nothing compared to the hatred and rage I feel towards Israel, Zionists, the US, and all of their supporters. And I think this is why I feel so confused. People who have read this book and other stories like it, who can feel for these characters, for the innocent lives lost, for the atrocities committed, can't seem to find the ability to care about real people in the world we actually inhabit. They can't seem to make the same connections I can to what I read and what is actually happening. To care more about fictional lives than the lives of the people around you, is just something I cannot fathom anymore. And yet people like this do exist.
This book is so powerful, especially in 2024. It's eye-opening and a stark reminder of how history is repeating itself right before our very eyes. The conversations we get with Kitay and Rin at the end this book are words repeated back to us in the present.
<blockquote><i>"They were monsters! They were not human!"</i>
"Have you ever considered that that was exactly what they thought of us."</blockquote>
The characters in this book are morally grey and complicated. They have so many layers to them that explain why they are the way they are, yet it doesn't ignore how their decisions and actions make them complicit in horrible crimes against humanity. We see the characters trying to justify their actions and find a way to live with that guilt, but as the reader, we see between the lines and understand that what they have done cannot be condoned. And I really appreciate that Rebecca was able to have that come across in this book.
I do like Rin as a character. I can't exactly describe her as your typical main character who is the hero of the story because she's not exactly that. But I am looking forward to seeing what happens to her in next book and how she grapples with what she has done. Every character in this book gave me mixed feelings, except for maybe Kitay. But I think it was refreshing to read a book with characters like this instead of the usual stark good vs evil we get.
Chapter 21 is a haunting chapter. I do think if I had read this book when it came out, it would have been a very difficult chapter to read. But seeing what this book describes played out in real life...real life is honestly much more horrifying than a book. Whatever anger I can muster up for the Federation in this book, is nothing compared to the hatred and rage I feel towards Israel, Zionists, the US, and all of their supporters. And I think this is why I feel so confused. People who have read this book and other stories like it, who can feel for these characters, for the innocent lives lost, for the atrocities committed, can't seem to find the ability to care about real people in the world we actually inhabit. They can't seem to make the same connections I can to what I read and what is actually happening. To care more about fictional lives than the lives of the people around you, is just something I cannot fathom anymore. And yet people like this do exist.
This book is so powerful, especially in 2024. It's eye-opening and a stark reminder of how history is repeating itself right before our very eyes. The conversations we get with Kitay and Rin at the end this book are words repeated back to us in the present.
<blockquote><i>"They were monsters! They were not human!"</i>
"Have you ever considered that that was exactly what they thought of us."</blockquote>
The characters in this book are morally grey and complicated. They have so many layers to them that explain why they are the way they are, yet it doesn't ignore how their decisions and actions make them complicit in horrible crimes against humanity. We see the characters trying to justify their actions and find a way to live with that guilt, but as the reader, we see between the lines and understand that what they have done cannot be condoned. And I really appreciate that Rebecca was able to have that come across in this book.
I do like Rin as a character. I can't exactly describe her as your typical main character who is the hero of the story because she's not exactly that. But I am looking forward to seeing what happens to her in next book and how she grapples with what she has done. Every character in this book gave me mixed feelings, except for maybe Kitay. But I think it was refreshing to read a book with characters like this instead of the usual stark good vs evil we get.
Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
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
3.75
More of a 3.75/5 stars. I’ve been in an on/off book slump for a while. I go through periods where I read so fast and then pick up a really good book but it takes me way too long to read for no reason other than life or my brain isn’t in the best space. This book felt too real considering the US elections. So many parallels to our lives right now. I thought this just came out, but it’s a couple years old, but holds up well.
Ingrid was an interesting, messy character. I did love her relationship with Alex. My favourite part of this book were the conversations they had together and how that led to a very sweet ending to the story. Linden gave me Gale vibes from THG, but he did have some character development in the end.
I like how the book talks about rebellion and unrest among the populace because of rich people who only care about power and making more money. Like I said, eerily accurate. It captured all my feelings about capitalists and billionaires and politicians while watching our countries support multiple genocides. The only good thing that happened while reading this book is Israel finally being recognized as the apartheid state it is. Yet this book also shows that just because people know something is bad, doesn’t mean they’ll do something to stop it unless the average person messes things up. If the rich and privileged can no longer live in comfort, and if they are held accountable and given zero peace, maybe the rest of the world will finally get the justice and peace we deserve.
Ingrid was an interesting, messy character. I did love her relationship with Alex. My favourite part of this book were the conversations they had together and how that led to a very sweet ending to the story. Linden gave me Gale vibes from THG, but he did have some character development in the end.
I like how the book talks about rebellion and unrest among the populace because of rich people who only care about power and making more money. Like I said, eerily accurate. It captured all my feelings about capitalists and billionaires and politicians while watching our countries support multiple genocides. The only good thing that happened while reading this book is Israel finally being recognized as the apartheid state it is. Yet this book also shows that just because people know something is bad, doesn’t mean they’ll do something to stop it unless the average person messes things up. If the rich and privileged can no longer live in comfort, and if they are held accountable and given zero peace, maybe the rest of the world will finally get the justice and peace we deserve.
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Wow, another great read.
You know when you read the last sentence of a book and just know this is a story you will remember for a while? That's this book.
Andrew's books are very dark and bloody, but I love them just the same. This book holds a special place in my heart purely for the medical aspects. It's horrible and so sad, yet the scene where the main character performs a c-section was fascinating to read as someone who regularly scrubs in for c-sections.
This book did take me a bit to get into, but I blame being busy with life and work. The intensity and pacing definitely picks up after the halfway mark and I could not put it down because I was so anxious to see how things played out.
