cuartolimon's reviews
24 reviews

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is one of the best books I’ve read. Yaa Gyasi’s prose is fantastic. She managed to convey the deep wounds of the transatlantic slave trade and how they are still open to this day. I know I’ll never be able to fully understand the pain it caused and continues to cause, however this book managed to make so much of that pain resound. There were moments when I had to close the book and sit with what I had just read, moments when it made me audibly gasp, and of course it also made me cry. I am sure I’ll come back to it at some point.
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The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

It’s the third book by Emezi I read this year alone and I can’t get enough. They have been one of my favorite author finds lately. The book is mysterious, it captures your attention trying to tie the knots together to understand Vivek’s death, just like his mother does. It’s very emotional and can be triggering, especially for people of trans experience and non binary folks. 
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler

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adventurous mysterious 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

4.75

Be Not Afraid of Love: Lessons on Fear, Intimacy, and Connection by Mimi Zhu

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.0

I enjoyed the book and it provided a lot of insight into the grieving process of abusive relationships and the homecoming of self love. At times I found it too kooky for my taste, especially when the author would draw comparisons between humans and plants. I appreciate that this may have to do with the fact that I’m not a very spiritual person myself.
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Assembly by Natasha Brown

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dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.5

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Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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adventurous emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I didn’t know what a smutty novel was until my friend mentioned some fanfics they read. I had just started reading this book then. Two days later I realized this IS a smutty novel. 
Palmares by Gayl Jones

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
I kept getting lost, I felt like it wasn’t going anywhere. I do like and am very familiar with magical realism however this book was rather chaotic. I’ll give it another chance later on.
Ese día cayó en domingo by Sergio Ramírez

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • 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