casualskimreader's reviews
10 reviews

Sistersong by Lucy Holland

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

3.75

Things I enjoyed about the book:

• The balance between the world building and action I felt was perfect. There is a bit more info in the beginning of the novel in terms of world building but it never feels overwhelming.

• I am not familiar with British folktales or rituals. Lucy Holland managed to explain the rituals, the landscape, the myths and the culture without too many words but it is clear. The Twa Sisters tale

was not I was familiar with but it was definitely brutal. I do wish the dynamic between Riva and Sinne was explained better. But I’ll discuss this later.

• The characters are definitely nuanced. You can understand some of their motivations and context that pushes them to act in a specific way but there are some confusions. But I like that the book is making me think about the characters even after I’ve put the book down. 

Things that I have thought about:

• Keyne/Constantin is definitely the most fleshed out character and I really enjoyed
  his character arc and I liked how being trans in a transphobic world was explained. I do think it’s interesting that the first member of his family to acknowledge him as a son was Sinne. Sinne is seen as selfish but she’s the first one to accept him as he is and pretty much without question compared to everyone else. Definitely my favourite character and his arc was handled very well and felt thought out.
• I felt that Sinne and Riva weren’t as developed. I guess that the Twa sisters retelling
  needed to be fit in but they didn’t feel like sisters to me. Also I don’t get why the sibling dynamic was not explored in flashbacks to childhood. I felt like we just had to trust that the sisters were close and it didn’t make exact sense that Sinne wouldn’t confide in Keyne/Constantin or Os about her visions before approaching Riva. It seems like the middle child sibling relationship wasn’t used to its fullest extent. This might be an unpopular opinion but I felt like Sinne had a more interesting/sympathetic arc than Riva. I thought I’d enjoy Riva’s character the most and I was mistaken. I do understand her motivations to an extent but the arc seemed very much like she abandoned herself and her values for Tristan and then the beef between her and her sister seemed a bit shallow on her end. I get her motivations for leaving and why she felt the way she felt but I agree with Sinne that she was willing to abandon her family to be with him. She also betrayed Keyne/Constantin for her own selfish gains and cost her the safety of her family. So her arc wasn’t entirely positive going from super cautious and protective of her family to being reckless was somewhat interesting.
• Sinne’s arc was WILD.
  Her ending was brutal but I like that her voice lived on. Also very interesting that she ended up being the most accepting of different people in her life despite being seen as shallow. She’s seen as a pretty face and fears unhappiness yet accepts Os and Constantin. Was she a bit rude? Yes. Was she a bit cruel with her words? Absolutely. But I sympathise with why she is the way she is. She is very much a product of being ignored and dreaming too much but Tbf she is still a child compared to Riva and Keyne/Constantin so it really is the fault of the parents for not stepping in to listen to her or try more.
• Parents are a bit shit but I guess it makes sense in context. The mother
  was a bit intense but I understand (not empathise) with her motives. Her dynamic with Gildas highlights how religion changes motives, actions, and social constructions of people. Fuck Gildas tho and jrr I was upset that she followed him blindly.

  The father was an interesting and somewhat tragic character. Yet his

  rejection of his culture and his religion shows how once someone turns away from who they are how dire the consequences could be. I’m glad that he made Constantin his heir without much prompting from anyone else and shows that he still believes in his magick.

TL;DR

Solid book with great world building. Enjoyed the Britain setting and the use of magick and storytelling to immerse you into the world. Characters are very complicated and some needed to be more fleshed out.

Definitely needed more childhood flashbacks to understand the actions/motives of the characters.

Would recommend this to someone.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

emotional informative reflective sad 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

3.75

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

adventurous mysterious reflective 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

Structure of the book:
- 453 pages
- Chapters are numbered and the average chapter is around 18-20 pages.
- It is written in the third person and it follows the thoughts of the female protagonist Elisabeth. 
- Medium paced
- The structure of this book is accessible and tension builds in a manner that is satisfying.

The battles where Elisabeth and Nathaniel fight the demons, as well as other battles, build-up to the final battle. </spolier> The tension mounts and feels tangible. 

Things I liked about this book:

- It is an excellent and well set out fantasy novel. The world-building is excellent as we understand the social environment around the main characters, the geographic layout of their world as well as social and hierarchal systems. Nathaniel, Elisabeth, and Silas have something different to the table in terms of information.

