jennaniho's reviews
79 reviews

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

I was so happy when our book club picked What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez because I had already bought it a few weeks before we started, and I couldn’t wait to dive in! The story turned out to be quite different from what I expected, but it surprised me in the best way. 

The author described this book as 'The Mummy' meets 'Pride & Prejudice', with both movies serving as inspiration, alongside her trip to Egypt. The vibes and aesthetics are exactly so. Ibañez does an amazing job at balancing just the right amount of history, adventure, thrill, and enigma with complex characters and my favorite slow-burn romance subplot: the 'I hate you' but 'touch her or die' type. Her writing style kept us so entertained, that the amount of theories our book club came up with was enough to write a whole new saga. 

Though there were times when Inez's character annoyed me, I think that was the overall point of her story. She acted like any late teenager would in her situation, especially in the late 1800s. And I do like it when the characters' personality matches their actual age. Also, I was happy with the inclusion of 1800s Argentina. It gave the book a different cultural background and unknown history, especially for those who love stories centered around archeology and adventure; stepping away from usual English or American settings. Lastly, I liked that the author doesn't allow you to get too comfortable with a character or an arc. The plot twists were plot-twisting! Arriving at moments in the book that enhance the story instead of confusing it. 

One of the things I was excited about in this book was how Ancient Egyptian history was woven in as a secondary character. Like the author, I’ve been fascinated by Ancient Egypt since childhood. Yet, so much of its history is often shrouded in myth or fantasy, that I was afraid this book was going to continue that trope. But Ibañez gives us just enough historical facts to ground the story in reality with vivid descriptions, and enough fantasy to allow our imagination to run wild. I felt the magical realism was too light for my liking, and I wished the book explained a bit more about Inez's magical connection with an ancient queen, but maybe it's something that will be explored in book two.

What the River Knows is both a coming-of-age of sorts, and a historical adventure with a splash of magical realism in it. It's filled with family secrets drama, suspense, and mystery. I can't wait to read the second book of this duology!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Becoming a Matriarch by Helen Knott

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

As someone just beginning to understand the painful and complex history Indigenous people have endured, this book resonated with me on a deeply personal level. Knott's storytelling is masterful, forcing me to confront my own biases—within myself, my family, and especially toward my Indigenous ancestors. I found myself in tears throughout the book and felt an overwhelming urge to embrace the author multiple times.

The book is deeply personal and will challenge you in many ways. Helen shares her raw emotions as she navigates the loss of her mother to cancer and, soon after, her grandmother to dementia. It’s a story about grief, letting go, and the uncertainty we often feel with our choices. Knott beautifully connects with her foremothers through her pain, receiving drops of wisdom along the way. I especially appreciated how she captures the difficulty of facing the present while still disentangling ourselves from the past.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
El invencible verano de Liliana by Cristina Rivera Garza

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is not just about self-discovery, is also about self-acceptance. And have the bravery to fight for what you want.
 
This book felt like a love letter to our planet Earth in the most magical way possible. Rachel’s writing style feels fresh and easygoing, but still capable of projecting deep emotions and thoughts through her characters. I identified with Clara in many ways and I loved how the author connected different areas of all the characters’ personalities with what their season represents, making you understand even some of the unlikeable ones. Yet, Clara’s self-isolation and insecurity were a bit of a stereotype. However, her overall nature is an archetype for women who are deemed too emotional, too much, or too dangerous. She represents those who are struggling with their personal power, but learn that the only way to be happy and free is to show and embrace all sides of themselves. 

This leads us to Sang, Clara’s mentor and romantic interest. Sang was probably my favorite character in the book. His quiet and calming personality clashed against Clara’s stubbornness and self-loathing and he was the perfect mirror for her to look at herself and face her fears. Sang reminded me a lot of my grandfather and how his gentle love soothes my abuela’s fiery and passionate personality. And just like my grandparents, Clara and Sang’s romance was not rushed or forced, but it was very present from the beginning.  Furthermore, I liked how the author gently treated Clara and Paige’s love story breakup without eliminating Paige from Clara’s life. 