I saw so much of myself in Silas–in his childhood and how he was forced to act a certain way to be "normal" and "like other girls"; in the rabbit that lived in his heart, constantly criticizing, judging, shaming; in the confusion with social etiquettes and communication. And his relationship with Daphne was so sweet and perfect. The other characters took me by surprise. I loved Isabelle the second she was introduced, but I went from hating Mary to actually liking her a lot.
The end of this book was so nerve-wracking, especially because a part of me wanted things to be over and for everyone to get a break, just like Silas was hoping for, except I knew it couldn't be that simple. That scene was so bloody, but also deeply satisfying. I honestly love books that make me feel stabby and murdery afterwards. It's a good feeling to have in the messed up world we live in right now.
You know when you read the last sentence of a book and just know this is a story you will remember for a while? That's this book.
Andrew's books are very dark and bloody, but I love them just the same. This book holds a special place in my heart purely for the medical aspects. It's horrible and so sad, yet the scene where the main character performs a c-section was fascinating to read as someone who regularly scrubs in for c-sections.
This book did take me a bit to get into, but I blame being busy with life and work. The intensity and pacing definitely picks up after the halfway mark and I could not put it down because I was so anxious to see how things played out.
I saw so much of myself in Silas–in his childhood and how he was forced to act a certain way to be "normal" and "like other girls"; in the rabbit that lived in his heart, constantly criticizing, judging, shaming; in the confusion with social etiquettes and communication. And his relationship with Daphne was so sweet and perfect. The other characters took me by surprise. I loved Isabelle the second she was introduced, but I went from hating Mary to actually liking her a lot.
The end of this book was so nerve-wracking, especially because a part of me wanted things to be over and for everyone to get a break, just like Silas was hoping for, except I knew it couldn't be that simple. That scene was so bloody, but also deeply satisfying. I honestly love books that make me feel stabby and murdery afterwards. It's a good feeling to have in the messed up world we live in right now.
On the Bright Side by Anna Sortino
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
4.0
This book was so good! I loved Ellie and Jackson. Usually I’m picky with romance in contemporary YA, but Anna Sortino knows how to do it well. Ellie’s found family and new home made me very emotional, and the intervention was 💯 Jackson’s diagnosis and all his confused feelings about the present and future was very real. I loved the chronic illness rep and the unpredictability of life when you’re dealing with symptoms that pop up without warning sometimes. I think I loved this book even more than Give Me A Sign. Excited to see what Anna Sortino writes next!
If I Loved You Less by Aamna Qureshi
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sighhhhhhhh
I really thought I would like this. I loved the little of Humaira we saw in When a Brown Girl Flees, and when this book was announced I got so excited to see more of the side characters.
I've never read Emma, but I did watch the movie that came out a few years ago. I knew Emma as a character would be annoying, but I wanted to give a halal Muslim romance a chance–there's so few of these books as it is, and I really wanted to read another one that would make me feel as happy as Love From A to Z did.
I think my main issue with this book was the writing style. The dialogue didn't always fit the time and setting. The characters spoke like they were literally in Emma which didn't make much sense to me, and took me out of the story so many times when they used words I would never hear in conversation.
I also don't know how likeable the characters were, which makes sense because Emma-retelling, but I don't know if Humaira grew on me as a character. Rizwan was awful, mainly because he pouts waay too much. And Farad was okay, but I did eventually get annoyed with him too.
I read this book faster than I normally would have, despite wanting to dnf like 25% of the way in, only because Gretal told me it gets better, and I can't say if it really did. The moments between Humaira and Fawad started to annoy me because there was so much sexual tension, yet Humaira was entirely clueless or in denial for most of it. I always say I'm not a romantic, yet I do enjoy romantic subplots in some of the books I've read over the years. But for some reason, this didn't work for me. It was a bit too much: the constant staring into each other's eyes, standing so close to each other while arguing, Fawad constantly noticing her lips. It was still mostly a "halal" romance, but it didn't work for me the way I wanted it to.
That being said, I do think most people would enjoy this book. I've never seen Bridgerton, but this book is what I would imagine modern day Bridgerton to be like featuring Muslim characters.
3/5 stars
I really thought I would like this. I loved the little of Humaira we saw in When a Brown Girl Flees, and when this book was announced I got so excited to see more of the side characters.
I've never read Emma, but I did watch the movie that came out a few years ago. I knew Emma as a character would be annoying, but I wanted to give a halal Muslim romance a chance–there's so few of these books as it is, and I really wanted to read another one that would make me feel as happy as Love From A to Z did.
I think my main issue with this book was the writing style. The dialogue didn't always fit the time and setting. The characters spoke like they were literally in Emma which didn't make much sense to me, and took me out of the story so many times when they used words I would never hear in conversation.
I also don't know how likeable the characters were, which makes sense because Emma-retelling, but I don't know if Humaira grew on me as a character. Rizwan was awful, mainly because he pouts waay too much. And Farad was okay, but I did eventually get annoyed with him too.
I read this book faster than I normally would have, despite wanting to dnf like 25% of the way in, only because Gretal told me it gets better, and I can't say if it really did. The moments between Humaira and Fawad started to annoy me because there was so much sexual tension, yet Humaira was entirely clueless or in denial for most of it. I always say I'm not a romantic, yet I do enjoy romantic subplots in some of the books I've read over the years. But for some reason, this didn't work for me. It was a bit too much: the constant staring into each other's eyes, standing so close to each other while arguing, Fawad constantly noticing her lips. It was still mostly a "halal" romance, but it didn't work for me the way I wanted it to.
That being said, I do think most people would enjoy this book. I've never seen Bridgerton, but this book is what I would imagine modern day Bridgerton to be like featuring Muslim characters.
3/5 stars