Elisabeth is able to explain how the libraries work, the warden system, and explains how and why the grimoires are dangerous and protected. Nathaniel has knowledge of the social world as well as the workings of magic and history that he can explain to Elisabeth. Finally, Silas provides information about demons and other aspects of demonic magic and demonic hierarchy.

This allows the characters to learn from each other and get information without too much info-dumping.

- Due to the way the book is set out and its use of language, it is an accessible fantasy novel. It is the perfect book to introduce yourself to reading fantasy without feeling fatigued. It is a book that can be read in a day but also can be read over time without forgetting too much information. 

- The Maps are practical. It is readable and adds to world-building.

- Compared to other YA novels, this novel allows for grey areas. These grey areas link with the character's core belief systems and their motivations in the story.

For Elisabeth, it is established that she is trying to find a place for herself in the world. Her personal journey plays off this internal struggle. Elisabeth struggles to comprehend her relationship with the Warden as well as the libraries and has conflicting emotions about whether or not she should become an apprentice after performing demonic rituals. This is great as it highlights the complexity of Elisabeth navigating what she has been taught to believe and what she has learned about the world. She has also learned that the libraries are a part of her and carry out important work. However, she learns that the libraries and the belief system she grew up with were built on a grand evil scheme. She is the embodiment of the magic found in the libraries but she is more than that. She is still finding her place but now understands that she plays a greater role than just being another guardian of the libraries. This affects Elisabeth and puts her into a position in which she needs to reevaluate her life and figure out her own path that aligns with her morals and knowledge. By the end of the book, Elisabeth has yet to come to a decision about her life. This normalizes that making life-changing decisions and assessing your core belief system takes time. It is established early on in the book that Nathaniel needs to find something to believe in as well as avoid the destiny of his ancestors. Throughout the book, we learn that Nathaniel has avoided continuing his family's name as well as practicing magic that is more for entertainment rather than war. It is revealed that Nathaniel is afraid of practicing dark magic in fear of hurting those he loves (that's why Silas is the only one he keeps around) and turning into his mad ancestors. He also believes that the magic of his ancestor's work can corrupt him. But working with Elisabeth and using his magic to save the world from demonic power and war proves to him that there are things worth fighting for. He also eventually resists the power of his ancestors and this shows that he is more than who he or others think of him. He is someone worth believing in and it is worth it to fight for something even if you can lose it. At the end of the story, we see Nathaniel attempt to adjust to a world without Silas as well as mourn. But, he's still adjusting. Not everything has happy endings and it is not clear if Nathaniel has decided that there is something to fight for and believe in.

- The characters have great chemistry with each other.

Elisabeth and Nathaniel have tension between each other but balance each other out in a way that does not feel forced. They are allowed to exist as complex individuals but it is stressed that they work better as a team. Nathaniel's sarcastic and charming nature is contrasted with Elisabeth's quiet and curious nature. She does not pick up on social signals as well as Nathaniel but can pick up environmental clues and it is the opposite for Nathaniel. Nathaniel and Silas actually feel like friends and it contrasts the dynamics we see between other sorcerers and their demons. Silas loves Nathaniel and treats him like a son but understands his demonic nature. It is also clearly explained why Silas and Nathaniel have a different bond and it is due to guilt and history. He even warns Elisabeth not to trust him when she befriends him. Silas feels like a character that is fully fleshed out even though he is so different to Elisabeth and Nathaniel in nature and purpose.

- The Epilogue leaves some loose ends that allow for new possibilities.

Elisabeth's story is not over and she is still learning. Nathaniel needs to learn how to navigate living without Silas and he now has something to believe in. Both Elisabeth and Nathaniel are still in a grey area in terms of what they want to do with their lives as well as in the process of deconstructing their beliefs and dealing with the aftermath of the final battle.  Is Silas really gone?

This is definitely a book I would recommend to friends that are familiar and unfamiliar with the fantasy genre and I may reread it again. 

Ancestral by Charlie Human

dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and War

Minor: Trafficking

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Read it in 2018 for a school project. It is my favourite book I have ever read. The writing is spectacular and the story is incredible. It is slow but every page is worth it. It is my number one book recommendation. I will reread it once I get my paper back again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Moderate: Body shaming

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Read this in 2020. Loved it a lot.

I unironically listened to "To build a Home" by Cinematic Orchestra and cried after the final chapter.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book is funny and dark and it lived up to the tiktok hype. I will be discussing some of the heavier topics present in this book, triggering themes as well as spoilers.