Though the details of the magical system in the book are a bit vague, it still shows you how it works and how it is deeply connected with everything in the story. So much so that one of the characters researches how to take out harmful plants without the witch or the plant feeling pain. Or how clouds have a mind of their own when manifesting rain and thunder. Likewise, I love how the author has the witches loyal to the Sun rather than the traditional Moon veneration without demonizing the latter; as well as, referencing the Sun as a she (probably honoring sun goddesses hardly mentioned in modern witchcraft and paganism). 

Finally, my favorite element of this story is how it tackles climate change by cleverly linking it to the essence of a witch. Throughout history, witches have been deeply connected to the earth, acting as stewards of the planet and utilizing its resources for healing and sustainability. This said, the book also highlights the pressing issue of how human greed is deeply detrimental to our environment. The term "shaders" is used in the book to describe non-magical people; which, I think is fitting because it can symbolize how this greed has cast a dark cloud over our world's climate and our lives. Despite this, the book offers a sense of hope by emphasizing the importance of working together as the only way to make a positive difference in restoring balance to our environment and our lives. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair

Go to review page

dark emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-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

3.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

Go to review page

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

4.0

If the song My Boo by Usher feat. Alicia Keys could be a book, it would be this one. It reminded me a lot of how Latine people also experience love, heartbreak, societal expectations and, more specifically, grief. Which is what this book focuses on and excels at.  

Yasmen and Josiah, confront emotional repression, grief, and resilience, as well as the positive effects of therapy and mindfulness. Kennedy Ryan humanizes these characters to the point of making you identify them in people in your life. In Yasmen I saw my mother, my friends, while in Josiah I saw my father, my husband, and my uncle. 

Is a truly inspiring story and a must read!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Dance of a Burning Sea by E.J. Mellow

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.0

I keep loving this series more and more, and this book is no exception. Dance of a Burning Sea is an almost perfect enemies-to-lovers story. It is is adventurous, challenging, deeply emotional, sometimes funny, and a bit mysterious. Yet, it is darker than the first book, having some scenes that are really gruesome, keeping the element of horror in the story of the Mousai. 

I personally identified with Niya through, both her fiery nature and the way that she loves and protects those that mean the world to her. Niya is a free spirit, and it is obvious that her and Alōs are strangely attracted to each other; with their obsession for power and sexual tension being incredibly annoying throughout the story, but equally satisfying in the end. 

The only thing I didn’t like of this book was Niya’s older sister, Arabessa. She was so unfairly mean to Niya’s feelings, that I thought for a moment she was jealous of her. I do hope the third and final installment of this series explains why is Arabessa so stuck up because I really, really disliked her in this book. 

Overall, Dance of a Burning Sea shows that sometimes our torture can be our remedy, what we consider weakness can be our biggest strengths, and that we can have more than one family no matter how close or how far we are from them.  
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie

Go to review page

sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

It was hard to understand and the story didn’t make sense.
Circe by Madeline Miller

Go to review page

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

5.0

I knew I was going to like this book, but I didn’t know I was going to absolutely love it. Miller’s writing style and prose made it hard for me to put this book down, though I had to from time to time; some chapters were deeply emotional, triggering, and brutally honest. 

Being the eldest daughter, I felt an instant connection with Circe. Her unwavering resilience, the way she slowly embraced her inner fire and untamed spirit, her determination to persist in the face of adversity, her inevitable mistakes, her worries, her fears, and her love —all contribute to making Circe a heroine defined by herself. Also, anyone who is bold enough to stand up against the Olympian gods and the Titans on their own, will always have a special place in my heart. 

With Circe, Madeline Miller shows us that women have been their self-made heroes since the beginning of time, and it is our divine right and power to create our lives under our rules alone. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings