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hevlav's reviews
65 reviews
Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-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
Listening to this as an audiobook enhanced the experience of this novel so much.
Haynes breaks gods down to petulant squabblers in the best of ways. She humanizes “monsters” and monster-izes humans.
While the book does linger a touch to long here or there on some points, I felt it was overall well paced and a great telling of the story of Medusa and the world around her.
Haynes breaks gods down to petulant squabblers in the best of ways. She humanizes “monsters” and monster-izes humans.
While the book does linger a touch to long here or there on some points, I felt it was overall well paced and a great telling of the story of Medusa and the world around her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Murder
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is a devastating exploration in aging, deterioration, and loss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Incredibly solemn yet surprisingly hilarious. I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but Roach did a wonderful job of balancing the sad and gory with reflection and fun. I’m glad I already don’t eat meat, because there’s no way I would after the many many comparisons between cadavers and lunch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
challenging
emotional
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Murder
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay, maybe romance plots just aren’t for me. Mix that with heavy world building (that continues on, in detail, throughout the book) and it’s almost a wash.
I did love the characters, and did hope for the best, but all too often I felt we lost the forest for the trees on this one.
I did love the characters, and did hope for the best, but all too often I felt we lost the forest for the trees on this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is an amazing compilation of Angela Davis’ thoughts and speeches on freedom from the mid ‘10s. A must read.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
dark
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? Yes
3.5
Don’t let the “take on Romeo and Juliet” fool you, this book is an excellent piece only using that inspiration as a loose foundation. The world building and commentary that falls around fair Verona (er, Shanghai) is unique and dark.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a fun read! The gossip of the Duong family folds you right in and makes you feel like part of the gang. However, the sheer volume of characters and their even more voluminous issues leave a lot of loose ends and unfinished plots.
The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a really dense book of interwoven stories. I fought myself laughing along in some places, and cringing in others. While I feel it set out to do exactly as it intended, it was not exactly my cup of tea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, Violence, and War