Aspects that I liked about this book:

- The unreliable narrator. She’s funny, self-centred, jarring, and she’s for sure mentally ill. My friend with BPD said that the content of the book is a bit triggering.

- The structure. I loved that the book seemed to be divided into 8 parts with a whole bunch of chapters of various lengths that were dependent on flashbacks, present reality as well as the thoughts of the narrator.

The passages that had sad memories interspersed with the narrator talking about clothes or drugs or how annoying Reva was or her admiration for Whoopi Goldberg help emphasis her unique voice as well as emphasising how she has not dealt with her trauma. Her life is fractured and broken. The structure underlines that her life doesn’t flow as well as her logic (with her grand plan to sleep an entire year on drugs). Towards the end of the book her passages become more succinct as she manages to control her sleep better and when she has her black outs they seem more chaotic. I appreciate that time was spent on explaining Reva’s mom’s funeral and that seems to be the section of the book that’s the most tense and present to read. She’s so distant from death and what’s happening but she talks about her parents death so casually. It’s quite jarring to see her casually talk about trauma she hasn’t fully processed as well as her inner thoughts when it comes to Reva. But that’s for later…

-Commentary on the art world and 2000s culture. Even though I was born in the 2000s many aspects of life such as Sex in the City and tabloids were something I didn’t personally consume due to my age and disinterest. It was great to see the narrator talk about life as it was in the 2000s. I remember using and watching VSH tapes and then transitioning to DVDs and I also remember some of the fashion that was present then. Reading about the narrator describing New York (as someone who is not American and definitely not a NYC inhabitant) really immersed me into her world of art, fakeness, diet culture and the sleepwalking culture of the late 90’s.
 
I found that the narrators discussion of art culture and the art world particularly fascinating.

The juxtaposition of the narrator’s belief that she needed to have talent to succeed and being presented with an art world where cum paintings and stuffed dogs are seen as art and valuable makes the reader question if talent is what you need to succeed in the art world. The description of hipster men on page 32 is absolutely spot on: insecure, self important and misogynistic men. The narrator does not hold back about how she despised the art world and felt inadequate in it. When describing the gallery and other artists, it’s clear that it is a world of money, insincerity, class and pressure and makes on consider if you’d want to be a part of that world anyway.

- Character dynamics. Personally, I found that each character kind of tackled some heavy topics and their purpose was not to be loveable but to see the mundaneness and issues they all had. 

3 characters that stood out to me were Dr Tuttle, Trevor, and Reva.

Dr Tuttle and her character I feel represent medical negligence as well as (on a small scale) Big Pharma. It is clear that the narrator lies to Dr Tuttle to get ahold of more intense drugs (she even admits that) but Dr Tuttle has no problem with using her patient as a walking Guinea pig. Dr Tuttle never asks about the narrator’s trauma and attempts to work through it with her. Although therapy takes time, Dr Tuttle seems to only encourage medicinal intervention and advises how to avoid insurance companies which is very suspicious. She even forgets the minimal information that the narrator does give her (such as her orphan status) and doesn’t notice the narrator’s awful state (she seems to have a seizure of some kind). She gives the narrator drugs that are still going through test trials and encourages drug mixing. Overall, Dr Tuttle is commentary on how the medical system (of America) fails patients and contributes to health issues as well as addiction (maybe a comment on the opioid crisis but I digress). 

Trevor is a vessel through which Moshfegh characterises the unhealthy dynamic of relationships between older men and young women. Trevor uses the narrator as a tool to make himself feel better. He never tends to her needs, asks about her interests or engages with her outside of his own needs and interests. For example, when the narrator goes to visit her parents home after they have died, he is not willing to help her with her trauma and be supportive. He is more concerned about getting the car messy and having sex with someone who is emotionally raw rather than assisting in working through her trauma that she clearly hasn’t processed. Trevor also drops the narrator when things with “respectable women” fall through. She is a confident side chick for him to use when he is bored as he is aware that she has deeper feelings for him than he has for her. This is aided in the fact that the narrator sees it as a point of pride to have a relationship with an older man when she’s surrounded by equally misogynistic and selfish men of her age. Overall, the men in this book seem emotionally distant, emotionally abusive. This is also seen with Reva’s affair with her married boss. She directs anger at the wife rather than the man that impregnated her and moved her so that he could avoid her rather than confront the status of their relationship. It sheds light on how young women are emotionally abused by these older manipulative men that use them as they see fit and these women develop dependency on these men because it’s all they’ve ever known. 

