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gkamens's reviews
127 reviews
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Written 11/7/24: Not great, if the ending wasn’t a cliffhanger/introducing a new plot point/mystery I wouldn’t have read the second book. Scarlett was kinda whiny and annoying but I did love Julian🫶🏽
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death, Physical abuse, and Violence
Legendary by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Personally liked Tella’s story / character more than Scarlett’s, except for the fact that her nickname is Tella. A bit faster in pace from Caraval and more suspense/mysteries/over-lapping plot lines. Interested to see if the third book will explain how/why Tella is Jacks’s one true love. Dante as Legend wasn’t a massive surprise but Garber did a good job with keeping his identity ambiguous/making me not 100% sure it was Dante. Dante as the lost heir though was predictable. As soon as he explained the meaning behind the ship tattoo I knew it was him.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Violence
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Love a Gothic mystery, magical realism is used a bit which I didn’t realize at first, reminded me of Spanish film courses from college
Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction by Michelle Nijhuis
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Super interesting to learn about the history of conservation, journalistic narrative, definitely should read if interested/passionate about the environment/animals
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
So far the best “suburbs as microcosm of (white) American society” I’ve read so far
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Yay recipes given at the end; interesting to discover it’s part of a trilogy, enjoyed learning about India post independence from Britain and the impacts of it and learning about herbal medicine
Re Jane by Patricia Park
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
Would’ve been better if it wasn’t marketed as a retelling of Jane Eyre
Burntown by Jennifer McMahon
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
- Lots of plot twists
- Great writing, building up suspense especially
- Kinda bummed about the reveal? Somehow didn’t seem shocking; kinda guessed who the Chicken Man was at the beginning of the book
- Epilogue made me smile tho
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
Wish I would have liked it more (a lot of the analogies I found to be a bit of a stretch, which I felt harmed their argument at times) but believe everyone should read it. It gives a holistic, interdisciplinary view of how to deal with climate change which many articles/books don’t (and they should) in addition to advice on how to become more conscious.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Extremely important history to learn, reads very well, extremely literary, archival photos, ending is rushed and seems incomplete but unfortunately that is because it reflects the current information/status/awareness of this case