Finally, the dynamic between the narrator and Reva is definitely the most complex and interesting of the book. Reva and the narrator are fundamentally different people and this brings about interesting thought processes and interactions between them. 

</spoilers>

Soonchild by Russell Hoban

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I found this book incredibly interesting.

The structure of my edition also added to the chaos of the storyline. Chapters started mid page and some pages just had images.

My favourite part of the book was its ability to weave Inuit mythology and the modern world in way that highlights it’s complexity but makes it understandable. I appreciate that every spirit such as Sixteen Face John, Nanuq, Timertik, Ukpika, etc. had their moment in the book. It is explained who they are and how they contribute to John’s journey to finding the songs of the world. I am unsure how much of Hoban’s own imagination is woven into this book but I did find it fun to read.

A smaller aspect I really liked is the onomatopoeia. All of it assisted to engrain me into the world of the North as well as John’s Dream Brew trance.

Another aspect I enjoyed was the names of characters and how they perfectly describe each character. Some names are more practical. Soonchild is called soon child as she is soon to be born and characters such as Mr Ugly highlight his crudeness.

This book also plays with some epistemological questions and has an Everyman type of story structure. John’s journey is spiritual and individual but it is representative of the philosophical journey that we take to help people we love and face our own internal battles.

I appreciated that all the shamans had questions for names. This highlighted that they were wise people as well as reminded me of questions posed in a philosophy class as well as questions that would be asked by young children such as “Where is it?”, etc. Also these names/questions are reminiscent of actual philosophical questions.

Soonchild doesn’t want to come into the world because she doesn’t know if there is one. This reminded me of Descartes   Meditations. Descartes was famous for this work as it delves into how can we tell what is reality and if things exist. John’s journey is a similar concept. He goes on a journey/into trance to help assist another individual to prove that the world is real. It differs to Descartes in the sense that John is able to pass on his understanding of reality to Soonchild whereas Descartes’ work could only be used to prove to yourself if you are real and experiencing life but you can’t be sure/convince another person that you exist.

In addition to reminding me of Descartes, this journey that John goes on helps him remember his position of shaman, face his fears and restore his sense of reality. This is similar to the morality play Everyman.

(I might be rusty with my history and dramatic arts theory) In the play, Everyman is representative of all people and the journey he goes on brings him closer to God and faith. Along his journey he meets characters that embody Christian values and they assist his journey. The purpose of morality plays such as Everyman is to help educate people and assist them in understanding and conceptualising philosophical ideas and religious ideology. Reading this book, it is clear that Hoban mimics this sort of storytelling (knowingly or unknowingly).

Alexis Deacon’s illustrations added to the story. His illustrations assisted me with visualising a journey that is quite fractured and downs necessarily logically follow. It is a journey in trance so we go from one character to the next quite quickly and change location often. So, the illustrations helped me with following the journey as well as highlighting some of the questions physicality of the spirits as well as tension. My favourite illustrations were:

Yarluk, Timertik, Nanuq, Ukpika, the wolves of John, the ritual and the journey through the Long White Alone. I think these illustrations managed to get emphasise the power of the spiritual beings as well as how frightening John’s journey is particularly John’s wolves as well as the Long White Alone. The wolves sometimes have human faces and look deformed and the laughing spirits and figures in the Long White Alone were ominous and creepy. They captured various characters that John had/was going to meet as well as John’s fear in the face of death.

The ending seemed a little short but I enjoyed it. I really like that

Soonchild wasn’t just a representative character but her existence helped the world from ending. We tend to forget that she is the reason why we still have a word yet she’s such an ordinary person and her father helped prevent the world from ending. Idk how to say it but it’s great.

This was a relatively  quick read and the pictures definitely assisted with keeping me focused. The names can be confusing at times but it’s doable if you have minimal distractions. 

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I definitely liked/hated the fact that you could feel all the emotions that Romy was feeling. I did get a bit confused with the concept of how the communication worked in the book but it did not distract from the plot. The MC gives me anxious girl vibes that is extremely lonely that at points you want to shake her and say think straight. However, the foreshadowing is subtle that when the twist happens it all clicks. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent, and Gaslighting